A TRAFFIC-calming scheme, designed to reduce the speed of vehicles using the Lenten Street entrance into Alton, has come in for some serious criticism.

Introduced last year, the Hampshire County Council scheme comprises a series of raised platforms, build-outs with priority passing, and redefinition, to improve driver sight-lines, of the Ackender Road junction.

Despite work to improve the junction, however, the fear is that those turning left out of Ackender Road could come face to face with traffic negotiating the first build-out on Lenten Street, which forces drivers onto the wrong side of the road.

It was a matter brought up by Pam Jones during a full meeting of Alton Town Council on February 1, and flagged up this week by resident John Tomalin, a member of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, who can’t believe that the situation at the Ackender Road junction has been allowed to remain unaddressed for so long.

Having run his own private practice dealing with highways and transport issues related to planning matters and highway improvement schemes which, says Mr Tomalin, are subject to “mandatory” safety audits by the relevant highway authority, and seeing points “made over and over again” in The Herald concerning the traffic-calming measures on Lenten Street, and particularly the junction with Ackender Road, Mr Tomalin obtained copies from the county council of the safety audits for the scheme.

He wrote: “Astonishingly, in my view, a stage-one audit was not carried out. The stage-two audit carried out in December 2014 made no reference to the proximity of the junction of Ackender Road with Lenten Street to the first build-out. However, following complaints by the public, a stage-three audit carried out last October acknowledged the problem and recommended further carriageway markings designed to encourage eastbound traffic on Lenten Street to return to the correct side of the road as soon as possible when approaching Ackender Road.

“I remember seeing the indicative white spray paint markings on the carriageway surface last October but, four months on, nothing permanent has been done and the indicative markings have virtually worn away. I find it almost beyond believe that this work has yet to be done.”

His warning is clear.

“An interesting legal situation would arise if an accident were to occur involving a vehicle turning left out of Ackender Road onto Lenten Street colliding with an eastbound vehicle travelling toward the town centre.”

Having seen the audit reports, Alton’s county council representative, Andrew Joy, said that while a stage-one feasibility report was carried out in February 2014, “subsequent audits and site inspections have highlighted some actions, the majority of which have been implemented and works orders placed for the remainder”.

And he confirmed: “This includes works specific to the arrangement close to the Ackender Road and Lenten Street junction. I understand that there are no outstanding concerns from the road safety team.”

A spokesman for Hampshire County Council said: “With any new highway improvement or traffic scheme, county council officers carry out the required safety audits at the various stages of the project.

“I can confirm that we have done the same thing in this case and the post-completion audit has identified some remedial works on this scheme which are due to be carried out in the near future.”