Pedestrian Critical After Being Hit By Car Near Stonehenge

 We've been fairly quiet over the summer, monitoring the now near daily chaos on the A303.  We now return, but in the saddest way possible, to report a serious road traffic accident.

 We don't yet know all the circumstances, but at around 8:45pm of Friday evening, a 37 year old man from the Gwent area of Wales was struck by a west-bound Mercedes 300 driven by a 28 year old London man on the stretch of the A303 between Stonehenge and here in Winterbourne Stoke.  The road was closed until after midnight.

The pedestrian is reported this lunchtime as being in critical condition with serious head injuries.

Anyone who saw the accident is asked to call Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

UPDATE:

Sadly, the individual concerned, Patrick Sturtivant, did not survive.  Our thoughts and condolences go out to his family.

The more we hear about this incident, the more predictable it all was.  In fact, all the recent changes to the road system around Stonehenge, and access to the proximity of the stones, made it all but inevitable.

In the past, westbound traffic, wanting to spend a few minutes getting a "trophy" shot of Stonehenge, possibly the most photographed man-made object in the world, used to pull off onto the A344, a route where the majority of the traffic used the road regularly and where the drivers where used to tourists spilling into the road, thumbs up bums, brains in neutral, thoughts fixed only on taking a happy snap.  As a consequence, and quite unwittingly,  road safety was policed by local drivers.  Of course, the closure of the A344 put paid to that.

The second factor that might have contributed to this accident, again fairly predictably, was the "no right turn" signage on the A303 - attempting to prevent traffic turning on to Byway 12.  This was done on the spurious pretext of road safety.  Why spurious?  Well, unlike many of the small turnings off the A303 to the west of Amesbury, the entrance to Byway 12 is visible from a good half mile in either direction.  We suspect the real reason behind the signage is twofold.  First, a legitimate attempt to stop the traffic on the A303 slowing and causing congestion and second, a sop to English Heritage's long-held desire to close Byway 12, completely, to force all visitors to enter the World Heritage Site at Airman's Cross.  Of course, trying to improve traffic flow by banning right turns off the A303 was completely counter productive.  The travelling public did the blindingly obvious - slow, or even stop on the A303 to take that all important photo.

On this occasion, it seems that Mr Sturtivant, travelling west at dusk last Friday, pulled off the A303 at Byway 11, to the east of Byway 12.  Not much local traffic here, just long distance travellers, frustrated by earlier delays, simply wanting to get to the West Country for the weekend.   No doubt there was a glimpse to the right for a quick look at the stones by the Mercedes driver and then he was at Byway 12...

STOP PRESS: Abnormal Loads On The A303

Wiltshire Police are warning motorists to be aware of several abnormal loads that will be passing through the county this week, eastbound along a section of the A303.  Thank goodness they didn't try this on Monday with the chaos caused by a crash at Stonehenge and the crowds heading home after the Glastonbury Festival.

At approximately 11.00am on Wednesday 2nd July, three specialist load transporters carrying dump trucks will be escorted by Wiltshire Police from Whatley Quarry, Frome to the Parkhouse roundabout off the A303. The transporter will then continue its planned route (outside of the Wiltshire border) on the A303 and A34 before later joining the M4 where it will re-enter the county.  We think it is probably these little beauties making a return journey:

The same transporters carrying similar loads will then make an identical trip 24 hours later on Thursday 3rd July, also starting at approximately 11.00am.  You do have to question the common sense of whoever agreed to this happening on a Thursday, at a time when eastbound traffic is likely to be building up in the new A303 special - the advanced Friday rush hour.

The transporters and their loads will measure 5.75 metres (18ft 10ins) wide, 4.98m (16ft 4ins) high with an overall length of 23m (76ft) and gross weight of 117 tonnes.

Routes that are likely to be affected by the transportation are the eastbound stretches of the A361, A36, A350 and A303. The transporter will also be travelling on the A34 and M4 later in the afternoon.

