Update September 2021

Update June 2021

The latest correspondence between RCC and the traffic calming group.

Update May 2021

During March and April the Braunston Traffic Calming Group logged the speed and volume of traffic passing through the village; we used a radar logging device similar to those used by police and the Rutland County Council. The device recorded an extensive set of data that we will use to demonstrate that we still have a significant speeding problem.

During the month there were several changes to the traffic flow:
1. 3 days of 'normal' traffic flow along Knossington Road.
2. 5 days of roadworks, with traffic lights at the chicane.
3. 9 days of 'normal' traffic flow.
4. 12 days of increased traffic flow during the Manton Rail Bridge closure

The results show:
Knossington Road, inside the village, 200m from the 30mph limit sign:

• 70% of vehicles entering the village were speeding
• 78% of vehicles leaving the village were speeding.
• Speeds of 66mph were seen entering the village and 69mph leaving the village.
• The 85th percentile of vehicles entering the village, is 39mph, which means that 15% of vehicles were travelling at 40mph or higher.
• The 85th percentile of vehicles leaving the village, is 40mph, which means that 15% of vehicles were travelling at 41mph or higher.
• One Sunday morning, between 7am and 8am, 15 cars coming into the village resulted in an 85th percentile of 51mph.
• In the 28 days the radar was in place, there were a total of 59,455 vehicles, an average of 2,123 per day, passing through the radar at 10mph or above.

The '85th percentile speed' into and out of the village is an important measure; it is the speed at which, or below, 85% of traffic was travelling, and is used by the Police and other authorities to determine whether action to reduce speed levels is needed. Typically, action will be taken if it is greater than 35mph in a 30 zone. This summary data includes the period when traffic lights were in operation on Knossington Road; the detailed analysis shows significantly higher speeds when this period is removed in the detailed version of the analysis.

The summary chart below shows the number of vehicles travelling through the village at the speeds indicated. The number of vehicles is on the left axis, and the speed is on the bottom axis; the red line marks 30mph. The data covers everything in the four weeks that monitoring took place, and merges the results for vehicles entering and leaving the village.

These results show that there is clearly a significant speeding issue in the village, and the existing traffic calming measures simply just do not work.

Bar chart showing the number of vehicles travelling in and out of the village (vertical) against their speed (horizontal).

Update April 2021

After conducting a speed survey in 2016, RCC approved the installation of a single chicane build out in the Knossington Road. A further speed survey showed that this was not working, and a second chicane was added in 2019. Two further speed surveys were conducted in June and November 2019; the June survey showed that the double chicane still wasn't reducing speeds to acceptable levels. However, when the November survey was done, during a period of dreadful weather, RCC determined that the speeds had now been reduced to 'acceptable'.

The summary results from the various RCC surveys were as follows:

The full report and analysis can be read in this document:

In January 2020 RCC adopted a new policy, which put a moratorium on any further speed surveys for three years after an 'acceptable' one, and RCC have thus refused to consider the repeated requests for action made by Braunston Parish Council.

Whilst holding this policy on the speed cushions, RCC has agreed an upgrade of road signs and road marking to improve safety on Oakham Road, and a review by the police of our request for 40mph buffer zones at each end of the village.

Given the RCC position on speed surveys, the Parish Council has installed a traffic logger to measure speeds for one month, and will submit the data to RCC in due course. We will publish interim results on the website, but already we can see that average speeds are consistently more than 30mph, even when there were traffic lights in place during the recent roadworks.

History of the campaign

Here are the full details of proposals, and reports from meetings that have been held.

Update March 2021

After conducting a speed survey in 2016, RCC approved the installation of a single chicane build out in the Knossington Road. A further speed survey showed that this was not working, and a second chicane was added in 2019. Two further speed surveys were conducted in June and November 2019; the June survey showed that the double chicane still wasn't reducing speeds to acceptable levels. However, when the November survey was done, during a period of dreadful weather, RCC determined that the speeds had now been reduced to 'acceptable'.

