Traffic report goes to Parish Council

Keen observers may have spotted local members of the Audlem Parish Plan traffic group monitoring traffic through the village on a couple of days last year.

The surveys took place on Friday 20th May and Tuesday 13th September, as differing days of the week can see different traffic numbers and patterns.

A report has been prepared and is being presented to next Monday’s meeting of Audlem Parish Council.

The main aim of the surveys was to assess the numbers of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) which have caused so much concern amongst residents in the two Parish Plans of 2005 and 2010.

Volume of traffic
The more surprising finding, however, was the sheer volume of car and light van traffic with an average of 430 vehicles an hour passing through the Square, or one every 8.4 seconds, between 7.00am and 6.00pm.

The last hour of the survey, from 5.00 – 6.00pm proved busiest with the number of vehicles rising to 616 in the September study.

HGVs
The number of articulated lorries passing through increased from 25 in May to 31 in September while other heavy lorries reduced from 13 in May to 11 in September.

The combined number of HGVs in both surveys showed an average of less than four per hour. The feeling of the Transport group is that this figure is too low to consider a recommendation to ask for a weight limit being placed on either the A525 or the A529.

Instead, it is felt that the proposals which have been agreed by the Nantwich Highways LAP (Local Area Partnership) should discourage large vehicles (apart from locally based ones) from using the roads through the village.  These proposals are:

• Pinch-points on both the New Bridge and the Town Bridge


• The creation of a chicane by staggering parking bays on Shropshire Street.

However, traffic numbers will be monitored again by the group of volunteers at some time in the future.

More on this next week, including a report on how the Parish Council reacts to the findings.

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