Due to the size of the transporters, they will be slow moving and will have the potential to create congestion. Wherever possible, disruption will be kept to a minimum but hauliers and motorists are asked to please be patient if they come across this load. Anyone travelling over this period should allow sufficient additional time.

Regular updates and travel information in respect of the abnormal loads will be passed from our control room at Devizes when appropriate to help motorists plan their journey.

Police escorting resources are being provided by volunteer police officers on rest days, paid for by the haulier at no cost to the public.

Now how much easier would all this be if the A303 were dualled along its entire length?  Watch out for problems in Winterbourne Stoke if either of these convoys meet an HGV travelling westwards. 

One Law For English Heritage And Another For The Rest Of Us?

Here at WiSBAng we don't really like to keep having a go at English Heritage over the premature closure of the A344 and the consequent and oh-so-often predicted traffic chaos that has ensued.  Not only has this crass act contributed to increased congestion on the A303, it has proved a nightmare for local villages and other minor routes for miles around.  However, despite our intentions, English Heritage have an uncanny habit of opening their mouths and sticking both feet in!

This weekend sees the Summer Solstice and the weather forecast, for once, seems to be fairly reasonable.  Last week, Wiltshire Police and English Heritage were predicting that the crowds might reach 30,000.  Today, the Highways Agency were quoted by BBC South as saying that they expected and additional 35,000 vehicles on the roads around Stonehenge.  Either someone is wrong or the Highways Agency have been misquoted, but I think it's safe to say it might be busy.

Today, I cycled up to Stonehenge to see what was going on in preparation for the Solstice.  My main reason was to see if I was going to be challenged whilst riding along what used to be the A344, which, despite English Heritage's protestations, remains open throughout the Solstice period for anyone who wants to walk, ride a bike, ride a horse, drive a horse and cart, or drive an invalid carriage along it.  I wasn't challenged today, but I suspect that might be a little different of Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

There was lots of activity east of the visitor's centre where the Solstice carparks are being prepared - with an estimated capacity of 6,500 vehicles.  Now, I was always a bit of a duffer at maths, but even I can work out that isn't going to make much of a dent in the extra 35,000 vehicles on the local roads.

I rode down to Byway 12 to see what was going on there and was, I have to say, impressed that the old visitor's centre has largely disappeared and that a proper turning circle has been built for the land train and coaches.  I was even more impressed that the land trains were able to turn round in it, given they are not renowned for having a good turning circle.

Now, today was the day that Wiltshire Council's Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the Summer Solstice came into force.

It applies to ALL vehicles, except those of the emergency services.  The restrictions imposed by the TRO includes vehicles owned and operated by English Heritage and their contractors - it is a blanket ban on the use of Byway 12.  English Heritage, far from setting a good example and keeping off Byway 12, clearly feel that the law of the land doesn't apply to them.

Despite having a nice new turning area, some of the EH drivers can't be arsed to use it.

All our photos are date/time stamped should Wiltshire Council/Wiltshire Police choose to prosecute. 

Some English Heritage drivers are playing the game, and using the new turning, as this photo shows:

The coach beyond the land-train is obviously doing the right thing.  However, another coach pulls up on the right and...

...the driver leaps out for a crafty fag (a quick note to our US readers - a fag, in this context, is slang for a cigarette!).  Unfortunately, he has his back turned to the prominently displayed TRO notice posted at the entrance to Byway 12.   Of course, he could use the turning circle but no...

...he also drives onto Byway 12 in breach of the TRO to turn round.

If anyone is unfortunate enough to contravene the Wiltshire Council TRO, on foot, with an animal, or in any form of vehicle, during the Solstice period, then we will happily provide time-stamped copies to help them mount a defence - it doesn't seem right that anyone should be fined for doing something that English Heritage are doing multiple times an hour. 

