I have long supported the introduction of an average speed camera system on the B3078 Roger Penny Way, which was the subject of my first blog post on this site in March 2017 (bottom of this page here). My calling for the introduction of a camera system on the B3078 followed many years of highlighting the animal casualties on this route, including getting a report taken to the County Council’s then Economy, Transport & Environment Select Committee in October 2015 (a copy of the report can be downloaded here).

Implementing a camera system on the B3078 was never going to be an easy task, it will require the support from a diverse range of organisations and statutory bodies, the key ones being the Police, Hampshire County Council, Natural England, the National Park Authority and Forestry England. I therefore spent much time and effort in trying to explain the work that had been done to reduce the level of casualties to depastured stock on the Forest over the years, including the introduction of the 40 mph speed limits, and how this has been highly successful, except on some key routes such as the B3078 Roger Penny Way.

While slow going, progress was made and in July 2021 the then Official Verderer, Lord Manners, and I met with Donna Jones, the elected Police & Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. This was later followed by the agreement of the Commissioner to contribute towards a feasibility study into installing a system on the B3078 and the passing of a motion by New Forest District Council on the 11th October 2021 which stated “That the Council adds its support to the campaign for the introduction of an Average Speed Camera system on the B3078”. The minutes of the meeting can be viewed here.

At last real progress was being made. A steering group established made up of senior elected representatives, along with an officer group to put decisions into action. Hampshire County Council agreed to take the lead on commissioning a consultancy to undertake the feasibility study with most partners agreeing, in principle, to provide some funding towards this. However, before this could be undertaken some pre-feasibility work was requested and this is where matters paused, until May of this year.

In May a “Roger Penny Way Stakeholder Update” was circulated to partners, which included the following:

“Roads Policing Position

The Joint Operations Unit for Roads Policing (JOU) have considered the proposal and have undertaken a Road Safety Assessment. Their position is that there is no evidence base for any speed enforcement investment given the nature and causation factors of the collisions that have occurred to date. They do acknowledge, however, that Roger Penny Way presents a unique set of circumstances as a rural route through the New Forest and whilst the JOU recognises the safety issues for animals freely roaming the open forest, the human road casualty collisions that occur are not significant in severity or frequency. This route does not raise concerns for the Police when compared to other similar rural main routes in the County.

It is the Police view that Roger Penny Way should remain a route that is subject to periodic review by the Roads Policing team and that is considered a proportionate response balanced against the needs of other higher risk routes. It is worth noting that the Roads Policing team follows the Department for Transport guidance - Circular 1/2007 - in selecting potential camera sites. This recommends analysis of road casualty collision data over 5 years to determine if a camera or camera system can be supported to reduce traffic speeds and collisions at a site.

In addition, the JOU view has been sought in relation to third party funding availability as it is understood a local landowner has offered to fund the project*. This approach is not supported by the JOU for fixed camera sites and their policy view is that the installation of new fixed sites or the upgrade of an existing site should always be fair and balanced across the force areas of Hampshire, the IOW and Thames Valley, and not just at locations where third party funding is offered.

The Roads Policing team suggest that the Community Speedwatch initiative presents a more realistic and deliverable option that the stakeholder group may wish to consider to measure and deter speeding. Mobile camera enforcement also remains an option for the Safer Roads Team within Roads Policing.

In summary, the JOU position is that a fixed speed camera scheme is not a proportionate solution at this time.”

* I’m not aware of any ‘local landowner’ having agreed to fund the project, however it was accepted that money could not be diverted from road safety measures to reduce human casualties and that therefore partnership and/or private funding would be required.

The inaccuracies aside, the statement was clear that the Police would not support an average speed camera system on the B3078 Roger Penny Way. They are the only partner to come to that decision and to date, no other partner has expressed a similar view.

Without the support of the Police there is absolutely no point in progressing the feasibility study, as no system can be implemented. However, the pre-feasibility work did identify the following:

“• Jenoptik, one of the UKs leading specialist enforcement camera providers, have been approached to update their 2017 budgetary proposal and have advised that the cost would likely increase by 20-25% but additional confirmation of a power supply is required prior to an updated quote being prepared.

• Traffic surveys have been completed in order to establish the traffic volumes on the B3078/B3080 and the side roads leading to Fritham.  

