The Works

At the time of our commission, the amendments to the internal road and footway network which were constructed included a new realigned spine road accessed from the roundabout with Mytton Oak Road, a new footpath to the east side of spine road and a new, operational, one-way system around part of the site.

In addition to this, a new vehicular exit was created from the hospital (in the late afternoon) via Racecourse Lane, relocated visitor and staff car parking areas and various amendments to the car park accesses and management to suit the new realigned spine road and associated virtual footway separated from traffic by water filled barriers.

The internal hospital roads are privately managed and maintained.  They are street lit and are subject to a signed 20mph zone.  As part of the works the speed limit will be reduced to 10mph on the internal hospital roads.

Stage 3 Road Safety Audit

Assessments

Following completion of the works in December 2024, concerns about road safety were raised by the Trust that some vehicles were travelling the wrong way on the one-way section of road around the site, despite new signage and road markings being introduced.

Recommendation

After a comprehensive walk through of the scheme, the Audit Team recommended that amendments to the location of some signs and the sign faces of some others may encourage greater compliance with the one-way system.

What are the changes?

The changes from Version 2, released in January 2020, are relatively minor, primarily relating to updates to reflect name changes of Overseeing Organisations, updated reference document links and removal of reference to the Trans-European Road Network, alongside some grammatical amendments.

Technically, changes from Version 2 include the following:

• Clarification that a Road Safety Audit (RSA) Response Report is not required for Stage 1, 2 or 3 audits, where the RSA does not raise any problems.
• If the Design Organisation does not accept the RSA problem and recommendation, that undertaking a risk assessment is an appropriate way to inform decision making.
• The Local Authority should be consulted should an RSA problem or recommendation affect the local highway network, with the summary of the consultation documented in the response report.
• Recommendations accepted by the Design Organisation and Overseeing Organisation arising from Stage 1, 2 and 3 Road Safety Audits should be implemented as soon as practicable, ensuring those with the highest risk are implemented first.
• Recommendations accepted by the Overseeing Organisation arising from a Stage 4 Road Safety Audit, should be implemented as soon as practicable.

At TMS, we pride ourselves on our integrity and independence within the RSA process. Our team of safety auditors have extensive knowledge and experience in carrying out Road Safety Audits on all types of highway schemes, on the local, trunk and motorway network throughout the UK. All Road Safety Audits undertaken by TMS fully comply with the requirements stipulated under GG 119.

In all the locations, the gates are located on footway or central islands parallel to the kerb and locked in place, when not required. The singular or dual gates can then be closed across the carriageway, when required, to prevent vehicular access and are designed to withstand vehicle impacts. All gates have been sympathetically designed to minimise street clutter and interference with existing pedestrian and cycle routes.

As part of HVM installations, it is important that the surroundings remain open and inclusive, and that the addition of physical security measures are designed to protect the public but are integrated and proportionate to the identified threat.

Due to the complexity of the project, we have decided to phase the Stage 3 Road Safety Audits and so far, have carried out audits on the grade separated junction at Hirwaun and the associated mainline. Our input is to identify any potential road safety hazards with the built scheme and suggest recommendations to reduce the risk of collisions. We have already made numerous suggestions to improve road safety and reduce the risk of injury to road users, and it is satisfying to see these measures being implemented. We look forward to continuing our work on this project until its estimated completion date of mid-2025.