Alternatively, to a Wiltshire rate-payer, prosecuting English Heritage for each and every infraction of the TRO - that's twice in 6 minutes, 20 times an hour or 160 times during an 8 hour day at £1,000 a pop.  That's a cool £160,000 a day, or £800,000 for the planned Solstice closure - could seem a very attractive proposition!

Stoned Again - Will Summer Solstice 2014 Cause Additional Chaos on the A303

Yesterday,  English Heritage, Wiltshire Police and a host of local stakeholders got together in the Antrobus Hotel in Amesbury to hear the plans for traffic management over the summer solstice period.

For the first time since 2008, the summer Solstice falls on Saturday morning, which means that the crowds might be bigger than in years when the solstice falls during the working week.  Last year, about 20,000 folks turned up to watch the sun rise.  Back in June 2008, 30,000 people turned up to wait through a cold, wet and misty night for a dawn that proved equally cold, wet and misty.  It's a bit early for a weather forecast for the solstice weekend and the Met Office have cocked up the weekend forecasts for this part of the world for the last two weekends running, so I guess the forecast is uncertain. We might expect a bigger crowd than we saw in 2008, simply on the basis that: "Summer 2014 has got to start at some point" and the Solstice weekend is as good a time as any.

The big difference this year is that it is the time the A344 has been closed for the summer Solstice, so the traffic problems that this might cause in the local area are a bit of an unknown, though we can speculate that it isn't going to be pretty.  The biggest question of all for us here at WiSBAng is whether it will cause more problems for the A303, where the weekend traffic situation is already nightmarish, and in the surrounding villages where rat-runners are making life even more unpleasant.

The English Heritage and Wiltshire Police traffic management plan for the solstice period is shown on the map below - please click on it to enlarge.

Basically, EH plan to close access to Stonehenge itself at 14:30 on Friday 20th June and then the new Visitor's centre, arrowed in green on the map, will be closed from 15:00.  The two Byways (Byway 11 and 12) that are close to the stones have been closed under a temporary Traffic Regulation Order to a point about 500 metres south of the A303.

 Apart from a few of the byways, bridleways and footpaths on the MoD ranges which are closed for a live-firing exercise (look out for the red flags), ALL other byways, bridleways, footpaths and roads in the vicinity are open.  That is a little contrary to to English Heritage's Summer Solstice 2014 Conditions of Entry and Information document which claims at the top of page 6 that the A344 is closed.  That is untrue, the route is still open for walkers, cyclists, horse riders, carriage drivers and invalid carriages, but English Heritage would prefer people not to walk along the route of what once was the A344, as they have provided an off-road route to the stones just for the Solstice. 

We expect that motor vehicles stopping and waiting on the A303, the A360 between Longbarrow Roundabout and Airman's Cross and on towards Shrewton will be prevented by the usual coning-off of all likely stopping places.  So anyone wanting to stop in the area is going to have to move further afield.

People arriving at Stonehenge Visitor's Centre, after it closes and before the Solstice car parks are opened at 19:00 on Friday 20th of June, are going to be asked to wait on the B3086 that runs north from the new Visitor's Centre towards the Bustard Crossroads.  So there is the potential here for a bit of chaos, as this section of road is a favourite part of the Friday evening rat-run when the A303 is jammed.  Hopefully, no-one wanting to attend the solstice will turn up until after 19:00.  If lots turn up early, then there is a potential for gridlock.  At the very least, it's likely to see more traffic heading for Shrewton on the London Road (B3086), though where they might go from there is anyone's guess.  They may strike out west on the B390, hoping to rejoin the A303 from the A36, or they could head south on the B3083, here to Winterbourne Stoke.  Some, wanting to see Stonehenge, may head back east on the A360 towards Airman's Corner, adding to the confused, bemused and possibly bloody-minded, heading for the Solstice; let alone the locals just heading home for the weekend.

