On Trying To Make A Silk Purse From A Pig's Ear

It has been apparent, since the closure of the A344 last summer and the opening of English Heritage's new Stonehenge Visitor's Centre back in December 2013, that the summer of 2014 stood a great chance of becoming an annus horribilis; as far as the A303 is concerned.  All in all, it's a bit of a pig's ear.

There are several factors that either together, or singly, could prove a nightmare:

1)   Closure of the A344 has caused additional westbound traffic on the A303 to pass Stonehenge before having the opportunity to leave the A303 to go and see the stones. Whereas lots of people once stopped on the A344, or in the old Stonehenge carpark for a few minutes for a quick look at the stones before they continued their journey, they now don't have that opportunity.  So now they slow down on the A303 as they pass Stonehenge to take a quick photo.  All too often it is the driver doing this - dumb people on smart phones.  Just take a look on Twitter to see the number of folks who do it.

Here is one taken on March 21st - though we've no idea if this one was taken by a driver or a passenger.

2)  The design of Countess Roundabout at Amesbury is still a problem, as east-west traffic still stops on it at peak periods - blocking north-south movement.

3) Frustrated by the A344 closure and egged-on by insistent satnavs, some drivers have taken to turning off the A303,  just west of Stonehenge Bottom,  on to Byway 12.  Signage has been used to discourage right turns, but blow-me-down, some 'enterprising' drivers (including local taxi drivers) have taken to turning left off the A303 and either turning round and crossing the A303, or even reversing across the A303 to comply with the turning restrictions.

4)  The Highway Agency A303 diversionary sign on the westbound A303, just before Longbarrow roundabout,  has already caused chaos on at least three occasions since Christmas, when the A303 was closed due to flood or accident.  The signs take westbound travellers off the A303, onto the A360, towards the Stonehenge Visitor's centre - and there the "follow the black triangle" route vanishes.  STAG have rescued a number of lost travellers on the infinite loop between Longbarrow and Airman's Cross in recent months.

5)  The design of the new Longbarrow Roundabout is still contributing to westbound and eastbound tailbacks.  Too many approach lanes and badly thought out approach and exit corridors.  The Highway Agency is already on design 3  and it's still a mess.

6)  When too many folks turn up at Stonehenge, traffic backs up onto the A360, blocking it in both directions.  This effect could be exacerbated by the new Stonehenge booking system.  If jams do occur, then people may miss their booked slots, face not being admitted, and adding to congestion on the A303 before sitting outside Stonehenge on the A360 - eager to vent their spleens in the direction of English Heritage.

7)  People are people.  Even though English Heritage have introduced a booking system, people are still going to turn up on spec - the English Heritage website even points this out as a possibility for those who haven't booked - so turn up they will.  Not to mention the 30,000 locals who are entitled to free entrance and who certainly won't book.  What will they all do and where will they go when they find they can't get on to the Stonehenge site?  They'll roam the local roads to find anywhere they can dump their cars and walk - creating additional congestion and chaos.  A lot of these opportunistic sites are closer to the stones than the Visitor's Centre - and they are free.

8)  To avoid the jams on the A303, travellers are trying any and all alternative routes past Stonehenge, placing additional pressures on small country roads and villages  never intended for such levels of use.  If it continues, the chances are some poor innocent is going to be killed or injured as a result.

9)  When we don't have the jams and congestion, we have speeding through the local villages - particularly Shrewton on the A360 and Winterbourne Stoke on the A303.

10)  We didn't even mention the additional traffic the new distribution centre at Solstice Park and the Army re-basing exercise are going to throw into the equation - but it isn't going to make life any easier.

We all know the long-term answer - dual the A303 and somehow get it past Stonehenge.  All well and good, but it isn't going to happen soon.  We need to do something before the summer.

Recognising this, Inspector Christian Lange of Wiltshire Police called a meeting last night to bring together all the stakeholders: English Heritage, the Highways Agency, Wiltshire Council, local Parish Council's, the National Trust, English Nature, STAG and others (apologies to any we haven't mentioned) to try and identify any measures that might alleviate the situation.

A brave idea, given the depth of feeling and one that could have easily been rail-roaded, but Christian chaired a good meeting.  At the end of the day though, it is trying to make something of a silk purse out of a pig's ear.

