PEOPLE living in the vicinity of the Blacknest ‘corridor’ have enlisted the help of highways engineers and police in a campaign to improve the safety of the road network in the area.

They have had enough, they say, of vehicles abusing the speed limit, of the inappropriate size and volume of traffic travelling through the tiny hamlet of Blacknest, and using it as a ‘rat run’ from the A325 to the A31, as well as access to Bentley station.

Described by one resident as “a minor road with the traffic of a main road, but without the safety features”, Blacknest Road (C98) itself has an unenviable accident rate, with at least 10 serious incidents recorded since 2007, the most recent a fatality last May when a motorcyclist lost his life after he came off his bike close to The Jolly Farmer crossroads.

According to residents, despite the 40mph speed limit motorists regularly flash along the Blacknest Road at speeds topping 70mph despite there being no footpath and the fact that the road is regularly used, especially at weekends, by runners, horse riders and cyclists.

The problem is compounded by HGV drivers who, having called in at the Blacknest Trading Estate, or are simply following the shortest Satnav route between ‘A’ roads, regularly ignore the signage and find themselves confronted by a low railway bridge at Bentley, forcing them to reverse back along the narrow road and around blind bends in order to turn round.

Living not far from the bridge, former district councillor Peter Wonson says he witnesses this “highly dangerous” situation repeating itself on a daily basis day as 40ft trucks arrive at the bridge and have to reverse, in direct contravention of the Road Traffic Act, up to half a mile back along the road to find a turning place, putting themselves and other road users in danger.

“It is absolutely frightening,” he said.

In seeking to reinforce the HGV problem, neighbouring resident Nigel Barrow points out that these, and other delivery trucks accessing the trading estate, are breaking up the edges of the road which in places are also “slippery and dangerous”, especially for cyclists and bikers.

The fear is that with new development planned in the area, bringing an additional 123 parking spaces – equating to at least 200 traffic movements a day and including 40 recommended by Hampshire Highways for Broadview Farm, an additional 48 spaces at Blacknest Golf Club, 25 spaces to serve the new units due to be constructed on the trading estate, and 10 additional spaces at Oak Tree Farm – together with the prospect of increased traffic from Bordon new town, using the Blacknest corridor to avoid bottlenecks on the A325 at Wrecclesham and to access Bentley station, the impact on communities living along the road will be “enormous”, especially during the morning and evening rush hour.

This mounting concern resulted in the staging by Binsted Parish Council, toward the end of last year, of a public meeting to enable residents to flag up what they believe the main problems and challenges to be with traffic and highways in and around the Blacknest corridor.

According to resident, businessman and councillor Ian Salisbury, while the main debate centred on the problems associated with the Blacknest Road, similar concerns were expressed by residents from Bucks Horn Oak who flagged up safety issues relating to the staggered junction on the A325, the poor sight lines which had been further obscured by signage, and the speed of vehicles approaching the junction.

E-mail correspondence from residents in neighbouring Rowledge, Frith End, Isington and Binsted outlined similar concerns over speed. Limits, it was felt, were being largely ignored and this was not helped by the apparent lack of enforcement.

According to Mr Salisbury, while Binsted Parish Council is considering buying a sign to remind drivers of the speed limit and to encourage more frequent enforcement activities, the need for traffic calming was felt to be essential with residents favouring signs painted on the road surface, to maintain the rural nature of the area, and village signs showing images of children playing.

The Jolly Farmer crossroads was considered high priority with suggestions of a mini-roundabout, mirrors to improve visibility, and traffic lights which detect speed and turn red if approached by vehicles travelling over the speed limit.

Having picked up 18 sacks of rubbish between the trading estate and Bentley station bridge during the summer and having endured the pumping of hundreds of gallons of sewage under the road two or three times a day and sewage flooding across the road when the pipe burst, Mr Barrow is among those who believe the Blacknest corridor is not cut out for a further large-scale increase in traffic movement.

He said: “We (the residents) believe this level of traffic increase has not been properly considered or addressed by planning or highways officers when permission for developments is given.”

With this in mind, highways officers and police have come on board to discuss ways in which improvements can be made and, according to Mr Wonson, a commitment made to “help resolve this growing menace”.