This is all going to happen during the Friday commute home and coinciding with the weekend peak traffic flow on the A303 (16:00 - 21:00).  English Heritage are trying to persuade everyone wanting to attend the Solstice to go to Salisbury and take public transport up to the World Heritage site; it might persuade some, but again it's an unknown quantity. Roadside signs, from the M3 westwards, will warn people to stay away from Stonehenge if it gets too crowded.  At 19:00, the two new Solstice carparks (marked in blue on the map) will be opened and then people will start to flood in, which has the potential to cause further chaos on all routes in to Airman's Cross as people rush for a parking space.  We are told that these two car-parks have a similar capacity to the old Solstice car-park.

So, we have a fair degree of uncertainty about how things will unfold.   On the one hand, it may be freezing cold and lashing down with rain. People travelling to the West Country may choose to avoid the Stonehenge area entirely, reducing the back-ground traffic flow on the A303.  Solstice-goers may largely choose to take a bus to Stonehenge.  Those few that decide to arrive under their own steam may choose to arrive after the evening peak traffic flow and those that arrive early may follow the advice to wait on the B3086. With luck, no one leaves the A303 in a desperate attempt to avoid traffic jams, as it is flowing freely.  No-one stops to take a snap of the henge as they pass and no-one crashes their cars having been distracted by the herds of flying pigs, performing synchronised acrobatics overhead at the very thought of such a possibility.

Ah, bliss!

On the other hand, Friday 20th June  2014 may turn out to be a balmy night to be followed by a glorious sunny weekend.  Tourist's flood to the West County in their usual droves and follow, lemming-like, their normal routes.  Solstice-goers turn up as usual, on foot or in the usual mix of barely legal motor-vehicles and ignore/miss the exhortations on social media and in the Press to use public transport.  The B3086 is soon blocked, so this leads to problems in both directions on the A360, which eventually spill out onto the Longbarrow Roundabout.  Aging vehicles heading for Stonehenge overheat, blocking the westbound A303 near Stonehenge Bottom and the eastbound traffic just east of Winterbourne Stoke.  Westbound, Eastbound and Northbound traffic on the A303 and A360 will converge and collide, probably literally, around the Longbarrow Roundabout as a result of impatience and short-tempers.  Longbarrow Roundabout grinds to a standstill by mid afternoon and remains grid-locked for hours, and hours.  The last of the broken down and crash-damaged vehicles can't be removed until sometime on Saturday - after the peak of the great slog home has passed.  All those who are stuck on the A303 decide to cut their losses and visit Stonehenge as they aren't going anywhere else; the A303 becomes a large carpark.

Of course, it could get even worse.  God forbid there is a serious accident on any of the surrounding roads, but it is a Friday, and they are such a regular occurrence...

...then we have the possibility that some of the visitor's decide to make a weekend of it, or an impromptu rave or free-festival kicks off.

The reality is likely to be somewhere between these two extremes, but it would be a brave person who is prepared to put hard cash on the outcome.  We will, of course, see what happens in a few days time.

Byway 12 - Can Ed Vaizey and English Heritage Be Trusted?

On Wednesday last week Culture Minister Ed Vaizey visited the Stonehenge World Heritage Site to learn more about its traffic problems.  According to the Salisbury Journal, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the closure of Byway 12, or at least the section of it between the A303 and the old A344.

This gives us here at WiSBAng a bit of a headache, as since the closure of the A344, it seems more people have been taking vehicles onto Byway 12 and  parking up for a picnic and a quick gawk at Stonehenge.  All perfectly above board and legal and, indeed, stopping on a byway for an hour or so for a picnic is a nice thing to do.  Although we can't prove Byway 12 existed before Stonehenge, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise the some tracks in and around the site of Stonehenge had to pre-date the stones and Byway 12 would be a pretty good contender.  Consequently, tracks like Byway 12 are part and parcel of the World Heritage Site landscape and deserve the same level of permanent protection as any other part of that site.  Moreover, they are the only feature of that landscape that can be used for their original purpose - transport!

