The Petition of members of the community in Morecambe,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that there should be traffic calming measures introduced at the junction between Broadway and Marine Road East in Morecambe as the junction is dangerous and further that the Petitioners believe that this should be in the form of a roundabout.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to encourage Lancashire County Council to take steps to support the residents in Morecambe and to ensure traffic calming measures are introduced at the junction between Broadway and Marine Road East.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by David Morris, Official Report, 2 September 2014; Vol. 585, c. 250.]
[P001384]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport, received 9 October 2014:
I recognise the concerns that having a dangerous junction such as this can cause and how the introduction of traffic calming measures might help.
Responsibility for the introduction of traffic calming measures is, however, the responsibility of individual traffic authorities. They are free to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. This includes the provision of traffic management measures such as traffic calming.
The DFT has also published guidance on the design of traffic calming measures in Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/07 “Traffic Calming” which is available on the DFT website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-notes
The decision on whether to introduce a roundabout is also for local authorities to make. The Department for Transport (DFT) provides guidance on the provision of roundabouts in section 8, chapter 5 of the Traffic Signs Manual. This can be viewed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual
Detailed guidance on the design of roundabouts is provided in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) in TD 16/07 “Geometric Design of Roundabouts” which is available at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/vol6/section2.htm
In line with the coalition Government’s commitment to localism, Ministers and officials have no remit to intervene in the day-to-day affairs of local authorities except where specific provision has been made in legislation.