Representation by Shaun Norton
- Date submitted
- 29 October 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I reside on a road that directly exits onto the Main Road Boreham and am extremely concerned about the potential additional traffic through Boreham upon the suggested closure of junction 20a. Recently we have been subjected to the flow away from A12 coming in the opposite direction whilst the slip road near the interchange has been closed to work on the bridge. Exiting our road has been time consuming and stressful on a workday morning. Many people do not slow down to let you out. Boreham Road automatically becomes a rat run when there is an issue on the A12; vehicles spill out down Church Road and Hammonds Road which were not built for so much additional traffic. These are country lanes which are narrow towards Hammonds Road. These roads are partial to flooding during heavy constant rainfall therefore are impassable at certain times during bad weather. If we have snowfall, it can be prone to snowdrifts. The A12 was supposed to be a Bypass I believe away from villages but closure of the junction 20a will potentially revert all the traffic back through Boreham. Motorists from Hatfield Peverel, Maldon and Heybridge will more than likely travel through Boreham. I gather there will be an alternative junction near the Duke of Wellington public house which seems to take vehicles back on themselves and doesn’t seem a very plausible alternative to the current 20a which works well for those who just want to slip on to A12. Additional traffic will emit additional pollution as it will come to a bit of a standstill during peak travel times along Main Road in both ways along Boreham Road. Due to housebuilding all around Chelmsford, Witham and surrounding areas, traffic has increased horrendously already. An Issue already caused, as an example,; a few years ago, my girlfriend was registered at Boreham Doctors Surgery but due to a lack of GPs she was transferred to the Hatfield Peverel branch which is related to the Boreham surgery. She soon removed herself from Hatfield Peverel and registered at North Chelmsford Health Centre as appointments were made for after work, traffic was horrendous travelling into Hatfield peverel from Boreham which prevented her from getting to appointments on time. Pollution is also a great worry, and increasingly so if developers are given the go ahead to build horrendous number of houses around Boreham on currently open countryside. This is also the areas where additional vehicles will clog up minor/country roads. There will be nowhere in the immediate vicinity to escape noise and pollution. We would have to travel, using the car to find open space and fresh air, totally defeating the object of any plans to reduce pollution. There is much wildlife habitat alongside and surrounding Boreham, Church Road/Hammonds Road. As these roads often become a rat run with issues on A12, this habitat will be in danger if further traffic is diverted through Boreham. Church Road and Hammonds Road is already dangerous to cycle along. It should be a nice country road to enjoy but when busy it becomes dangerous due to volume of traffic and the speeders. My girlfriend used to cut through the fields to get down to the tranquil river that runs under the bridge half way along Church Road, as it was a more pleasant route. If this 20a is to be closed, Boreham Road will need chicanes and everything that will persuade people its not a good alternative to the A12. Please see Boreham Community Speed watch statistics from 2020: - • Church Road - Total cars = 452,662 32% speeding • 47,745 cars in prosecution zone • Plantation Road – Total cars = 281,142 47% speeding • 48,112 cars in prosecution zone Based on these figures, Church Road has just short of 1 million cars per year and Plantation around 500,000 per year. 2020 had less traffic due to Covid restrictions, so normal figures will be far higher. Please listen to our very serious concerns.