Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Related pages

• Executive summary
• 1 introduction
• 2 route description
• 3 policy objectives
• 4 route functions
• 5 land use & development control statement
• 6 route issues and performance
• 7 route outcomes
• 8 strategy impact statement

6 route issues and performance

6 Route Issues and Performance

6.1 Introduction

6.1.1 This chapter outlines issues along the A49 that have been identified or brought to the attention of the Highways Agency based on the analysis of available data, a comparison with other trunk roads, and consultation with stakeholders and members of the public. These issues are grouped under the five key government objective areas of economy, safety, environment, accessibility and integration.

6.2 Route Sections

6.2.1 To allow assessment of the route to be undertaken, the route has been divided intothe following sections based on its characteristics, the subsections reflect the varying nature of the route within each route section, and which have been used elsewhere in the analysis:

Section 1 - Ross on Wye to Hereford

• Section 1a - Junction of A49 (T) and A40 (T) to junction with minor road 300m north of junction to Turkey Tump.
• Section 1b - 300m north of junction with minor road to Turkey Tump to junction with minor road to Bullinghope (south of the City of Hereford)

Section 2 - Hereford City

• Section 2 - Junction with minor road to Bullinghope to 300m north of roundabout with A4103 Starting Gate Roundabout.

Section 3 - Hereford to Leominster

• Section 3a - 300m north of roundabout with A4103 to entrance to Burghope Farm.
• Section 3b - Entrance to Burghope Farm to 300m north of junction with A417.
• Section 3c - 300m north of junction with A417 to 300m north of junction with A44, northern end of Leominster Bypass.

Section 4 - Leominster to Ludlow

• Section 4a - 300m north of junction with A44 to County Boundar, just south of A456 at Woofferton.
• Section 4b - County Boundary to 300m north of junction with B4361 south of Ludlow.
• Section 5 - 300m north of junction with B4361 south of Ludlow to crossing over railway near B4361 junction north of Ludlow.

Section 5 - Ludlow to Church Stretton

• Section 6a - Crossing over railway near B4361 junction north of Ludlow to 300m north of junction with A489 (the Grove).
• Section 6b - 300m north of junction with A489 (the Grove) to the traffic signal controlled junction with the B4371 in Church Stretton.

Section 6 - Church Stretton to Shrewsbury

• Section 7a - The traffic signal controlled junction with the B4371 in Church Stretton.to 300m south of the Dorrington railway bridge.
• Section 7b - 300m south of the Dorrington railway bridge to junction with A5 south of Shrewsbury.

6.3 How Route Issues Were Derived

6.3.1 The route issues have been derived from a number of sources including liaison with the Highways Agency, the previous and current Managing Agent, (WSP and Amey Mouchel), the Consultant (Halcrow), the Stakeholders of the project and members of the public.

6.3.2 Relevant data including personal injury collision data, traffic flow data and theexistence and location of facilities along the route have all been used to determine issues along the route.

6.4 Description of Issues

Safety

6.4.1 Safety is a key issue along the route, there having been 729 personal injury collisions between 1/06/97 and 31/05/02 resulting in 1088 casualties. Some particular junctions, limited overtaking opportunities and a need for rationalisation of signing add to the identified safety issues. The results of the personal injury collision data is outlined in Chapter 2.

6.4.2 An analysis of overtaking opportunities along the route was undertaken in mid 2002. Travelling northbound from Ross-on-Wye to Shrewsbury, a distance of 104 kilometres, it is concluded that there is currently 7 km of existing overtaking opportunity. Southbound, there is currently 13km. This limited overtaking provision, coupled with the HGV flows can result in driver frustration and unreliable journey times.

Economy

6.4.3 Issues that have been identified include congestion within Hereford, below standard lay-bys and insufficient lay-by provision compared to HA Advice Note TA69/96. Inconsistent journey time along the route is also an issue, which affects the economic performance of the A49.

6.4.4 Congestion is the primary performance indicator in respect of economy. Two way AADT data and site observations have been used to determine congestion issues along the route. Queuing at junctions has been observed from car surveys along the route. Queues occurred at most junctions through Hereford (Section 2). All other sections had none or just one junction where queuing was observed.

6.4.5 HA Advice Note TA 69/96 "The Location and Layout of Lay-Bys" gives advice on the siting, frequency and design of lay-bys on all purpose trunk roads.

6.4.6 The existing provision is 50 lay-bys (24 northbound and 26 southbound) over the102 km length. However, due to clustering of lay-bys, there are sections of the route where lay-bys are not provided between 2-5kms as stated in the guidance. There is currently limited lay-by provision between Dorrington and Shrewsbury, southbound at Craven Arms, and there are no type A lay-bys between Hopeunder-Dinmore and Leominster.

6.4.7 Road alignment is an issue for large vehicles at the location of the River Bridge atOnibury, although there is no evidence of personal injury collisions. There is need to rationalise signing along the route; limited suitable advanced signing along the route has been highlighted during the consultation process.

Accessibility

6.4.8 The key issue along the route is the limited provision of pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities within settlements, contributing to community severance and accessibility issues.

6.4.9 The quality of facilities accessible for non-motorised users along the route is assessed as minimal. Hereford has several controlled pedestrian crossings and a number of uncontrolled pedestrian facilities along with subways in the city centre. Church Stretton in Section 6b has full pedestrian phase incorporated at the signal controlled junction and Craven Arms in Section 6a has dropped kerbs and central refuges as provision for pedestrians to cross the A49. Bridstow, Much Birch, Craven Arms, Dorrington and Bayston Hill all have schools located near to the A49. Severance to facilities is therefore considered to be an issue.