The problem has been that to pull off the A303 onto Byway 12, the traffic has to slow down and that causes a soliton to develop in addition to a second one a few hundred yards east adjacent to the henge and a third soliton just east of Stonehenge Bottom.  All of these solitons, contribute to the traffic jams that develop on the A303 near Stonehenge; even in the absence of large volumes of traffic.  So, on the one hand, it would make sense to stop traffic turning off the A303 as it would remove one of the three solitons.

What has happened so far has been ill-conceived, disingenuous, and not particularly successful - trying to stop right turns into and out of Byway 12 - using the specious argument of safety.  Just how specious the argument is can be demonstrated by a moments thought - how many other right turns are there - roads, tracks, field gates, byways, driveways and roads between Stonehenge Bottom and the start of the next section of dual carriageway west of Winterbourne Stoke? 

The answer, if you care to count, might well surprise you.  There are dozens and many have narrower entries and exits than Byway 12, with greater levels of vehicular usage.  No one is suggesting closing these.

If logic doesn't appeal to you, then look at the Wiltshire Police accident figures for the A303 over the last 5 years.

Yes, that's right, although there have been two accidents close to Byway 12, that was no worse than at the old A344/A303 junction at Stonehenge Bottom.  You would be better able to justify banning right turns onto and off the B3083, or even the A360 on safety grounds, than you can for Byway 12 as the accident rates adjacent to both these roads are significantly worse than at Byway 12.

So the argument that has been used to justify banning right turns, by the Highways Agency and Wiltshire Council just doesn't hold water and, rightly, reflects badly on the competence of both organisations and anyone else who supported these measures for the reasons stated.  Just because it might have achieved the desired effect doesn't make it good use of the law.

That said, temporary closure of Byway 12 to vehicular traffic, for an honest reason - that it slows the traffic and causes jams - might be justifiable.  But, there is a problems, a historic problem, a big problems.  English Heritage.

English Heritage have lobbied hard in the past for the complete and permanent closure of Byway 12, and, whatever their stated reasons for doing so it is clear that it would give them pretty close to total control of access to the World Heritage site, by vehicles, cycles, horse riders and pedestrians.  We think it is pretty safe to say that they are unlikely to have changed their views.  So any request by English Heritage for closure of Byway 12 by English Heritage should call in to question their true motivation.  It should be questioned even more closely given the restricted group who met with Ed Vaizey last week.

Back in November, when we met with other stakeholders to discuss measures to prevent traffic chaos on the A303 this summer, we raised our concerns about English Heritage's motives when the suggestion of closing the TRO was made.  We also gave English Heritage a means by which they could demonstrate the integrity of their position and honesty of their motives for seeking closure of Byway 12 for vehicular traffic.  We will repeat that here.

We at WiSBAng would reluctantly support the temporary closure of Byway 12 to vehicular traffic (not to cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians) until the A303 is improved; simply as an expedient means of improving traffic flow. We will do so ONLY if there is a legal undertaking, by Ed Vaizey, English Heritage and the WHS, to NOT pursue the permanent closure of Byway 12.  We would expect that vehicular traffic is again given access to Byway 12, once improvements are made to the A303, or immediately should a decision be taken to NOT improve the A303.

We would suggest that if the parties above are not prepared to give such an undertaking, then even temporary closure of the A303 WILL be actively resisted.

No Plan Survives Contact With The Enemy...

...in this case, the "enemy" was the great British travelling public heading westbound for the West Country this Easter weekend.  Clearly, they weren't the type of enemy that Field Marshal Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke (usually referred to as Moltke the Elder) had in mind when he first came out with the phrase: "No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength" (more usually shortened to : "no plan survives contact with the enemy,") Von Molke, generally regarded as the best military strategist of the late 19th century, the "inventor" of the terminology of red and blue forces in military wargaming,  was also a master logistician who understood the issues involved in moving large numbers of men and machines around - hence his relevance to the A303.

