Preventing White Oak Way and Part of St Mary’s Grove Becoming a Rat Run.

Proposal: The Make White Oak Way and Part of St Mary’s Grove an Access-Only Route.

Background

In the early phases of the Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Homes developments residents of Nailsea suffered from the large number of heavy goods vehicles accessing and leaving these sites, often using prohibited routes such as the east end of St Mary’s Grove and White Oak Way. The Council had barred heavy goods vehicles from using these particular roads but violations continued. Regular traffic hold ups occurred outside Hannah More and Grove Schools, as parent’s cars came up against heavy goods vehicles. The safety of children was often put at risk as extra traffic attempted to use the route. It showed just how unsuitable these roads are for additional through traffic.

St Mary’s Grove and White Oak Way, a winding twisting route with two primary schools a pub and road-facing homes, is not an appropriate route for heavy traffic or for high usage. The Council had made it clear that an alternative was available and should be used.

A Potentially Bleak Future For Residents.

As the Netherton Wood Lane and Engine Lane developments have created more than 500 new homes, each with parking for at least one car, it can be expected (conservatively) an extra 900 traffic movements out and back will take place each day. And unless it is stopped a significant number will be using unsuitable routes such as St Mary’s Grove and White Oak Way as “rat runs”.

When cities such as Bristol are planning traffic-free zones a modest proposal to support residents in Nailsea would not seem unreasonable. With speed humps and a 20 mph speed limit already introduced in the centre of Nailsea, affecting mostly commercial streets, residents in other part of the town might feel they’ve been neglected by the highways team at North Somerset Council. So what can be done to prevent these additional traffic movements?

The Solution

The proposal is to prevent an increase in traffic using the east end of St Mary’s Grove and the whole of White Oak Way by making this an access-only route. It would be barred to through traffic. Only residents on these roads, visitors, deliveries to homes and businesses, buses, parents dropping off / collecting children from school and cyclists would be permitted to use the route. No new traffic would be allowed. The scheme would include those accessing cul-de-sacs off route, such as Harptree Close, The Chimes and Church Close. But those using the route to pass through to other parts of Nailsea, in either direction, would be prohibited.

Signage would be required at the junction of White Oak Way and The Perrings, the junction of St Mary’s Grove with Hannah More Road and at the west end of The Uplands. “Through Route” diversion signage would also be needed at these points.

Blackfriars Road and Hannah More Road (both straight, wide, no schools, no pub, no road-facing houses) was the route selected by the Council for development traffic. It’s presently under used and provides the quickest route out of Nailsea from the west, giving easy access to Queens Road. What’s suitable for heavy goods vehicles could be equally good for all those additional cars.

It is inevitable that additional housing will be built around Nailsea but that means that mitigating measures must be put in place to ensure existing residents continue to enjoy living here and these routes remain relatively safe. By making White Oak Way and part of St Mary’s Grove access-only this would go some way to responding to these needs.

If you support the views in this message please say so via the Forum, as I’d like to pass on your opinions to our North Somerset and Nailsea Town councillors.