Traffic calming: London Road, Aston Clinton

We are proposing to introduce traffic calming measures in Aston Clinton, along London Road.

This is planned to reduce vehicle speeds and ‘rat-running’ and improve pedestrian safety.

View previous bulletins about the project.

For many years the Parish Council and residents of Aston Clinton have been asking for traffic calming to help discourage 'rat-running', reduce speeds, and to encourage traffic to use more appropriate routes.

The Aston Clinton bypass was opened in 2003 and the initial impact on the village was positive. More recently, with a number of new and planned developments in the area, the increased volume and speed of traffic within the village has exacerbated the issues.

Traffic calming is seen by many people as a positive solution, but by others as an unnecessary inconvenience. We have worked with Aston Clinton Parish Council to help find the right solutions for the traffic problems within the village.

Traffic calming describes a wide variety of measures that can be used to reduce vehicle speeds and to encourage a steady and safe flow of traffic. Used effectively it can influence driver behaviour and improve road safety in both rural and urban areas.

We have worked with Aston Clinton Parish Council and Local Councillors to develop the scheme design ready for a formal public statutory consultation. The emergency services will be consulted alongside other key stakeholders as part of the formal consultation starting in August 2022.

We have developed the design drawings in collaboration with Transport for Buckinghamshire and these proposals are being used for the public consultation.

Other options have been considered including not introducing the new traffic calming measures meaning local aspirations for speed reduction and increased safety in the village would not be fulfilled. In this scenario, the developer funding that has already been secured would be forfeited and the village would not be traffic calmed in accordance with the objectives set out in the Aston Clinton Neighbourhood Plan.

Following the formal consultation, a report including public feedback on the proposals and any amendments to the scheme, will be presented to the Cabinet Member for Transportation and the Leader of the Council for a decision.

The Aston Clinton Traffic Calming scheme proposes to introduce the following measures:

The construction of two raised tables on London Road:

• one at the junction with Green End Street (adjacent to The Bell Pub)
• one at the junction with Tompkins Close
• each raised table would include an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing

The use of street print (coloured textured surfacing) at two locations:

• location 1 spans from 82 London Road and finishes outside the Aston Clinton convenience store
• location 2 covers the Albert Orchard bell mouth on London Road

The construction of four pairs of speed cushions (totalling eight individual cushions):

• spaced at 60 to 80 metre intervals starting 120 metres east of Stable Bridge Road junction and finishing 40 metres West of Bishops Field junction

The minor relocation (by approximately 4 metres) and installation of a new post and bus stop flag, close to Albert Orchard to relocate a speed cushion while still accommodating a parked bus safely.

The introduction of double yellow lines on London Road, extending into both Church Lane and Twitchell Lane to encourage compliance with Highway code rule 243 (not parking opposite or within 10 metres of a junction).

The introduction of time limited parking to:

• formalise parking, cars parked on-road narrows the road space for a length approximately 35 meters outside Aston Clinton Convenience Store
• proposed time limit of 30 mins with no return within 1 hour. Operating Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm

View the proposed changes on a map (technical drawings) [PDF, 964 KB]

We are asking for feedback on all of the proposals. You can tell us your views in one of the following ways:

• complete the online survey
• complete, and return, a printed copy of the survey [PDF, 233 KB]
• email [email protected]
• write to us:

Highways Infrastructure Projects Team
Aston Clinton Traffic Calming
Buckinghamshire Council
Floor 7
Walton Street Offices
Walton Street
Aylesbury
HP20 1UY

Tell us your views by midnight on Friday 16 September 2022.

All residents and businesses of Aston Clinton are encouraged to take part in the consultation, as well as a comprehensive list of statutory consultees who are expected to give feedback.

A public consultation event will be held on Wednesday 31 August at Aston Clinton Parish Council Office (The Park) from 6pm to 8pm.

We will consider all the feedback we receive and review our proposals. Where possible, we may amend our designs as a result of your feedback. The Cabinet Member for Transportation will then decide on the final scheme proposal.

We will update consultees directly about the decision if they have provided their contact details. We will also publish an update on this webpage.

London Road, Aston Clinton has been divided into 5 zones with the aim of delivering a traffic calmed route along London Road (the old A41). This has helped to ensure that funding could be secured from appropriate developments to enable delivery of individual traffic calming schemes.

Developer section 106 funding has been secured for zones 2 and 3 and part of zone 4. This consultation is for these zones only.

In the future, zones 1 and 2 are for Woodlands and Hampden Fields developments to deliver, with zone 5 for the planned RAF Halton development. Each zone is being considered individually according to its location but will form part of an overall and coherent traffic calming scheme for the village.

As funding has been secured for both zone 1 and 2 (the main centre of the village), these have been treated as one project.