Back on the 24th of March, at a meeting sponsored by Inspector Christian Lange of Wiltshire Police, most of the interested parties got round a table to try and sort out a few expedient measures to ease the anticipated traffic hell over the Easter weekend.  Lots of ideas were put forward and people went off to beaver away to put things in place as quickly as possible.

Perhaps the organisation with the most to do was English Heritage. To their credit, having taken on board what was needed, Kate Davies, the General Manager at Stonehenge, got a lot done in a very short space of time.  Here is what the folks at Stonehenge had implemented in time for the anticipated rush the is weekend and a few of the the things they have planned for the the longer term.  The hope was that by improving the traffic situation on the A360 between the Stonehenge Visitors Centre entrance at Airman's Cross and the Longbarrow Roundabout on the A303, their would be less of an impact on both the local traffic on the A360 and the holidaymakers on the A303. In Kate Davies' own words, these are the measures they put in place and plan:

"Our overflow car par is now open and we have purchased tracking to cover main areas of wear in overflow car park (i.e. entrance and exit) to ensure use in all weathers. 
 
We have car park attendants directing all cars on arrival, ensuring every space is utilised.
 
A £5 car parking charge will be in operation to non-ticket holders to deter people using the car park as a service station during busy times.
 
A large scale marketing campaign commenced in March to promote ‘pre-book essential’ message.  
This marketing included national campaign and regional London and South-West campaign in a variety of different formats (film, poster, digital etc).  Digital adverts include placements on AA Routeplanner (these are activated when any journey passes the Stonehenge area).
 
We also have a social media campaign to push pre-booking.  As more people become aware of our timed-ticketing system, we’ll have less visitor bottlenecks.  We have seen a month-on-month increase in the number of people booking in advance. 
       
We have contact numbers for AA Road-watch, National and local radio traffic bulletins, FRIXO etc. ready to send out messages when we are approaching capacity.

We have also commissioned a feasibility study for variable message sign on the A303 via Highways Agency.  Whilst we await this we have temporary AA yellow signs to alert people if the car park is full to place near to the visitor centre".

That takes us back to Moltke the Elder.  Despite every traffic expert predicting that the volume of traffic on the A303 would be horrendous and there would be huge traffic jams, the volume of traffic has been much, much less than expected.  The "enemy", the travelling public has done the unexpected.  They didn't all head westwards on Thursday, nor on Friday.  Here in Winterbourne Stoke, there were never more than 25-30 vehicles per minute and the traffic was really only stationary when someone used the pedestrian crossing.  Here's a still from a video taken on Good Friday at a time we would normally expect stationary traffic nose-to-tail through the village.

Of course, those of you who were using the A303 on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday probably got stuck for long periods on the approach to Countess Roundabout in Amesbury and onwards, past Stonehenge, until you got tp the Longbarrow Roundabout.  Here's a shot taken by the Highways Agency traffic camera at Solstice Park in Amesbury, a few minutes before the video above was shot:

 Clearly, standing traffic down to the Countess Roundabout.  Whatever is causing THIS jam has nothing to do with the volume of traffic, as this Easter weekend has been significantly quieter than your average Thursday of Friday. 

It has everything to do with the behaviour of some motorists as they pass Stonehenge.  In our previous post, we proposed an explanation for what is going on, how it affects the traffic and how it might be prevented. 

However, it is achieved, the traffic past Stonehenge has to be prevented from stopping to get a better view of the stones, to take a snap...

or even, as in the case of one of Norbert Dentressangle's finest, slowing to a stop to pull off the A303 at Stonehenge Bottom to have a nap (there are proper lay-bys only a km or so east or west of this point)!

So, the grand plans to cope with large volumes of traffic didn't survive contact with the "enemy", because by and large, the "enemy" chose not to come to Wiltshire this Easter.  However, what we have learned this weekend is that none of the measures that have been instituted, so far, survived contact with even the few westbound 'enemy" that did put in an appearance.  That isn't good news and doesn't bode well for high summer.

