Dear Mr Speight

FOI Request ref:  5412 / Buxted High Street - Speeding and Road Safety.

Thank you for your request for information about the above. Your request
was received on 1/4/2015 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

We always aim to respond as quickly as possible but we do need you to
clarify part of your request before we will be able to fully process it.
You have asked:

Q2b. Have there been any reports  raised concerning the faded linings and
coloured surfacing for the High Street  and Station Road in Buxted ? When
were the  reports raised ?

Please specify a timescale over which you would like us to search for
reports. i.e…..since when?

Regarding question 4, you have said:

In a previous FOI request I asked.

"When did the Road Safety Team last visit Buxted  ? Is there a copy of
their report ? Where can this report be read ?  I got the answer  "not
recently" , so I will request again.

Q4. When did the Road Safety Team last visit Buxted  ? Is there a copy of
their report ? Where can this report be read ?

The full answer to this previous question was as follows:

The Road Safety Team continually review the Police database of crashes to
identify locations with a high number of injury crashes. The locations
with the highest number of crashes are then visited with the Police to
identify the most appropriate set of measures to help make the road safer.
The A272 at Buxted has a relatively good safety record with only slight
injury crash by the railway bridge being reported to the Police in the
latest 3 years. As a result of its good safety record the Road Safety Team
the has not recently visited Buxted to make a safety report

I have taken your new question 4 to be an indication that you were not
content with our above response and we will therefore deal with this
question separately as a follow up to our response of 26 March. We will
provide an updated response to this question as soon as possible. I aim to
do so within 10 working days.

Regarding the rest of your questions, we will endeavour to answer them.
But I feel that it may be helpful if I explain that there are limitations
to the scope of the FOIA.

•             Public authorities are obliged to publish certain
information about their activities; and

•             Members of the public are entitled to request information
from public authorities.

The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority
in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities
based in Scotland. Recorded information includes printed documents,
computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video
recordings.

In other words, the Act relates to information already held in recorded
format. If records exist that relate to an enquiry then we can refer to
them to answer questions. But public authorities are not required to
create information in response to a request. Nor are they required to
answer questions that would require speculation or opinion.

Yours sincerely

Jeremy Coleman

Customer Information Officer

East Sussex County Council

Communities Economy and Transport Directorate

W1D, County Hall

St Anne’s Crescent

Lewes

East Sussex BN7 1UE

Phone: 01273 482913

Fax: 01273 481208

email: [East Sussex County Council request email]   web: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi

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Dear Mr Speight,

Thank you for your clarification. I have already passed your follow up question to Michael Higgs regarding the specific three elements that have not yet been addressed. I aim to have this back to you within 10 working days. We will provide our response to the rest of your questions by 1 May, which is the 20 working day deadline.

Yours sincerely

Jeremy Coleman
Customer Information Officer
East Sussex County Council
Communities Economy and Transport Directorate
W1D, County Hall
St Anne’s Crescent
Lewes
East Sussex BN7 1UE

Phone: 01273 482913
Fax: 01273 481208

email: [East Sussex County Council request email]   web: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi
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Dear Mr Speight,

I have now read your earlier correspondence with Michael Higgs and I do now need to ask for further clarification regarding the worn markings. Would you please specify which ones these are by describing what they are and where they are.

Or, if the query is a general one about road markings in Buxted, which roads you refer to with a beginning and end point for each of them.

Yours sincerely

Jeremy Coleman
Customer Information Officer
East Sussex County Council
Communities Economy and Transport Directorate
W1D, County Hall
St Anne’s Crescent
Lewes
East Sussex BN7 1UE

Phone: 01273 482913
Fax: 01273 481208

email: [East Sussex County Council request email]   web: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi
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Dear Mr Speight,

Further to my earlier emails. Below is the response I have been provided
with regarding your original question 8 (new question 4)

The Maintenance Team regularly inspects the road network and the time
between the inspections is decided by the road hierarchy.  If they have
any particular safety concerns they would contact the Road Safety Team. 
The Road Safety Team is a reactive team that would only visit a site if
there is an identified crash problem.  The A272 at Buxted has a relatively
good crash record with only 1 slight injury crash reported to the Police
in the latest 3 years.  We are not aware of any site visits by the road
Safety Team since the 40mph speed limit was introduced near the school in
July 2012 as part of our review of speed limits on rural A and B class
roads, .As a result there is no safety report.

