Parish council's meeting with Highways England over Tintwistle traffic trouble

A Tintwistle Parish Council team has held an online meeting with Highways England leaders to discuss the village's ongoing traffic problems. 

The talks however failed to lead to any concrete proposals to reduce the amount of heavy goods vehicles on the A628. 

But speaking after the meeting – which she attended with Cllr Tony Owens, council chair Marianne Stevenson said: “We aim to keep traffic issues in Tintwistle a ‘hot’ item until we see improvements. 

“One of the council’s long-term priorities has been to tackle the traffic issues that blight Tintwistle.” 

It had arranged a partnership meeting involving Highways England, Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council, MP Robert Largan, the police and Peak District National Park to share concerns and seek some resolutions, back in March. 

Covid lockdown prevented this happening. But so not to lose impetus, the council liaised with Highways England who are responsible for the A628 which runs through the village.  

The virtual meeting took place late last month with the ‘Tintwistle Two’, holding virtual talks with the senior management team for Highways England North East team.  

Cllr Stevenson said: “It was the first of such meetings. They will enable us to discuss and agree strategies for reducing the speed of vehicles on the A628, improving the air quality, and making the road safer for residents.  

“Highways England was represented by their Programme Development Manager, the Regional Road Safety Coordinator, the Head of Planning and Development, the Project Manager for Major Projects (including the A57), the Communications Officer and the Public Affairs Officer. Cllr Owens and I set out our concerns in detail. 

“In response, Highways England reminded us that the likelihood of deregulation of the A628 is highly unlikely and therefore a range of other measures need to be introduced to tackle the issues. 

“They described a pilot project focussing on the A64 (in North Yorkshire) which could provide a model for how traffic conditions could be addressed on the A628. It is called the ‘village gateway’ approach and there  is a possibility of securing designated funding for addressing the safety, traffic congestion and environmental issues. 

“Concerns about air quality were also discussed. Data gathered to date demonstrates that in 2019 there had been some improvement in nitrogen oxide levels. HPBC publishes the updates on their Air Quality Action Plan.

“We also discussed the consultation on the A57 Link Roads Project. It was acknowledged by Highways England  that the project would not address the traffic volume issues endured by Hollingworth and Tintwistle. Indeed, it is more likely to exacerbate the traffic congestion, noise and poor air quality. 

“We were informed that although a Tintwistle bypass does not form part of the programme, there is a ‘Trans Pennine Study’ and the resulting options are with the government for a decision on next steps.” 

On the agenda for Monday’s parish council meeting, at 7pm, is the council’s response to the A57 consultation. Councillors would welcome any residents who would like to join the meeting for this item. 

Contact the clerk Mrs Brid-Marie Lowrie on tpcounciloffices@aol.com if you would like to take part.

Main image:

FLASHBACK: Cllr Marianne Stevenson in the middle of Tintwistle in February to hammer home the village’s traffic problems.