Hi folks,
A bit of progress on the Quieter A1M campaign...
Highways Agency MeetingI've now met with representatives of the Highways Agency, together with Cllrs Fiona Thomson and Malcolm Cowan, regarding the continuing concerns over noise levels on the A1M. Some potentially interesting progress, though I am very cautious about the time table.
90% of A1M through Welwyn Hatfield has now been resurfacedFirst of all, nearly 90% of the A1M through Welwyn Hatfield has now been resurfaced with the quieter road surface. The problem is that if you happen to live in the 10% which has yet to be done then you're still experiencing 100% of the noise!
The parts which have yet to be doneThe sections which have yet to be done can be seen on the attached map. They include the section through Handside going North (there isn't much gain until both sides have been taken care of), the section which runs past Ayot Green and further up towards the former Clock roundabout (I am still awaiting a detailed map for Jnc 6 to 7. The section around Stanborough Lakes is also still on the old surface too, making the Lakes a noisy place to stand. One further section in Hatfield (opposite Birchwood) is programmed in for 2009/10 subject to funding.
New approach to mapping noiseThe Agency team explained that under a new EU Directive, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are currently noise mapping the entire UK major road network to identify the highest road traffic noise levels in the country. These results will then go to public consultation for a 16 week period and DEFRA would expect to adopt an action plan by early 2010.
At that point, The Highways Agency will look at the worst effected sites during the course of 2010 and any noise-reducing work would be expected to be carried out by 2012/1213, depending on available funding.
This new work replaces what was previously known as the Hansard criteria and effectively the level of noise which is deemed to be acceptable will be reduced. Our hope is that it will be found that the most extreme Welwyn Hatfield examples will now fall within the more stringent test.
Detailed Noise Map attachedI am attaching a detailed noise map to this post which is a two page PDF file. Page 1 covers Junctions 1 to 3 and Page 2 covers 3 to 6. I am still awaiting Junctions 6 to 7 and will post once I have them.
ConclusionThe battle to quieten the A1M has been long and hard fought. There's a long history of this campaign at the
http://www.Quieter-A1M.com website. Since we're down to the last 10% of the motorway which has yet to be resurfaced I'm keeping everyone posted via this forum thread, rather than updating the separate website now.
There are of course other measures that we have argued should be considered including sound proof fencing. This proves to be very expensive and the Highways Agency have concerns about it creating a tunnel effect for motorists which could be dangerous. The motorway surface is replaced when it gets worn out and we understand that the Handside section could still be several years away from getting done which causes us all considerable concern. We will keep trying lobbying hard and hope that the latest mapping programme brings some relief.
Will keep you posted.
Grant.
P.S. The downloadable map is attached to the paperclip below. It is a 2 page PDF.