Once we had got beyond the "English Heritage created this mess and it's up to them to sort it out" mentality, we did get a few good ideas and some less good ones.  Broadly they were:

Try signage from the A303 exit of the M3, through to Longbarrow, to warn when there are no parking slots at Stonehenge - but these would need to be reactive enough to allow for sudden changes in parking availability at Stonehenge.

Try and sort out the A360 issues as close to the Stonehenge as possible - with English Heritage looking into planning permission for additional overspill car-parking spaces, or renting adjacent fields.  The Highways Agency were keen to not move the problem onto the roads, but to deal with it as close to the source - the Stonehenge Visitore's Centre - as possible.

There was a suggestion of using a TRO to close Byway 12.  This could be done for up to 18 months.  This is one we are dead against without a legal undertaking, by English Heritage and the WHS, to NOT pursue the permanent closure of Byway 12.  We also proposed other measures to prevent most vehicular traffic from using the route.   A compromise should be possible, but closure by diktat is a recipe for grief.

There was an idea to intentionally route westbound Stonehege traffic towards Durrington at Countess Roundabout and then through Larkhill along the Packway t- o approach Stonehenge from the Bustard junction.   As you might imagine, this wasn't at all popular with local councillors.  However, it does make you wonder if enough thought is being given to using Woodhenge and Durrington Walls as diversionary holding areas?  As it is only intended as an interim measure, could there be compromise here as well?

There has been a suggestion that English Heritage puts up some sort earth bund or sight screen to prevent Stonehenge being seen from the A303 - which might keep the traffic on the A303 flowing a little better.  English Heritage have rejected this idea as it conflicts with the World Heritage Site Management Plan to return the area to open downland.  Of course, we aren't talking a permanent solution here, just interim measures to solve a short-term (hopefully) problem.  Again, some lateral thinking is needed here.  If EH aren't prepared to shield the road from Stonehenge, then the Highways Agency should erect sight screens on their side of the fence outside the World Heritage site to shield Stonehenge from the road - giving WHS a legally enforceable assurance that these would be removed, once the A303 issue is resolved.  Another opportunity for compromise?   

UPDATE 1: We've been advised that as the World Heritage Site encompasses both sides of the fence, unilateral action by the Highways Agency is out of the question.

UPDATE 2: Life, of course, is never simple.  Ownership of the land that would need to be screened from the A303 is mainly English Heritage/DCMS.  The National Trust would be involved if screening was needed east of Stonehenge Bottom.  However, ownership of the A303 -and what constitutes the road, would seem to be the the real issue here.  So whilst EH/DCMS own the subsoil under the northern side of the A303 and probably the air above it,  the Highways Agency effectively owns the road bed and "the top two spits" down.  That's enough to keep the road bed repaired, install drainage under it and signage and safety features (eg. Armco barriers) alongside it.  What we are proposing here is another safety feature. 

Regardless of the rights and wrongs,  we still feel that EH and WHS should be encouraged to compromise on this temporary issue.   They could still make an offer to do this before the Area Board meeting on 27th March.

We also looked at solutions for the other problem of slowing the traffic on the A303 - particularly through Winterbourne Stoke.  Wiltshire Council and the Police have an initiative for local A roads, but it is the Highways Agency that will need to engage with us and the Police to sort it out on the A303.  The Highways Agency insist the A303 at this point is in an "urban setting"'  As such, there should be a 20mph max as it passes by the requisite number of dwellings to meet government guidelines for this.  Another compromise perhaps - lower the speed limit to 30mph and introduce some traffic calming measures instead?

OK, if we are honest, none of these measures will solve the problem entirely on their own and even if they are all implemented, they are, at best, only going to ease things - and we have no idea by how much.  We also need to be realistic about what measures Wiltshire Police has the legal basis, manpower, or even inclination to enforce. But if we don't at least try, at best the local villagers are going to have a horrendous summer.  At worst, the road casualty figures may increase.

It's going to take some rapid action, an awful lot of co-operation and, inevitably, compromise by all parties including English Heritage and the World Heritage Site.  That's short term compromise to solve immediate issues and compromises that might help provide a longer term solution to the long-term A303 problems and World Heritage Site aspirations.

The next few weeks are going to be very instructive indeed, particularly in view of the A303 feasibility study.  If that compromise can be achieved, then Inspector Lange will have achieved a minor miracle.  We wish him well.