The Quarndon Parish Council (QPC) Traffic & Transport Group comprises two parish councillors and three other Quarndon residents. The Group's main aims are to:

• Improve road safety in Quarndon.
  • Encourage the adoption of sustainable forms of transport, in particular by promoting walking and cycling.

Derbyshire County Council's (DCC) Highways Department is responsible for all the roads in Quarndon, so our primary contact for issues relating to roads is our county councillor, Gez Kinsella. DCC's budget is limited, which means road safety improvements are prioritised at locations with a history of multiple accidents with fatalities and/or serious injuries. As a result, it is a slow and frustrating process trying to get DCC to take action to improve safety where there is a clear risk, but no regular history of accidents.

1. 1. Improving safety for pedestrians crossing the road at the Joiners

• DCC have agreed to burn off/repaint the badly worn old road markings (white lines and SLOW signs on the road) from 97 Church Road downhill to the Derby city boundary. This work should be completed by 15 Feb 2022.
• DCC plan to cut back vegetation on the bank opposite the Joiners, where it is owned by them, to improve the view of traffic coming uphill.
• DCC have concluded that the best option to make the crossing point significantly safer would be to extend the pavement on the west side about 100m further south. This would require legal work on land ownership and a retaining wall to be constructed. The estimated cost of this is around £200,000, which is unlikely to get funded.

1. 2. Parking on the road/pavement outside the Joiners

• In 2017, DCC proposed central double white lines on the road through the Joiners bends to prohibit overtaking and make roadside parking there an offence. However, this never got DCC funding priority.
• DCC now favour double yellow lines. Implementing this can be linked to a scheme already planned for Duffield in early 2022. The Quarndon Parish Council unanimously supported this proposal at the QPC meeting on 22 Nov 2021.
• Note that any parking considered dangerous, or that causes an obstruction to the safe use of the highway (which includes pavements and verges), is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988. Such instances should be reported to the police on their non-emergency number 101 and may incur licence penalty points.

1. 3. School Safety Zone parking

• The "SCHOOL – KEEP - CLEAR" safety zone used to be advisory only. In November 2021 the QPC accepted a proposal from DCC for a Traffic Regulation Order to make it an offence to park, or drop off/pick-up, within the marked safety zone.

1. 4. 20mph Speed Limits

• The Quarndon Parish Council has endorsed the "20's Plenty for Derbyshire" campaign, which is seeking introduction of 20mph speed limits on all roads in villages and other residential areas throughout the County.

• The Conservative manifesto for the May 2021 DCC elections promised to Invest in a Cleaner, Greener, More Vibrant Economy, including 20mph zone trials in two towns in Derbyshire to promote clean air and cycling benefits, making them "Green Towns." DCC's latest feedback is that; "This work is still in development though it is hoped that we will be able to provide further information on this initiative later this year."

1. 5. The Burley Lane/A6 Junction

• This junction is outside the Parish of Quarndon, but is well known by residents for being dangerous, particularly for right turns.
• Tragically, there was a fatal accident there in October 2018. The QPC Traffic & Transport Group has proposed to DCC Highways that safety at the junction could be improved by the introduction of traffic lights, but this was rejected on cost grounds.
• It was then proposed, with the support of Duffield Parish Council and residents on Burley Hill to reduce the speed limit on this part of the A6 from 50mph to 40mph. This was also rejected by DCC Highways, who stated that the 50mph speed limit is in line with their speed limit setting criteria.

1. 6. Pavements and Verges

• It is the responsibility of the owners of properties adjacent to pavements to ensure that the pavements by their property are not obstructed, for example by overhanging hedges. Forcing pedestrians to the edge of the pavement or into the road to get past overgrown hedges clearly creates a road safety risk.
• Roadside verges are part of the "Highway". It is illegal to obstruct them by placing objects on them, or planting trees/shrubs on them.

1. 7. Walking and Cycling

• The Quarndon Neighbourhood Plan (here) includes three policies, QIN1, QIN2, and QIN3, which are intended to enable specific improvements to walking and cycling routes in and around Quarndon. These are being actively promoted at all opportunities with DCC, but it is recognised that budget limitations and in some cases the need to get landowner agreement, make these long-term ambitions, rather than likely to happen soon.

Quarndon Traffic Group continue to lobby Derbyshire County Council in order to highlight and mitigate traffic issues in the village. Areas of concern and action continue to involve:

• Village limit on HGV lorries' weight travelling through the village, particularly relevant now that planning permission has been granted for the 400-house development on Kedleston Road.
• Placing roadside features to mark village entrances. This has led to the formation of Blooming Quarndon, whose efforts have brought hanging baskets and other floral containers to the village centre, and the Burley Lane entrance.
• Parking in the village, including lobbying for double white lines in the area of Church Road affected by pavement parking outside the Joiners Arms.
• Ways to lessen the use of Quarndon as a 'rat run' en route to the A6 and A38.
• Ways to encourage drivers to stick to the 30mph speed limit through the village. Quarndon Community Speedwatch has been formed; volunteers monitor the speed of vehicles at key points in the village, with relevant information being passed to the Police.
• Reducing the speed limit on the A6 at the bottom of Burley Lane, particularly in the light of the tragic accident there in 2018.

Responses to the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire revealed concern amongst residents about traffic in the village – especially speeding and parking.

The Neighbourhood Plan cannot directly address traffic issues, but areas of concern like these need a point of focus, and so the Quarndon Traffic Group was formed. Its five members are from the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and the Parish Council.

With traffic there are not always quick fixes, and Quarndon isn't the only village with these challenges. However the group actively liaises with bodies responsible for roads, highways and enforcement with the aim of making movement around the village safe for pedestrians and road traffic alike.

So what can you do?

• Send comments and suggestions to Traffic Group member Christian Rossell via clerk@quarndon-pc.gov.uk

• Train as a Community Speedwatch volunteer. Community Speedwatch is proving to be a definite deterrent to those who choose to ignore communities' 30mph road signs. Interested in joining a future training course? Contact Isobel Shorrock on isobeljshorrock@gmail.com or 07931770238.

• Get planting! There is evidence that plant and floral displays, especially at village gateways, can alert drivers that they are entering a residential area. See https://www.sustrans.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/files/migrated-pdfs/Section 11. Introducing plants and trees into your street.pdf Residents at the bottom of Burley Lane have arranged for displays by local company Plantscape to highlight the A6 entrance to the village and the village centre, and are aiming to make their front gardens bright with flowers this summer. Visit the Blooming Quarndon facebook page to find out more, to make comments or suggestions or to volunteer to add eye-catching blooms to your part of the village too.