Highways Agency

• Contents
• Executive summary
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Data Collected
• 3. Summary of Results
• 4. Conclusion

2. Data Collected

2.1 The Traffic Impact Study (TIS) for the A43 (T) M40 to A5 Dualling included the following surveys:

"Before" Surveys

• 2 Automatic Traffic Count surveys by Count-On-Us. As the scheme opened a little early, traffic counts from June 2001 were used to represent traffic volumes in the "Before" situation;
• 4 ATC surveys by Atkins on behalf of Northamptonshire County Council;
• Traffic data from 4 Highways Agency permanent count site locations; and
• Journey time surveys on A43 (T) from M40 to the A5 at Towcester.

"After" Surveys

• For the "After" surveys, the above surveys were used, plus two additional ATC surveys on the new A43 bypass sections.

2.2 The details of the "Before" and "After" surveys are described below.

Automatic Traffic Counts.

2.3 Atkins undertook automatic traffic count (ATC) surveys in September 2002 at the following four locations, as illustrated in Figure 2.1:

• Old A43 Brackley Road (Silverstone village);
• Old A43 Main Road (north of Syresham village);
• New A43 Silverstone Bypass (south of A413 junction); and
• New A43 Whitfield Turn to Brackley Hatch Dualling (Green Man junction).

2.4 The scheme itself was due to open on 18th September 2002, and thus, the count equipment was connected on Thursday 12th September and continued for five weeks to incorporate the scheme opening day and the weeks after opening.

2.5 Traffic data from surveys undertaken by Atkins on behalf of Northamptonshire County Council to monitor the effects of the scheme opening on other routes in Northamptonshire and data from permanent Highways Agency count sites has also been obtained to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of any strategic traffic routeing changes in Northamptonshire.

2.6 The County sites are as follows (and illustrated in Figure 2.1):

• B4525 at Falcut (alternative to A422 from J11 of M40 (Banbury));
• A361 at Byfield (route from J11 of M40 to Daventry);
• A422 at Deanshanger (route from Buckingham joining A5 west of Milton Keynes); and
• A413 at Lillingstone Dayrell (route from Buckingham to A43 south of Towcester).

2.7 Traffic data has been obtained from Highways Agency permanent count sites on trunk roads (as shown in Figure 2.1), namely;

• A43 at Whitfield (south west of scheme);
• A43 at Blisworth (north east of Towcester); and
• Two locations on the A5 at Pattishall and Alderton (north and south east of Towcester).

Figure 2.1 - Location of Traffic Count Sites

Journey Time Surveys

2.8 Journey time surveys were undertaken on the A43 (T) between the junction 10 of the M40 and A5 at Towcester. The surveys covered the full A43 (T) M40 - A5 Dualling Scheme, which includes the M40 to B4031 (A421) improvement (dualling of existing single carriageway road) which was completed in February 2002. The survey route, comprising five timing points, is depicted in Figure 2.2.

2.9 "Before" journey time surveys previously undertaken in June 2001 were used for comparison with surveys carried out post scheme opening. Survey periods were the morning (07:30 - 09:00) and evening (16:30 - 18:00) peaks as well as an inter-peak period (10:00 -11:30).

Figure 2.2 - Journey Time Survey Route from M40 to A5