In January 2020 RCC adopted a new policy, which put a moratorium on any further speed surveys for three years after an 'acceptable' one, and RCC have thus refused to consider the repeated requests for action made by Braunston Parish Council.

Other current RCC projects are: agreed upgrade of Oakham Road signs and road marking to improve safety on Oakham Road; review by police of our request for 40mph buffer zones at each end of the village.

Given the RCC position on speed surveys the Parish Council has installed a traffic logger to measure speeds, for one month, and will submit the data to RCC in due course. Interim results will be published on the website.

Update July 2018

After a bit of a fallow period, the Parish Council has again engaged with Rutland County Council over the traffic calming proposals that were put in last year. You may remember that the proposals were to double-up the chicane, place 40mph buffer zones at each end of the village, and introduce speed cushions on Knossington Road and High Street.

"There seems to be a new enthusiasm in the Council to follow up these requests," says Jim, "and we hope to see some delivery, this year."

Update July 2016

Rutland County Council will prepare a plan for speed cushions in Knossington Road and High Street. (3 sets in Knossington Rd., 1 set in High St). The Parish Council will then apply for this work to go into the RCC budget plan for next year. If accepted, the installation would be about this time next year.

We are investigating potential for a Braunston ANPR camera, but the Rodborough ANPR camera has now been replaced with a full-time speed camera, so no more data will be available.

Speed limits

20mph This would be possible away from the main through routes, but the usual qualifying features such as schools, play areas and pedestrian movements would typically neither qualify its adoption in Braunston, nor bring additional benefit if other traffic calming measures were implemented, as planned. No further action to be taken.

50mph Previous national proposals to reduce rural 60mph limits to 50mph were seen as appropriate for approach roads to Braunston. However, there are no current plans to change national speed limits. In 2009 there was a move to reduce 60's to 50 on rural roads but it ran into the sand. In 202/13 there was an idea that 40's would be raised to 50 to reduce traffic jams, but no action resulted. No further action to be taken.

40mph buffer zones An application has been made by the PC for buffer zones to be established at the Oakham and Knossington boundaries to the village. RCC.

There does not seem to be a safe place, or method, that would allow a safe crossing point in the Knossington Road. No further action to be taken.

Clarification of parking regulations on Knossington Road You must not stop or park on a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods.

Update November 2015

Rutland County Council has issued the works order for our traffic calming and general improvements in signage, as per the requests at the June traffic calming meeting.

You can see the details and plans on these links :

• Braunston Traffic Calming - Road Signs (PDF, 325 Kb)
• Braunston Traffic Calming - Knossington Road Chicane (PDF, 315 Kb)

A further idea for slowing traffic passing between High Street and Knossington Road has been raised; installation of a mini-roundabout in the mouth of the Cedar Street junction. This would be similar to the one on the Braunston Road on the way out of Oakham, and would likely have the same effect of slowing traffic down. The Parish Council would like to discuss this, and any other ideas for traffic calming, at its next annual meeting in March. This will give us some time to review the performance of the first phase of works.

Traffic Calming Meeting Record Note

8pm, 10^th June 2015, Village Hall

Present: Ann Gilks, John Harry, Nick and Tracy Waterman, Lynn Cooper, Amy and Emlyn Smith, Janice Banister, Ray Martin, Chris McKechnie, Jim Atack

The meeting had been called to discuss the Traffic Calming proposals, along Knossington Road, which the Rutland County Council was now prepared to fund. A copy of the proposal is attached.

The traffic issues were re-stated:

Traffic goes too fast through the village, in both directions.

The problem is particularly bad on Knossington Road

It is made worse by the blind dip between John and Suzannes's (#22a), and Janice and Nigel's (#37) houses

A video, made by Nigel Bannister, which captures the issue in a single clip, was mentioned. Several people asked to see the video.

