Campaigners lose battle for traffic-calming measures on busy Chesterfield road

Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for Highways, Councillor Charlotte Cupit, had considered the 97-name petition and a report from residents for traffic-calming measures to be placed along the A632 Top Road and through Bolehill, at Calow, Chesterfield.

The residents claim there is poor driving and speeding along the 30mph, A632 Top Road and through 30mph Bolehill in Calow.

However, Cllr Cupit declined the request for extra traffic-calming measure on the grounds that the area does not meet the collision criteria in the formal, speed management protocol of additional traffic-calming measures.

But the cabinet member is supporting Calow Parish Council’s application for a speed indicator device on Top Road to deter speeding and she is supporting council officers’ continued work in monitoring speeds, as well as maintaining a dialogue to ensure police presence and enforcement.

A council spokesman stated: “Officers consider that regular visits to Bolehill by the police will have a positive effect on reducing the overall traffic speed of the vehicles that travel through the village.

“Whilst there has been some police enforcement, officers have written again to the Traffic Management Officer at police headquarters to ask for continued support.”

Council officers are also considering moving one of the existing Vehicle Activated Signs in Bolehill from under trees to another location to allow its solar panels to work better.

The A632 Top Road runs between Chesterfield and Bolsover and the M1 motorway and it is also the main route to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and there are already two fixed speed cameras located in the centre of the village.

Top Road, Calow, has an average daily vehicle use of 9,500 vehicles and, in between Church Lane and the 30mph speed limit terminal point at Works Lane, there have been six reported injury collisions over the last three-years, according to police data.

Derbyshire County Council’s collision database shows that there has also been one reported injury collision through Bolehill and Cock Alley in the last three years.

The Bolehill area is between the A632 and Hasland Village and at each end of Bolehill there are two vehicle-activated signs which flash when vehicle speeds are greater than 30mph.