Road surface issues: Highways has put Beechwood Avenue on the list for surface dressing treatment in 2020. This work usually takes place in the summer due to optimal weather conditions. Treatment does not involve digging up and relaying the road surface, but rather adding a protective layer over it which generally extends the life of the road by 8-10 years. Not all road surfaces are eligible for surface dressing. More information in due course.

In advance of surface dressing, potholes must be repaired and we’ll see some patchwork repairs happening in the spring.

Line painting: After the road has been surface dressed, the lines will be repainted. We’ve asked our Local Highways Officer to include some additional line painting as per our Action List – something to signal the cul-de-sac at Beechwood Ave on the right entering from New Road, and lines at junctions to remind drivers that parking on junctions is illegal, etc.

Traffic surveys: Just before the Christmas break, through the Melbourn Futures Group which has been looking at our action list in detail, Melbourn Parish Council commissioned a traffic survey using data collection boxes at all entry points in the village plus gateways to Beechwood Avenue and the traffic signals approaching from New Road. These surveys will measure not just speed but also weight and type of vehicle and direction of travel. They will be carried out by Cambridgeshire County Highways, paid for by Melbourn Parish Council, and will be conducted in two parts, with a duration of one-week each, in late January after the holiday period has concluded. We looked at other suppliers but this was the cheapest and meets our needs.

After the surveys have been concluded and data made available, we will be able to consider with County Highways Officer Josh Rutherford (who attended the Beechwood Ave Traffic meeting) the more significant long-term proposals on our Action List.

Meanwhile, for winter potholes: Reporting potholes and other ‘faults’: Thanks for the alert about the pothole near the junction of Beechwood and Cedar Close, which someone kindly reported to Highways on 13 December. If you see a pothole, please don’t assume that it has already been reported, because if it’s not reported the chances are Highways don’t know about it. You can check here and report if necessary:

https://highwaysreporting.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/.

You’ll be asked to plot on a map the exact position of the ‘fault’ (this also includes any problems street lighting, flooding, yellow or white line painting, etc) and will see straight away if someone else has already reported it. This is very easy to do, so please give it a try!

We will update you again after the traffic surveys have been completed.

Sincerely yours,

Susan van de Ven, County Councillor
Jose Hales and Philippa Hart, District Councillors

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