In short, we have no record of any visit and we do not hold a report.

Yours sincerely

Jeremy Coleman

Customer Information Officer

East Sussex County Council

Communities Economy and Transport Directorate

W1D, County Hall

St Anne’s Crescent

Lewes

East Sussex BN7 1UE

Phone: 01273 482913

Fax: 01273 481208

email: [East Sussex County Council request email]   web: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi

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Dear Mr Speight

FOI Request ref:  5412 / Buxted High Street - Speeding and Road Safety.

Thank you for your clarification, received on 2/4/2015.  I am dealing with
your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We always aim to respond as quickly as possible, and in this case will do
so no later than 5/5/2015, which is the 20 working day deadline adjusted
for time on hold. The deadline is counted from the first working day we
receive it, not the date a letter is written / posted or an email sent.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will
let you know. A fees notice will be issued to you, and you will be
required to pay before we proceed in dealing with your request.

Please quote the above reference number in any communication regarding
this request.

Yours sincerely

Jeremy Coleman

Customer Information Officer

East Sussex County Council

Communities Economy and Transport Directorate

W1D, County Hall

St Anne’s Crescent

Lewes

East Sussex BN7 1UE

Phone: 01273 482913

email: [1][East Sussex County Council request email]   web: [2]www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi

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This message is intended for the use of the addressee only and may
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E-mail is not a secure communications medium. Please be aware of this
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You can visit our website at http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk

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Dear Mr Speight,

Under normal circumstances it would have to be a new request because of the time limits that the legislation applies and the way we have to administer applications. However, because we received your clarification this morning, in effect, your request has started from scratch so I can add this question to it without involving two clocks running for one request.

Yours sincerely

Jeremy Coleman
Customer Information Officer
East Sussex County Council
Communities Economy and Transport Directorate
W1D, County Hall
St Anne’s Crescent
Lewes
East Sussex BN7 1UE

Phone: 01273 482913
Fax: 01273 481208

email: [East Sussex County Council request email]   web: www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi
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Dear Mr Speight

FOI Request ref:  5412 / Buxted High Street - Speeding and Road Safety.

Thank you for your request for information about the above, which has been
dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your
request and our response are set out below. Please note that any
information we provide is subject to the copyright and reuse of
information terms and conditions set out at the bottom of this email.

REQUEST

Q1a. Is this device different to the hand held camera currently used by
the Buxted Speedwatch Team ?

Q1b. If it's not this method, have Buxted Parish Council been made aware
that such an alternative device is available ?

Q2a.  Shouldn't these have already been reported by a Highway Steward and
timetabled for repair ?

Q2b. Have there been any reports  raised concerning the faded linings and
coloured surfacing for the High Street  and Station Road in Buxted ? When
were the  reports raised ?

Q2c. When will the linings and coloured surfacing be repaired ?

I asked but did not get an answer so...

Q3. With regard to the costs of surveys or upgrades of devices. Is there a
mechanism for sharing these costs with SSRP, Buxted Parish, Wealden, East
Sussex and the Police ? 

Q4. When did the Road Safety Team last visit Buxted  ? Is there a copy of
their report ? Where can this report be read ?

Q5a. How much would it cost to change the two devices from VAS to SID ?

Q5b. Who can authorise this change ?

Q6. For the two VAS devices in Buxted. At what speed are these set to be
triggered ?

RESPONSE

1a & 1b)

The Speed Indicator Device (SID) is a different type of device than the
hand held camera used by the Buxted Speedwatch Team. The use of an SID is
a Road Safety    Education initiative run by the County Council. An SID is
operated by local volunteers and displays a pictorial representation of a
‘happy’ or ‘sad’ face; it is used for educational purposes only.

The Community Speed Watch Scheme that is presently carried out by
volunteers in Buxted is organised by Sussex Police. The results of
Community Speed Watch can be linked to the Sussex Police ‘Operation
Crackdown’ initiative where action can be taken by the Police if
appropriate.

We do not routinely make Parish Council’s aware that an SID device is
available as we have limited availability of the units and are unable to
resource a significant number of training sessions. The devices are
intended for use in areas where concerns have been raised and alternative
measures are not appropriate, they are therefore not suitable for all
locations. If a Parish Council is interested in SID we can loan a sign to
them and arrange a 1 hour training session for the volunteers. 

