Hartlepool village wins battle for new traffic calming measures

The proposals, which were developed following consultation, aim to improve road safety and reduce speeding in Elwick Village.

They initially featured gateway features at each of the three village entry points and traffic calming measures at two other locations.

After considering consultation results, and views expressed by the parish council, Hartlepool Borough Council officers reduced the scheme to just two pinch points.

This included safety measures outside St Peter’s Primary School, on North Lane, and works on The Green to help maintain traffic speeds at 20mph through the centre of the village.

As part of this scaled down scheme, gateway features at three entrances to the village were shelved at the request of the parish council.

The traffic calming scheme was recommended for approval at this week’s meeting of the borough council’s neighbourhood services committee.

Some councillors on the committee asked whether the scheme and its financial cost could be justified given emerging plans for an Elwick Bypass and its expected positive impacts on traffic.

Councillor Peter Jackson told the meeting: “Should we be spending this money if it’s going to be resolved in a year’s time.

“To be fair to the parish council, although they want to reduce the speed through the village, I don’t think they’re screaming for this solution”.

Council officers, responding, confirmed that traffic would continue to travel through the village in future and that there was a local demand for road safety improvements.

The estimated total cost of the traffic calming scheme is £45,000 and this will be funded from an existing highways budget.

A report prepared for the committee added the plans aimed to “target road safety measures at the points of greatest risk within the village”.

This includes “outside of the school and within the village where pedestrian activity is higher”.

Following approval, traffic regulation orders will be advertised to publicise the changes.

Progress on the £18.5m Elwick Bypass has been delayed by the pandemic although council officers earlier this year said “significant progress” was starting to be made.

The near one-mile long road will run from the locally named Devil’s Elbow, in Elwick Road, to the existing A19 junction at North Lane and cost an estimated £18.5m.