Feedback on lorries through Belper

There have been quite a few comments sent in to the NP4B team specifically mentioning the adverse effect that lorries have on the flow of town traffic. This from Carol of Belper is representative:

I would question the suggestion that HGVs have declined on the roads of Belper. There are a considerable number that pull themselves up High a Street & thunder down Spencer Road, often travelling above the speed limit. A few months ago a very large HGV, loaded with PVC Windows broke down at the top of High Street, trapping a bus & a long line of cars for hours. What this HGV was doing traveling through Belper, I do not know but it caused considerable nuisance that day. HGVs use High St, Spencer Road, & Nottingham Rd as a shortcut between the A6 & A6197, leading to the A38. Other HGV use Far Laund & the Road through Heage as a shortcut to the A38 & the A610. I would like to see weight restrictions on our roads & a clear sign saying no HGVs. I would also like to see 30 mph signs at the top of Spencer Rd. 

I can well understand the frustration that drove Carol to write this as it does feel as if traffic, especially HGV traffic has increased in the town but, when researching for the NP4B reference was made to the Derbyshire traffic surveys listed here on the Department for Transport website. and below is an abstraction of the HGV data as surveyed at strategic points in Belper:

Data source: DfT & graphed by NP4B 

This decrease in the number of articulated vehicles squeezing through the narrow streets of Belper comes as a surprise because it does feel as if our roads are getting busier. These are of course averages and there may well be times during the day that contain clusters of HGV movements, perhaps differing in 2014 from timings in 2000. Only by studying the original survey data would this become evident.

Imposing a weight limit to deter through traffic

Many have suggested imposing a weight limit on specific roads to deter heavy lorries using Belper as a through route. Watching HGV's, especially articulated lorries tortuously navigating between the A6 and Kilbourne Road or Far Laund the idea of imposing a weight limit on the A609 in central Belper does seem interesting. To illustrate the effect of a weight limit specifically targeting large vehicles the data has been manipulated in this way:

Average daily number of articulated HGV's moving through Belper
Data source: DfT - visualisation/flow chart by NP4B 
This chart does not include rigid (non-articulated) HGV's, some of which are so large that they too would be affected by a 20 tonne weight limit.

We can see that a weight restriction on through traffic on the A609, specifically Cheapside, High Street, Spencer Road and Nottingham Road would deter many HGV's but could increase the lorries using Kilbourne Road to access the town ( a survey of traffic on Chesterfield Road would help in this assessment). Any restriction shifts lorries to alternative routes and so an initiative to ease the situation in the town centre might result in a bottleneck developing somewhere else. It is the job of the DfT and DCC to sift through the pros and cons of such a proposal and they have far more data on which to base their judgement. Consultation with these authorities during the development stage of the NP4B is therefore essential.

Referring back to the flow chart there is evidence that lorries are using  Ashbourne Road/Matlock Road via the Triangle as a through route which does avoid the more sensitive area of the town although this is cold comfort for those who live or visit that part of the town.

NP4B backup information

The NP4B involves the gathering of a mass of data which is used in support of the wishes of the townsfolk. The Transport & Travel topic is awash with data and it would seem appropriate to share it by producing targeted reports for all the elements of T&T so that informed judgements can be made. It is a really big subject so will benefit from this approach. In the meantime, another example of manipulated data:

Average daily number of motor vehicles moving through Belper
Data source: DfT - visualisation/flow chart by NP4B

It is evident that there are many routes used by motorists that avoid being surveyed, say, a journey from Far Laund via Chesterfield Road - Church Lane - Field Lane to access the town centre car park ........... to give but one example from the many alternative routes that the DfT surveys fail to capture.