Ray Martin presented a set of speed measurement figures from the Community Speedwatch exercise in 2009. The Speedwatch was undertaken over four weeks, at peak periods. Of some 9,000 measurements taken in both directions along the Knossington Road, 532 (6%) had been travelling over 35 mph, 211 over 40mph, and 20 over 50. The average speed of the offenders had been 40mph; the highest speed was 59mph. The result of this campaign had been some 213 Police letters to offending motorists asking them not to speed through Braunston! A request had also been logged with the local police to carry out speed enforcement. When prompted, since 2009, local police have mounted speed enforcement exercises, and some tickets have been issued.

Updated figures had been gathered by Nigel Bannister, demonstrating that the situation was probably now worse, with a mean speed along Knossington Road measured at some 44mph in 2014 at the village exit.

Chris Bichard and Jim Atack had reviewed these issues with the Council, and a number of residents, to get to the proposal which had been copied to all present, before the meeting. The proposal focused on physical measures which could be taken to slow traffic down.

In summary, on the Knossington Road, the Council had agreed to:

Re-paint the white lines

Install an active speed-measuring sign

Renew the village entry sign with a bigger, modern one

Place a width restriction (chicane) near the village entry point which gives priority to vehicles exiting the village,

Jim Atack also noted that the PC could also organise a village work group to clear up overhanging vegetation.

The meeting was keen that no time would be lost in implementing the proposed measures, with the following clarifications:

Repaint white lines – well overdue, execute soonest

Install an active speed measuring sign (exiting village) – some reservations, especially if other measures were shown to be effective, or additional speed bumps were to be implemented. Hold, pending review.

Renew the village entry sign with a larger more modern one. Agreed, with 'please drive carefully', and 'thank you for driving carefully' to be added. Similar signs were requested at the Oakham Rd village entry point.

Place a width restriction (chicane) near the village entry point which gives priority to vehicles exiting the village – agreed, but to be positioned as close as possible to the village entry point, to avoid location in the blind dip. The obstruction to be built out on the South side of the road with priority to exiting traffic.

It was noted that the existing speed warning sign, at the village entry, was already not effective and would provide even less benefit after the chicane was installed.

Further potential traffic calming measures were proposed and debated, particularly with the purpose of engaging the whole village, and proposing solutions beyond Knossington Road:

A second chicane, placed at the high point of Knossington Road, to slow down traffic at that point. This was generally not favoured.

Speed bumps along Knossington Road (3-4 sets), and also High Street (1-2 sets) were proposed. Although, at the meeting, speed bumps were generally supported, a number of attendees withdrew their support after the meeting. Any proposal for speed bumps would, of course, require the engagement and support of the village as a whole.

Speed Table at the Oakham Road village entry. General support at the meeting. (This could mean moving the village entry signs to the top of the hill, providing a flat area for the table.)

20mph speed limit through the village. Some support, but the difficulties of both implementing and policing were recognised.

Jim Atack agreed to raise all of these issues both with the Parish Council and in the regular contact with the County Council, and to ensure that the agreed measures were implemented as soon as possible.

The meeting closed at 21.30.

After the meeting a number of other proposals were received (together with the reconsideration of several attendees, as above):

It had been pointed out at the meeting that there was no safe place to cross the Knossington Road as people approached Cedar Street on the existing pavement, and that it should be a priority to reduce speeds at the junction of Cedar St, Knossington Rd, and High St; one solution raised after the meeting, might be to place a (surface-painted) mini roundabout toward the mouth of Cedar St, with appropriate signage. This would be similar to the mini-roundabout on the Braunston Road, out of Oakham, which has been very effective. Children crossing signs could also be considered near the Cedar St junction.

If the Knossington Rd is wide enough, a hatched strip could be painted along the centre line to deter speeders.

Jim Atack (and Chris Bichard) will review these suggestions, with both the Parish Council and Rutland County Council, and revert to a further village meeting with any new proposals for a second phase of work. No second phase commitments would be made until the meeting had taken place.

Jim Atack

10^th June 2015

For some time villagers and the Parish Council have been requesting RCC to install traffic calming measures to reduce the speed of traffic through the village.

For full details and updates see the Traffic Calming page