Agenda and minutes
PDF 104 KBVenue: The Council Chamber, Brockington, 35 Hafod Road, Hereford
Contact: Paul James, Members' Services, Tel:01432 260 460 Fax:01432 260286 e-mail pjames@herefordshire.gov.uk
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies had been received from Councillors W.L.S. Bowen, Mrs A.E. Gray and R. Mills. |
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NAMED SUBSTITUTES To receive details any details of Members nominated to attend the meeting in place of a Member of the Committee. Minutes: Councillor G. Lucas substituted for Councillor Mrs A.E. Gray. Councillor J. G. S. Guthrie substituted for Councillor R. Mills. (Councillor Mills subsequently attended and was able to speak but not vote). |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST To receive any declarations of interest by Members in respect of items on the Agenda. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 8th December, 2004 and 24th January, 2005. Additional documents: Minutes: RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meetings held on 8th December, 2004 and 24th January, 2005 be approved and signed by the Chairman. |
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TRUNK ROADS IN HEREFORDSHIRE To consider the management of Trunk Roads in Herefordshire by the Highways Agency. Minutes: The Committee considered the management of Trunk Roads in Herefordshire by the Highways Agency (HA).
The Chairman reminded the Committee that in response to concerns, primarily about safety on the A49 in the Ashton and Wellington areas, the Committee at its meeting on 8th December, 2004, had requested the opportunity to discuss the management of trunk roads with the Highways Agency. Subsequent to that meeting the Head of Highways and Transportation had collated, and forwarded to the Highways Agency, questions or comments from Members on the issue. Copies of the questions were made available at the meeting.
The Head of Highways and Transportation reminded the Committee of the trunk roads in the County namely: M50 Motorway; A40; A49 and A465 (Welsh border to Hereford), and that these were key components in the County’s highway network. He reported that while there had been a significant reduction in the number of Killed and Seriously Injured Casualties (KSLIs) on Herefordshire’s roads in recent years, the Route Management Strategies (RMS) produced by the HA indicated that accident rates on several sections of the A49 were above the national average for the class of road.
He further reported that while trunk roads represented only 3% of the total County network, they accounted for approximately 23% of all personal injury accidents. The Council was not the responsible Highway Authority for this 3% of the highway network. However, national targets for casualty reduction (BVPI 99) applied to Herefordshire Council, as local highway authority, and the Highways Agency. He warned that this position may impact on the Council’s targets for reducing accidents, contained in the second Local Public Service Agreement, and ultimately adversely affect the potential for performance improvement grant.
He also reported that officers of the Council and the Highways Agency had begun discussions to identify options that might be considered if the delivery of casualty reduction schemes on trunk roads in Herefordshire were to be accelerated.
The Chairman welcomed the representatives from the Highways Agency (HA) to the meeting.
Mr C. Mercer, HA Network Strategy West Midlands, gave a presentation on the “Highways Agency’s Roles and Responsibilities”. The following are some of the principal points from the presentation:
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