NEXT COMMUNITY SURGERY - SATURDAY 30TH MARCH

I am pleased to confirm that my next drop-in surgery will be held this Saturday (30th March) at Alderley Edge Library, between 10-11am. Do please call in for a cuppa and a chat about any local issues that may be causing you concern.

COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH - RYLEYS LANE

On Thursday 21st March I joined local residents and volunteers from our Community Speedwatch team, on Ryleys Lane. On this occasion, we recorded a total of 27 vehicles exceeding the speed threshold, of which ten were travelling in excess of 40 mph. The top speed recorded was 47 mph, whilst the average speed was 39 mph (the speed limit at this location is 30 mph).

Our next session will be held on Thursday 11th April and as always, the team would be very grateful for any new volunteers to come along and join us. Any local residents who are interested, should send me an email (craig.browne@cheshireeast.gov.uk) in the first instance.

MOTTRAM ROAD SCHEME FUNDING APPROVED

Last Thursday I chaired a meeting of the Wilmslow Area Highways Group, which covers Alderley Edge, Wilmslow & Handforth. I am very pleased to confirm that I was able to secure funding of £6,000 from the Group's £21,835 annual budget to fund the implementation of a new scheme for Mottram Road (this was in response to requests from residents, going back to 2016).

The scheme will see the creation of an additional six or seven long-stay parking bays on Mottram Road (in the area shown on the attached photograph), whilst the double yellow lines on the cricket field side of Mottram Road will be extended to prevent obstructive double parking, as well as providing some additional protection to the grass verge.

I am pleased to have secured the funding for this project, which I know residents have been waiting a long time for. The scheme will be implemented during the course of the 2019/20 financial year, although at this stage I cannot give an exact date. I am pleased that the funding will also enable some historic issues with the parking bays on Trafford Road and Stevens Street to be addressed.

DROPPED KERBS & FOOTPATH IMPROVEMENTS

I am delighted to confirm that dropped kerbs are shortly to be installed at the bottom of Macclesfield Road. This work is being funded through the Area Highways Group and was approved some months ago; however, there were some issues with the power cabling to a nearby streetlamp which had been causing a delay to the project. Now that the issues with the power cabling have been addressed, the work should be carried out shortly. I'm also pleased to confirm that at the same time, the uneven flags across the island at the junction of Macclesfield Road will be removed and the footpath resurfaced.

WEST STREET FOOTPATH TO BE RESURFACED

I am delighted to be able to confirm that the footpath on West Street is to be resurfaced, with the work scheduled to start next week. A temporary footpath closure will be in place whilst the work is being carried out. I had originally asked for West Street to be included in the 2018/19 capital programme, but following the decision to resurface Heyes Lane earlier this year, I had not expected the work to be funded until the next financial year. Following my recent meeting with a Senior Highways Engineer, I am delighted that it has been possible to bring this work forward.

COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH - BROOK LANE

On Thursday 14th February I joined other local residents and volunteers for our monthly Community Speedwatch session. This time we stationed ourselves on Brook Lane, just before the bridge over the bypass and we had one of our busiest sessions to date, recording 52 vehicles speeding (one every 69 seconds). Most of the speeding vehicles were travelling towards the village centre.

We felt that it was important to carry out a session between 3pm and 4pm so to coincide with the end of the school day, as this section is on the approach to Alderley Edge School for Girls and is used by many parents as a picking-up location. The School Safety Zone (20 mph limit) begins only another hundred yards along Brook Lane, which makes the results even more disappointing.

- 39 vehicles speeding but under 40 mph
- 15 vehicles speeding between 40-49 mph
- 2 vehicles speeding in excess of 50 mph
- highest recorded speed was 52 mph

As always, we are grateful for the help of our volunteers, without whom we would not be able to run these sessions. If you are able to give an hour a month to help us run more sessions, please contact me.