 Perhaps simply blocking the view of Stonehenge from the A303 - however incomplete and imperfect that would have to be, as a short-term, temporary, and expedient measure - might be the only realistic option.

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.

Wiltshire Council Claim English Heritage are Breaking the Law!

Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear!  Back at the end of the year we fired of an FOIA query to Wiltshire Council as we suspected that English Heritage were playing fast and loose with their authority - or abject lack of it - over the A344. 

Today, we got a very helpful and yet totally unexpected reply from them.  The first surprise was that the question was answered under the Environmental Information Regulations rather than FOIA - I need to look at that in more detail, there may be other ways we can use this legislation.  The second and far bigger surprise lay in the contents of the response.  Look at the bits in bold in particular:


Request for Information – reference RFI - ENQ00535-REQ001

Thank you for your request for information received 30 December 2013.  I
apologise for the delay in responding,

Section 39 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires us to respond
to requests for information about the environment under different
legislation: the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, rather than
under the Freedom of Information Act.  The definition of “environment”
under this legislation is very wide.   I consider that the information you
have requested relates to the environment and must therefore be dealt with
under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

In response to your request officers have provided the following:

The attached draft document outlines the arrangements under which English
Heritage should manage access through the gates for all users exempt from
the TRO restrictions. The document was drafted by EH, confirming they are
fully au fait with the implications of the TRO.

It has been brought to the attention of Wiltshire Council that the road
has been unavailable for use by authorised users at certain times of the
day, principally when the Visitor Centre is closed. English Heritage have
been advised accordingly. A response from EH has, to date, not been
received.


All gates, when works are complete, will be supplemented with a Kent
Carriage Gap, which will allow all non-motorised users to pass and repass.
These have not yet been provided or completed at all gates, and some
temporary barriers appear to have been placed so as to obstruct lawful
use.


The Council has not withheld any information in relation to this request
under the exceptions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

The document drafted by English Heritage, all ten pages of it can be found here.

Wow -what an admission.  If English Heritage are "obstructing lawful use", then it would seem to me that they were breaking the law.  When STAG were planning our demo back in December, we were left in no doubt, by Wiltshire Police, that if we were to obstruct the highway unreasonably by our actions, then we WOULD be arrested for obstruction.  It will be interesting to see if Wiltshire Police have (or will now) apply the same rigour to those responsible for this admitted breach of the law.

We also need to know if and when, knowing that an obstruction of lawful use had occurred, Wiltshire Council informed Wiltshire Police of this?  If they didn't why not,  Moreover, who knew and who decided not to inform the Police?  How many were involved?

It may not be straightforward as English Heritage seem to be acting as agents of Wiltshire Council in controlling access to the A344, so it might be Jane Scott, leader of Wiltshire Council, who might carry ultimate responsibility, but obstruction may just be the tip of the iceberg..

Another question needs to be asked about whether Wiltshire Police themselves might have been mislead by English Heritage on the 17th and 18th of December and subsequently.  What were they policing on those days?  What were their orders in relation to people wanting to walk, ride bikes or horses along the A344?   That's a question we will certainly be asking.

This all makes life very difficult indeed.  If English Heritage can't be trusted to adhere to the law,  how can they be trusted in any future dealings in relation to the A344 or Byway 12.  Moreover, how can they be trusted when it comes to future plans for the A303?  A public apology for their actions and an immediate removal of all obstructions would be a good start.

English Heritage Create Traffic Chaos at Airman's Cross

Well, much as anticipated, the poor design of the entrance to the new Stonehenge Visitor's Centre is creating a new choke point for traffic.  Visitors trying to get to Stonehenge are blocking the new Airman's Cross roundabout, preventing traffic moving along the A360 and the B3086 Bustard road.

