Drop in sessions to be held over plans to improve safety on busy Buxton to Whaley Bridge road

Funding of around £2.5 million from the Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund will be used to implement safety improvements on the A5004 between Buxton and Whaley Bridge, known as Long Hill.

A public consultation is currently underway with two drop-in sessions set to take place when highways and road safety staff will be available to answer questions.

They will take place at:

*The Pump Room, Buxton, on Tuesday December 6 from 2.30pm to 8.30pm

*The Mechanics Institute, Whaley Bridge on Thursday December 15 from 2.30pm to 8.30pm.

Feedback and comments can be shared by completing the online questionnaire available on the county council’s website at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/A5004consultation.

Subject to feedback from the public consultation about the proposals, some minor preparatory works might be carried out while the Railtrack works to replace the bridge over the A5004 are underway, including clearing overhanging vegetation, some road lining and installing new safety fencing. Any works would be carried out under temporary traffic light controls and would be around three miles away from Railtrack’s bridge works.

Depending on the outcome of the consultation, the safety proposals under consideration for the A5004 include:

*Installing average speed cameras along the sections of the route with 50mph and 40mph speed limits between Buxton and Whaley Bridge to tackle inappropriate speeding and reduce accidents.

*Improving the A5004 junction with the A53 in Buxton.

*Hatching, white lining and rumble strips along the edge of the road to alert drivers to hazards and to prevent people driving off the road.

*Improving visibility around bends and at junctions by removing bushes or lowering walls.

*Improving drainage to reduce surface water at key points along the route.

*Installing crash barriers on major bends with motorcycle protection to prevent riders sliding underneath the barrier.

*New pedestrian crossing points on the outskirts of Whaley Bridge to make it safer to walk into the town centre with dropped kerbs and tactile paving slabs to help vulnerable users.

*Cycling improvements between Buxton and Whaley Bridge to link the area to the county’s cycle network.

*Better signing, and lining to highlight hazards like bends, footpath crossing points and junctions.

The public consultation closes on 15 January 2023.