The A303, since the closure of the A344 past the monument, and the opening of the new visitor's centre, has been known to queue as far back as Andover at peak times, which has resulted in "rat running" through local villages. This week, we have in place a "Traffic Flow Monitoring" system to provide a sample of "normal traffic flows" and the system will return again in August to show the increase of vehicles, both on the A303 and the effect on surrounding villages.
Owing to the closure of the A344, gone are the days when you could pitch up at Stonehenge....grab a free photo through the fence, and get on your way ....No! if you want to photograph the monument, you will have to do this via the Stonehenge Visitor's Centre (SVC) which does mean queueing on the A303...maybe! You must now use the new "Timed Ticket System" from the web site:
www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge and pay £13.90 pp. If you go to the world heritage site (WHS) on spec....the price is £14.90 and you may not get in! The alternative is.....the smart phone!!!......on the move photo from Stonehenge Bottom...which, of course, we don't recommend....slow down, eyes and attention off road.....and....wham! or could that be: wizbangblog.com we have a queue of traffic all shunting into one another and we won't mention injuries, deaths, and cost to the local emergancy services!!!
The car park at Stonehenge is free but has shown to be inadequate and regularly over flows causing traffic to back up on the A360 to Longbarrow Roundabout.....(and there-in, lies another major problem)....but to return to the story in hand....
and then on to the already over capacitated A303! This is why The Good Inspector Lange, who has the headache of looking after policing in this part of Wiltshire, called a "Multi Agency Meeting" for Stakeholders to throw "quick fix ideas" around, that could be put in place in readiness for the furore starting in 3 weeks time - the Easter break!
Those attending the meeting included representatives from Highways Agency, Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire police, Parish Councils, National Trust and English Heritage, and no meeting would be complete without us at STAG: Stonehenge Traffic Action Group of which there were three of team! The meeting from our corner, remained quite positive with some good ideas being thrown into the mix. However, one could not say the same for some of our local Councillors who were hell bent on blame and accusation, instead of getting on with the job in hand, which was to contribute ideas that could be put in place in the 3 - 4 week window we have before the holiday. Some of them are still reluctant to accept the existence of "The S Word" and embrace the fact that we're all in this for the same end......improving the roads around Stonehenge!
Our new General Manager at Stonehenge: Kate Davies will have to have very broad shoulders now and in the future, if the complaints of mistakes made by English Heritage in the past and prior to her appointment, were anything to go by!
Anyway, to get to more positive stuff: Items put forward were for new more clear signage around the area, electronic signage where the wording can be altered at the tap of a key board. There was a suggestion to take SVC traffic off at Countess Roundabout, and up through Larkhill to join the visitor's centre from Bustard Cross Roads therefore relieving the A303 past the monument. This seemed to me to be a compromise which, at this time is something we all need if we are to get a temporary fix to our present problem, but the idea went down like a lead balloon with Councillors for the area. Repeater signs on the A303 as far back as the junction of A303/M3 was another idea put forward warning drivers on the A303 of "queues ahead" or even Stonehenge Visitor's "Car Park Full".....which may or may not be useful because this will mean drivers will resort to "rat running" as per instructions on their satellite navigation systems.
When on the subject of drivers snatching a photo of Stonehenge whilst on the move along the A303 came up, it was suggested that a "BUND" might be the answer......Bund: basically, a large mound of earth which would shield the WHS from the road and prevent these irks from endangering life and limb!! Not really a "quick fix" tho' since the area east of the Stones drops away and even a temporary "bund" would mean many tons of earth to a height of approx 70 meters or 230ft!!! not to mention the earth moving equipment that would be required to build it.
Anyway, there's a few people I could mention who would not be happy with a "Bund" because it might just prevent this happening on June 21st.....!!!!