JMcK, a kindly correspondent from Shrewton,  took some snaps from the passengers seat of a car on Sunday 29th December.

You can see stationary traffic in both directions in the shot above...

...and as you might expect, people were getting fed up and turning back towards Shrewton and then join the A303 after cutting through to Winterbourne Stoke.

Today, 2nd January 2014, the situation is exactly the same with the RAC reporting:

Errr - it looks as though no-one has told the RAC that the A344 no longer exists.  I guess that would be down to a combination of Wiltshire Council and the Highways Agency.  Either that, or the Stonehenge land trains have broken down yet again!


Goodness alone knows what the situation is going to be like in fine weather during the summer.  When we were demonstrating last month about the A344 closure and the A303 traffic problems; problems precipitated by English Heritage's desire to have the A344 closed without dualling the A303, Wiltshire Police were very keen to point out that we could be arrested if we caused an obstruction.  Fair enough, but shouldn't they now be applying the same standards to those blocking the Airman's Cross roundabout and those causing the A360 to be blocked - English Heritage?

Round and Round Like Demented Hamsters!

...well, after two days of driving between Airman's Cross (perhaps someone should point out to Wiltshire Council that calling a roundabout "Airman's Corner" is stupid on every level!) and Longbarrow Roundabout, the dedicated few had definitely begun to feel like demented hamsters.

It was a great pleasure to see Ian West, the Lib-Dem Wiltshire Councillor for the Till & Wylye Valley Division and Chair of the Winterbourne Stoke Parish Council at the head of the procession.  But as a friend on Twitter (#tragicyclist) pointed out - John Glen MP (Con) was rather noticeable by his absence.

Thanks to all who took part over the two days - we achieved STAG's aim of getting publicity and considering what a young organisation we are, have done surprisingly well. Why did people come ot to demonstrate at all in such an IMBY, rather than NIMBY, way?  Good question. well posed.  

Well, if you live with the A303 day-after-day, or you are a villager harassed by impatient rat-runners, it all gets very personal.  As one dear friend, who used to live in Winterbourne Stoke, said to me earlier in the week: "I'm not the sort of person who ever comes out to demonstrate - about anything.  But this is different.  People died at the bottom of my drive."

Special thanks, yet again, to Wiltshire Constabulary.  While the "Grey Ghost" of yesterday was noticeable by his absence from his muddy field gate, a marked police car did join our procession for several circuits - good to see such stolid support from so unexpected a quarter.  But saying that, Wiltshire Police are the poor beggars who have to clear up the carnage on the A303 every time there is an accident - perhaps their participation shouldn't have been so unexpected.

We'll let you know when our next activity is planned and what and where it will be.  St Valentine's Day could be a favourite - as that is the day Stonehenge changes it's admissions policy to booking in advance - and there could be some traffic problems as a result.  Alternatively, any of the Bank Holiday weekends next year look promising.

As for suitable themes - that's a bit harder.   We did think of "Re-home a Mole Day" (Just don't ask!) and abandoned that idea on grounds of animal cruelty and practicality.  However, advertising the new year as "2014 The Year of Rock - Bring One of Your Own to Stonehenge" could have very helpful consequences.   If every person who went to visit Stonehenge took a 1 kg chunk of rock - preferably inscribed with an apposite hand-carved graffito - these could be piled alongside the A303 to help screen the stones from the road (or should that be the other way around).   English Heritage will be delighted, I'm sure, as at a stroke they will achieve their widh of isolation, will have a much better idea of how people can move huge quantities of rock to Wiltshire and the graffito will ensure more mysteries at Stonehenge for future archaeologists. 

So, demo over, I decided to pop into the new Stonehenge Visitor's Centre and see for myself what it was like.  After all - our protest has nothing to do with Stonehenge itself, or the New Visitor's Centre, or the staff who are employed there.  We are just not great fans of English Heritage.

I wanted to be amazed, I wanted to be impressed, I wanted to see that £27 million had been well-spent...