Green Lane, East of Norwich

By John Swindells 11 May 2007 | Comment
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Green Lane North runs between the Broadland Business Park on the east side of Norwich, up to Thorpe End. As the business park has developed, so the surface of this lane has deteriorated. Here is my first query on 26 July 2006 to the County Council:
Green Lane is in a dire state. It is used as a rat-run and most cars seem to be approaching the 60mph speed limit on it, which is just churning the surface up. As a cyclist I'm having to cycle 3-4 feet out from the edge because of the bumps and ripples, so can you tell me what measures are planned to make the road safe again please?

Steve White (Highway Engineer, Norfolk County Council) replied a couple of weeks later:

I am sorry to hear that this is causing you problems when riding your bicycle. A scheme to haunch the edge of this section of carriageway has already been identified and is on our 'forward programme'. I can not however say at this moment in time when the works will be carried out as that is subject to available funding and County Councillor approval.

My Highway Inspector will continue to check this road on a regular basis and programme any works he deems necessary to maintain it to a safe standard.

On 7 October I replied with this:

Thanks for yor feedback on the problems with this road; I see that minor patching has been done on a couple of the worse sections. There are still a good many stretches, however, that are unacceptably bumpy. The lane just isn't coping with the volume of traffic generated by the new business park.

Talking of expansion, would you happen to know what is being built to the west of Green Lane? Several large areas next to the railway line have been levelled, and I'd heard that a new railway station was being considered; is this really the case?

The reply from Steve White, just over a week later, was:

Proposals are currently being considered and will be progressed through the TRO process to introduce an HGV ban on the roads through the Plumsteads and Witton area, this will help ensure HGV's use the designated routes between the A47 and Wroxham and beyond i.e. B1140 Acle to Wroxham or via the Norwich Outer Ring Road. Taking this into account along with the proposed haunching schemes, this should greatly improve the current situation.

With regard to the development near the railway line, I am sorry but this is outside my jurisdiction and I do not know anything about it.

My reply almost a month later was:

Thanks for your reply recently. The HGV ban should help, but the problem is that right now the road is in a terrrible state. I am amazed that you don't know what the development is near the railway line, as whatever it is will have a profound effect on the traffic in the area. It is probably in everybody's interests that you found out, and made sure that highway planning was actually done in a timely manner.

Thank you for your email of 10 November 2006, please accept my apologies for the delay in response.

The 7.5 Tonne weight restriction is being progressed and is in the process of being advertised.

With regard to Green Lane itself, my Highway Inspector has visited the area and marked out several areas for patching. This should improve the situation greatly.

In respect of the development, I am not aware of its nature as it is not part of my remit. My colleagues in Development Control will be fully aware of it and will be working alongside the District Council Planning Officers. These colleagues advise on highway needs/requirements but ultimately the decisions rest with the Planning Control Officers.

As of April 2007 no work of any significance had surfaced, until sections of the road were gritted to a very poor standard. Here is my email on 1 May 2007:

I would like to complain about the current quality of the road resurfacing work on Green Lane North (Thorpe End) and Norwich Road (Salhouse to New Rackheath). These roads have been resurfaced with very large grit, and as a bicycle user I am finding the conditions quite arduous. Would you please tell me whether finishing work is due in the near future? If not, would you inspect the surface and let me know your thoughts?

I should also like to know when you expect the surface of Green Lane (south of Green Lane North) to be improved and haunched; numerous areas have been marked out for a number of months now, but no significant work has been carried out.

On 9 May Mark Dixon (Assistant Highways Engineer) replied with this:

Thank you for you for your recent email. I have spoken to our surfacing team regarding your concerns.

The stone used for this section was a 10/14mm grading, which is standard across the county. This treatment needs a few days to settle before it is rolled in for a much smoother finish. This process should now have been completed, and I have requested some feedback from the supervisors as to the quality of surface.

Patching works to improve the section from the Broadland Business Park roundabout to Low Road, are programmed to be carried out under a road closure on 25 June. This work should take 3 days to complete. The remaining section of surface dressing will be carried out at this time as well. A road closure for this work is unavoidable due to the plant involved, and the width of carriageway.

I hope this is helpful

That's a useful bit of information on the road closure; let's hope the work is actually productive!

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