2a)

The local Highway Steward reported 4 of these for repair on 5/2/2015 and
increased this order to 6 on 12/3/2015 following an inspection.

2b)

We have received verbal reports of this issue to the Head of Highways and
also to our Traffic and Safety Team during a site meeting on 5/3/2015.

2c)

The request for lining is with the Highway Maintenance Team who are hoping
to schedule this request within the next 3 months

3)

East Sussex County Council (ESCC) can undertake a seven day speed survey
for £400. Sussex Police and the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership undertake
their own speed surveys as required. We do not routinely advise parish
councils of the cost of a speed survey as they would only be undertaken in
response to a specific issue. Parish Councils are aware of East Sussex
County Council’s responsibilities and would make requests through the
normal channels open to them. 

The County Council is aware that some schemes that are not a priority for
us are important to the local community. As a result we have developed a
Community Match initiative that allows the Parish Council to share the
cost of schemes that are not of sufficient priority for the County
Council. However, any proposal or scheme needs to be assessed to make sure
it is in accordance with the County Council’s policy and is of benefit to
the local community. 

4)

The Maintenance Team regularly inspect the road network. The time between
inspections is decided by the road hierarchy. If the Highway Steward
undertaking the inspection has any safety concerns they would contact the
Road Safety Team. 

The Road Safety Team is a reactive team that would only visit a site if
there is an identified crash problem. The A272 at Buxted has a relatively
good crash record with only 1 slight injury crash reported to Sussex
Police in the latest 3 years.  We are not aware of any site visits by the
Road Safety Team since the 40mph speed limit was introduced near the
school in July 2012 as part of our review of speed limits on rural A and B
class roads, so there is no safety report. Safety reports are only
undertaken when a material change is made to the highway or a site is
identified under our scheme assessment programme based on its crash
history. We do not undertake routine road safety reports.

5a & 5b)

We obtained 4 quotes for a mobile Speed Indicator Device (SID) in June
2014. The cost of a sign varied from £2,000 to £2,600. The cost of
installing a VAS can be between £5,000 and £15,000. We have not obtained
any quotes for changing the VAS to SID in Buxted or any other locations in
the County, so we are not able to provide an accurate estimate of the cost
of changing the signs.

VAS signs are fixed site installations approved by the Road Safety Team at
sites with an identified road safety problem, where alternative traffic
management work has not reduced the number or severity of the crashes that
occur. SIDs are temporary devices operated in areas where there is no
identified road safety issue but, the local community have expressed a
concern. The two devices are therefore not interchangeable in terms of
their approved use.

6)

The existing VAS signs in Buxted are set to trigger at 32mph.

I hope that this answers your enquiry. If you believe that the County
Council has not complied with the FOI Act in responding to your request,
you may ask for an internal review. If you wish to do so, please set out
the grounds of your appeal in writing to:

Philip Baker, Assistant Chief Executive, East Sussex County Council,
County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex. BN7 1UE.

or by email to him at [1][email address]

Please quote the FOI reference number in any communication regarding this
particular request.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you then
have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision
unless you have exhausted the County Council’s internal review procedure
as described in the previous paragraph. The Commissioner can be contacted
at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Tel: 0303 123 1113.  [2]www.ico.org.uk

Yours sincerely

Amilia Holland

Customer Information Adviser

East Sussex County Council

Communities, Economy and Transport

W1D, County Hall

St Anne’s Crescent

Lewes

East Sussex BN7 1UE

Phone: 01273 482913
Fax: 01273 481208

email: [3][East Sussex County Council request email]   web: [4]www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi

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This message is intended for the use of the addressee only and may
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error please notify the sender and destroy it. You may not use it or copy
it to anyone else.

E-mail is not a secure communications medium. Please be aware of this
when replying. All communications sent to or from the County Council
may be subject to recording and/or monitoring in accordance with
relevant legislation.

Although East Sussex County Council has taken steps to ensure that this
e-mail and any attachments are virus free, we can take no responsibility
if a virus is actually present and you are advised to ensure that the
appropriate checks are made.

You can visit our website at http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk

References

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3. mailto:[East Sussex County Council request email]
4. http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/foi