Roads - Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by Traffic Management Schemes?
Traffic Management Schemes are such things as physical speed reduction measures, mini-roundabouts, or pedestrian crossings built to reduce traffic speed and improve traffic flow in order to make Cheshire's roads safer for everyone.

Can we have traffic calming?
The term 'traffic calming' refers to the use of traffic engineering and other physical measures, which are designed to control traffic speeds and encourage sensible driving. The key objective is road safety, not only in terms of accidents but also the degree of danger perceived by road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists. Schemes seek to adapt the volume, speed and behaviour of motor vehicles to the primary functions of the street along which they pass, rather than adapt the street to the unbridled demands of these vehicles. Value for money is also an important objective, underlining the importance of effective design and sound assessment when dealing with the high demand for traffic calming schemes. Traffic calming is a very contentious way to bring about compliance with the speed limit and improve road safety, also other management solutions will normally be investigated first. If you have a specific question regarding a speed limit, the best place to seek further information or discuss the issue is with your Area Highways Team.

Can we have a reduced speed limit?
Speed limits make a valuable contribution to road safety but there is a tendency to see them as a panacea. They are most effective when they are seen by drivers to be a reasonable restriction in the particular circumstances. This is because, knowing that full-time enforcement is not possible, we are to a large extent relying on the willing co-operation of drivers in honouring signs. A limit that is not realistically matched to the environment will be ignored. When this occurs the limits are not providing any significant increased protection to either the frontages or other road users. Speed limits are normally unnecessary where the character of the road itself limits the speeds of most vehicles. They are not used to try to solve problems at isolated hazards, such as a bend or a road junction. It is often found that the drivers of vehicles proceeding at speed are either young, inexperienced drivers or regular users who believe that they 'know' the road. It is expected that vehicles should be driven at a speed appropriate to the prevailing conditions, not the speed limit maximum. Driving without due care is an offence and the provision of speed limits has little effect on these inconsiderate drivers. Cheshire East Council is currently in the process of reviewing its speed management policy and this will have some impact on the speed limits that are set in the future. The review process will assess the level of speed limits and relevant speed management on the 'A' road network first. If you have a specific question regarding a speed limit the best place to seek further information or discuss the issue is with the appropriate Area Highways Team.

I would like a dropped kerb outside my property, who do I need to speak to?
In the first instance make contact with your local Area Highways Team. They will be able to advise on what is required by doing a site survey. This information will then be passed to our in-house contractor to give you a quote for the work. If this is not acceptable you could employ your own contractor provided they produce a relevant certificate of public liability insurance, give 48 hours notice of commencement for supervision purposes and carry out the works in accordance with health and safety requirements and, most importantly, construct it to our specification using approved materials. The contractor will have to contact the relevant Public Utility for information re: position of underground plant etc.

What is the difference between a light duty and a heavy duty crossover, how much do they cost and how can I apply for one?
Light duty crossovers are provided at residential properties for normal household use. Costs vary depending on the width of footway. In all other instances heavy duty crossovers are required. For an application form and further details please contact your local Area Highways Team.

How can I report an abandoned vehicle?
The responsibility for dealing with abandoned vehicles is the responsibility of Cheshire East Council. In the first instance, the vehicle is inspected by staff and a 7-day notice is put on it. If the owner does not come forward during this period then the vehicle is removed. The Waste Management Service, which is responsible for the storage and safe disposal of such vehicles will then be informed. Reasonable attempts are then made to find the owner. If traced, the owner can either collect the vehicle and pay a statutory charge, or surrender the vehicle for disposal.

Is the Council responsible for maintaining the sewers?
No. You need to contact United Utilities (Tel: 0845 602 0406) or Dee Valley Water (Tel: 01978 846946).

Do I need a licence to erect a scaffold or hoarding on the public highway?
Yes, you do! This lets us place conditions on any structure to ensure public safety and carry out a condition survey of the area. Contact your Area Highways Team for details.

Do I need a licence to trade on the public highway?
It is Cheshire East Council's policy to oppose all street trading other than from approved areas where highway safety will not be impaired. To sell goods on such sites a trader's licence must be obtained from Cheshire East Council. It is illegal to erect signs or stalls for the sale of produce within the highway, and this includes the grass verges. However, produce can be sold from the land on which it is grown. See Street Trading for further information.

I've had an accident due to a fault on the road/footpath. Can I make a claim against the Council?
If you have suffered loss or damage due to a defect on the highway, you may feel that you have a legitimate claim against Cheshire East Council. You need to apply for a claim form in writing to Engineering Service, Cheshire East Council, Backford Hall, Chester CH1 6EA. You will need to give the location, date, time, nature and cause of the incident, together with details of the loss or damage. We will pass the form to our external claims handlers, who will decide either that the claim should be met in whole or in part, or that Cheshire East Council has a statutory defence in law (if the Council is not legally at fault it would, of course, be an inappropriate use of public money to meet a claim). However, you need to be aware that very few claims succeed because of the difficulty of proving negligence against the highway authority. Before making a claim, you might like to contact the appropriate Area Highways Team for an informal discussion with one of our engineers, who will be pleased to discuss the highway aspects of the incident with you, although only a solicitor can give you definitive legal advice about the risks and potential costs of pursuing a claim.