6.4.10 Provision for cyclists to cross the A49 is limited, with no dedicated controlled cycle crossing facilities being present along the route. Cycle path provision is also currently limited, with three lengths of cycle route in place. These routes are located between Shrewsbury and Bayston Hill, north of Leominster and south of Hope under Dinmore.

6.4.11 There are currently no equestrian crossing facilities along the route. The BritishHorse Society (BHS) is developing a network of longer distance rides. One such route is the Three Rivers Ride, which joins the Sabrina Way in Gloucester with the Brecon Beacons. This route crosses the A49 at Morton-on-Lugg so there are potential safety issues at this location as no crossing facilities are currently provided.

6.4.12 There are 17 bus routes that currently operate serving a part of the A49. Analysisof timetables indicates that current bus services are infrequent. No one service currently serves a significant proportion of the route.

Environment

6.4.13 The main issues that have been identified along the route are the potential impactof the A49 on village character and the landscape, impacts on drainage, and air and noise quality issues.

6.4.14 The A49 passes through several Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Areas of Great Landscape Value (AGLV), predominantly on sections of the route between Ross-on-Wye and Hereford, and Onibury to All Stretton. The road is adjacent to a number of designated sites of importance to nature conservation, ranging from sites of local importance to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Several of these sites border the A49 and may therefore be directly affected by traffic noise and air pollution. The River Lugg and Teme (both designated as SSSIs, largely due to their population of protected species such as the Otter and Water Vole) may be vulnerable to water pollution as they flow near and under theroad. The A49 crosses both rivers, the River Lugg just below Leominster and the River Teme near Ashford Bowdler, with stretches of the river flowing close to the A49 (the Lugg between Leominster and Wellington, and the Teme between Bromfield and Woofferton). The River Wye (SSSI) crosses the A49 in the centre of Hereford.

6.4.15 Significant areas of ancient woodland occur at the road margin at Queenswood and Longwood. The A49 bisects woodland around Queenswood, therefore impacting on the habitat, as habitat fragmentation can greatly reduce the value of a woodlands biodiversity.

6.4.16 Herefordshire Council has undertaken a review and assessment of the County's airquality as part of the Government's National Air Quality Strategy. The stage three air quality report was published in March 2001 and recommends that an air quality management area (AQMA) is designated in Hereford City Centre because of the likely exceedence of the nitrogen dioxide annual mean of 21 ppb in 2005. The Hereford City Air Quality Management Area (Nitrogen Dioxide) Order 200 was designated in Hereford on 1st November 2001. The AQMA encompasses the A49 through the City Centre, which includes the stretch from Holmer Road to the A49/A465 junction south of Greyfriars Bridge. No other AQMA have been proposed along the A49.

6.4.17 A desktop and site visit study was undertaken in February 2002 to determine theeffects of highway runoff on the surrounding environment in terms of water quality and pollution. The survey identified thirteen locations along the route where flooding had occurred, and pollution incidents at Bromfield Bridge over the River Onny, the Bridge over the River Corve at Ludlow bypass and the Dinmore Hill tributary of the River Lugg. Outfall was assessed by studying the catchment area, the status of the receiving watercourse, highway flooding and the highway catchment area. The four locations where outfall was identified as a potential issue were the River Corve at the Ludlow bypass, the River Wye in Hereford CityCentre, the Tributary of the Quinny Brook, Felhampton and the Tributary of the Quinny Brook, Little Stretton.

6.4.18 A study was undertaken in February 2002 into the effects of the A49 on the character of landscapes and settlements on the basis of DMRB Volume 11, and Countryside Agency and Landscape Institute guidance. For most of its length the route still follows its ancient alignment, however the A49 is considered to visually impact on the environment at the Ludlow bypass where it affects the Lugg Valley, and Berrington Hall where it bisects the parkland which is Grade II listed by English Heritage, Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The impact of the A49 on settlements has been assessed through a review of traffic flows, carriageway width, the nature and density of the settlements along the route. It has been concluded that the most sensitive settlements are Dorrington, Ashtonand Peterstow, with Leebotwood, Bromfield and Woofferton moderately sensitive.

Integration

6.4.19 There is currently limited integration between transport modes along the A49, witha need to review signing to railway stations and integration between cars and buses.

6.5 Main Issues (From Consultation & Function Analysis)

6.5.1 During the public consultation exercise 343 questionnaires were received. Analysisof the questionnaires showed that respondents overwhelmingly felt that the most significant issue on the A49 was to improve safety along the route for all road users. The key issues that were identified during the public consultation were:

• Pedestrian safety concerns, and the need for improved pedestrian crossing provision in settlements to reduce severance;
• Limited safe overtaking opportunities along the route;
• Speeding vehicles through settlements;
• The need for consistent signing along the route;
• Limited public transport provision along the route;
• The need to improve safety for drivers along the route, particularly at junctions; and,
• Limited cycle provision along the route.

6.6 Network Comparison

6.6.1 The A49 is a single carriageway route for over 95% of its length with relativelylight flows. When looking at other routes on the trunk road network the proportion of dual carriageway was considered to be a suitable way of comparing routes. There are a number of Route Management Strategies on various sections of the network however these at present only cover routes with at least 20% dual carriageways and with much more significant traffic flows. Therefore it would seem that there are currently no route management strategies that the A49 can be compared to.