Agenda item

Representatives from Highways England, Network Rail and Leicestershire and Warwickshire Police will be in attendance for this item.

The Committee considered a report of the Director and Environment and Transport and a presentation from representatives of Highways England bridge strikes at the A5 Watling Street rail bridge near Hinckley. A copy of the presentation and supporting papers, marked ‘Agenda Item 11’ are filed with these minutes.

The Committee welcomed Mark Woodward from Network Rail, Malcolm Dangerfield from Highways England, Ryan Buckland from Leicestershire Police and Neal Westward from Warwickshire Police to the meeting for the item.

Arising from the presentation the following points were noted:

i.         Responsibility for the bridge lies with Network Rail however they work closely with Highways England given the impact any bridge strike has on the A5 trunk road which comes under Highways England’s remit. Any bridge strikes also had an impact on the County and the surrounding area due to the road closure and diversion route that had to be put in place.

ii.       Since the end of 2019 the Vehicle Activated Signs, warning of the low bridge, had been maintained. Members were pleased to note the reduction in bridge strikes from 19 in 2019 to seven in 2020. While COVID-19 has resulted in a reduction in traffic, Highways England advised that traffic levels had recovered on the A5 faster than other routes and that Heavy Goods Vehicle numbers had remained relatively comparable to pre-pandemic levels. Members were assured that incidents would continue to be monitored closely.

iii.      A Bridge Strike Group met regularly which looked to resolve the long-standing issue of the strikes. Most recently it had looked at the signing strategy, last reviewed in 2014, and found there were issues with signing on the west approach. It was hoped construction of the new signs would be finalised in the current financial year and introduced to the route.

iv.     Signs set out both metric and imperial measures. There was no observable pattern with bridge strikes with regard to country of origin or vehicle type. The only determinable pattern was that there were fewer owner operators strikes in comparison to the larger haulier companies.

v.       There was a pipeline of possible future improvement schemes across Highway England’s network which included the A5 Hinckley to Tamworth that was undergoing initial feasibility testing. Members recognised there was no current commitment by Highways England and that the organisation would look to present options to Government in 2022/23 for prioritisation in the Road Improvement Strategy 3.

vi.     Highways England were aware of warehousing and industrial development within the vicinity of the bridge. The developer concerned had indicated its desire to lower the section under the bridge, however no planning permission had been sought as yet. Highways England and Network Rail would be supportive of such a solution if it were to receive approval from the relevant planning authority.

vii.    It was further queried how proposed development within Warwickshire may increase vehicles at peak times and impact tailbacks to Dodwells roundabout. Highways England advised that the development awaited due planning process and were unable to comment on the specific points raised.

viii.   Members queried why there was not an automatic stop arrangement, such as traffic lights or chains for physical prevention. It was recognised such a solution would not stop congestion as there was no turn around space. Furthermore, drivers were still required to act in response, as they should to the Vehicle Activated Signs.

ix.     Any solution required a cost benefit analysis based on the accident statistics. However, as there were rarely safety implications as issues related to congestion, the problem did not fit into normal funding mechanisms. For example, funding for the Vehicle Activated Signage was found from the limited resilience fund.

x.       Highways England confirmed that all diversion routes were set out and agreed with local authorities. However, work was ongoing to ensure diversion signage was clear to what route traffic should follow, as drivers would inevitably follow an electronic mapping device re-route.

Members thanked Highways England for such a thorough presentation and update on the subject.

RESOLVED:

That the report and presentation be noted.