What are those little arms that stick out from the motorway bridges over the lanes; are they speed cameras?
No. They are part of the Trafficmaster automated traffic flow metering system, a commercial product, and not a Government system. They measure the speed of vehicles in each lane and feed the information back to a central computer. This collates the information and retransmits it to the boxes which, in turn, relay national road situations to vehicles passing by with Trafficmaster boxes in them.

What are those blue posts by the roadside with what look like two floodlights and a radio aerial on them?
They are part of the Trafficmaster system. They read part of your registration number, and send it to a central computer system. When the system "sees" you pass another Trafficmaster point, it can calculate the average traffic speed between those points and advise drivers about congestion via the various Trafficmaster products.

Why are some sections of the road coloured?
These are usually areas where a reduced or moderate speed would be wise. It is based on the principle that a large area of red road is a lot harder to ignore than a small speed limit or 'slow down' sign! Cycle and bus lanes are also frequently coloured, usually red or green. These lanes are reserved for the 'vehicles' concerned and other vehicles should keep out!

What are the weight-related speed limits for commercial vehicles?
The average Car-type van falls below the 2.0 tonne maximum gross weight and is, therefore, subject to the same national speed limits as a car (70 mph on dual carriageways & motorways and 60 mph on single carriageways). Any other goods vehicle 9including larger vans (not car derived) with a gross weight between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes is limited to 70 mph on motorways, 60 mph on dual carriageways and 50 mph on single carriageways. Any vehicle over 7.5 tonnes has 60 mph, 50 mph and 40 mph limits respectively. All goods vehicles with a gross vehicle weight limit exceeding 7.5 tonnes must be fitted with a speed limiter set to 56 mph. All coaches which have a gross weight of more than 7.5 tonnes must have a speed limiter set to 62 mph. From 1996 coaches have not been permitted to use the outside lane of a motorway.

Do speed limits apply to emergency vehicles?
No. The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (Section 87) states that: "No statutory provision imposing a speed limit... shall apply to any vehicle on an occasion when it is being used for fire brigade, ambulance or Police purposes, if the observation of that provision would be likely to hinder the use of the vehicle for the purpose to which it is being put at the time".

What are those barcodes on posts by the side of the road for?
The Highway Authorities use them. A special vehicle is driven over the road, measuring the wear of the surface. It uses the barcodes in order to know exactly where it is.

How do I report a smoky lorry?
The Government's Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was formed on 1 April 2003 by merging the Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) and the Traffic Area Network (TAN) division of the Department for Transport. You can do your bit for the environment by reporting vehicles that are extremely smoky and VOSA will contact the vehicle operator on your behalf. They need to know:

• vehicle registration number;
• type of vehicle (be as specific as possible);
• date, time and place where you saw the vehicle; and, if possible,
• name of the vehicle's operator (the company or owner).

To report a smoky vehicle, call their hotline 0870 60 60 440 or see the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency website, where you can complete an online form (search for 'smoky' on their homepage). You will not normally be informed of any action taken, but if you see the vehicle regularly you will be able to see if the problem has been fixed. You can report persistent offenders again, which means that further action will be taken. If no action has been taken then it may simply be that the smoke emissions do not actually break the rules.

Where do I report an animal loose on the highway?
You're likely to encounter live, dead, wild and domestic animals on the public highway - let's deal with the live ones first.

Any escaped domestic animal, especially larger farm animals, are a threat to road safety and you should inform the Police as soon as possible. Don't try to herd or move the animal alone. Many domestic animals have some form of identification but care should be taken when trying to obtain the details of an identification tag or collar on an injured animal. In the first instance contact the Police, the RSPCA on 0870 55 55 999 or your local Area Highways Team. Caution must be used when dealing with injured wild animals as many of them carry potentially harmful diseases and being distressed are likely to bite you. As with domestic animals contact the Police or the RSPCA.

If you find a dead animal on the road, it is imperative you report it to the Life ECOnet Project on 01244 603603 (24 hour answerphone) as it is part of our Environmental Policy to monitor wildlife fatalities in Cheshire. He will pass the information on to the relevant party to remove it - either the relevant Area Highways Team or the Environmental Health section of Cheshire East Council. Your assistance is appreciated.

Please note that dead badgers must always be reported to the Wildlife Officer at Cheshire Police on 01244 614568. The badger must be removed as soon as possible so that criminals cannot follow its path back to its sett and disturb other badgers that may be there. A dead badger can be sample tested to establish if it has been baited by dogs, killed and then dumped on the road to make it look as though it was a road casualty. The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 makes it an offence to kill, injure, ill-treat, dig for or disturb a badger, damage or destroy a sett, obstruct access to a sett or cause a dog to enter it.