It was a three-week funding opportunity

Written by Cllr. Tony Shire and published in West Somerset Free Press on Fri 24th Oct 2008

Dear Sir,

The major transport schemes considered by the Scrutiny Committee were responding to a specific funding opportunity for schemes over £5m that help deliver planned housing growth in the major settlements such as Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil, or which help improve regionally significant routes such as the A303/ A358. Schemes in West Somerset unfortunately would not meet the criteria set by the Government and the Region.

The Region only gave the Council three weeks to respond to a call for scheme proposals so it was not possible for the schemes to have a detailed consideration by Members other than the relevant portfolio holders, prior to submission. A scrutiny meeting was arranged as soon as possible after the submission date to review the proposals, and the schemes were also considered at the Councils next available Executive Board meeting. If the Executive decides that the priority order of schemes should change then the Region will accept changes if notified shortly after the meeting. The Government is also likely to provide a further opportunity for the authority to review its priorities for schemes beyond 2014 early next year.

The priority schemes put forward for the period between 2009 and 2014 are the only deliverable schemes in the County over that period that meet the Regions criteria.

The County Council has separate funding streams for highway maintenance and road safety through its Local Transport Plan. There is significant ongoing maintenance and safety investment in West Somerset. The Council has provided additional funds for road maintenance over and above Government allocations due to the importance of this activity to the economy of the County and to local communities.

The Council has identified the A39/A358 route in West Somerset as a high priority for road safety investment and has started to implement a new 'red routes' programme on the route, following successful schemes on other high-risk routes in the County. This includes working with local communities and users of the route to make them aware of potential risks involved and to undertake driver awareness and education activities. Many of the accidents are due to some form of driver error so education is of the utmost importance. There will also be highway works where appropriate and information about accident hot-spots.

The Council also has ongoing work with the freight industry to ensure that large vehicles use the most appropriate routes, and is leading development of new satnav technology to avoid lorries getting stuck in narrow lanes.

Yours sincerely

Tony Shire

Portfolio Holder for Highways