• The likelihood of a power supply has been established and SSE have confirmed that it is possible to supply units on the B3078 and B3080 at the locations suggested within the 2017 Jenoptik proposal but an additional unit on Forest Road, the side road leading to Fritham, will likely be prohibitively costly and complex to deliver.

• The appearance and size of the columns are being considered by the stakeholders and no prohibitive factors in terms of planning and consent have been raised.”

So, while some progress has been made and it has been established that in terms of technical delivery (power etc.) and regulatory consents (planning and from Natural England), a system is likely to be deliverable, the Police will not support it and therefore it can go no further at this time.

I will continue to do all I can, but the only person who is directly elected to influence policing policy is the Police & Crime Commissioner. If you feel, as I do, that the decision of the Police needs to be reconsidered, then I urge you to contact Donna Jones by writing to her at:

Office of the Police Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
The Long Barn
Dean Estate
Wickham Road
Fareham
PO17 5BN

After what will have been 16 years as the New Forest District Councillor for Downlands & Forest Ward, which covers seven parishes in the north west of the District (Breamore, Damerham, Hale, Martin, Rockbourne, Whitsbury & Woodgreen), I will not be standing for re-election this May. It has been a tremendous privilege to serve residents as their representative on the District Council and while there are many challenges ahead, I am confident that I will stand down leaving a Council in a strong position.

Reflecting on my time as a District Councillor, while I am proud of part that I have played in protecting frontline services, when many other Council’s have had to make significant cuts, and leading the Council as it continued to champion environmental sustainability, I am most proud of the work that I have been able to do to help individual residents and families when they have contacted me with concerns or problems over the years. From anti-social behaviour, litter and fly-tipping, planning, housing and a myriad of other issues, it is the opportunity to help residents with what have sometimes seemed to be intractable problems, when they haven’t know where else to turn for assistance, that I will miss the most.

I stand down at what is a challenging time nationally for the Conservative Party. This wasn’t intentional, even before I was elected by colleagues as Leader of the District Council, I had already decided that this would be last term. When I was first elected to the Council in 2007 my decision to dedicate my time, which included many long days, evenings and weekends, to public service effected only me. Sixteen years on, married and with two amazing children, it is a decision that effects the whole family and while my wife and children have always and continue to support me in my elected roles, it is time for me to step back, if only in part. I will continue to serve as the Hampshire County Councillor for the Lyndhurst & Fordingbridge Division until at least May 2025 (and hopefully beyond).

While the current national position of the Conservative Party played no part in my decision not to stand for re-election, it does cause me concern. As a locally elected Councillor I have tried to avoid commenting on national issues, this is best left to the Forest’s two Members of Parliament who are elected for just this purpose, and I don’t intend to start commenting now. However, voters are quite rightly free to use their vote in local elections for whatever purpose they wish, and sometimes they choose to use it to signal their discontent with a Party nationally. They may do so thinking that it won’t effect the result locally, and even if a different political group runs the Council for a few years, what does it matter? But it really does matter, not just for the four year term, but sometimes for decades to come.

For example, there are two Borough/District Councils in Hampshire that earn nearly as much income from long held investments as they do from the Council Tax they receive, Basingstoke & Dene and Test Valley. Both these Councils have one thing in common, both have never been controlled by political groups that chose to sell of long-term income generating assets and then use one-off capital receipts to plug gaps in their revenue budgets. Sadly, New Forest is not in the same position, in four short years (1995-1999), the then Liberal Democrat administration did untold harm to the finances of the authority. And for anyone who might think, what more harm could be done, just look at nearby Liberal Democrat run Eastleigh, a Council with nearly £1/2 billion of debt! (BBC News)

So, as I enter my final month as your District Councillor and the election period starts, please think carefully about who you will support on the 4th May. I would urge you use your local election vote on local issues, not to ‘send a message’. Vote for the candidate that you think knows and cares about the villages and communities of the Downlands & Forest Ward, and also someone who will work to make sure the Council is well run, making sensible and affordable decisions. For my part, I have no hesitation is supporting Annie Bellows the local Conservative candidate.

Given the severe impact on Hampshire’s roads from the combination of exceptionally wet conditions followed by freezing temperatures and the number of emails and ‘mentions’ on social media that I am receiving, I will be posting updates provided to all County Councillors from the Council’s Executive Member with responsibility for highways below.

Wednesday 25th January

Whilst the weather has improved slightly in the last few days, i.e. there has been less the rainfall, the overnight freezing temperatures have exacerbated the pothole situation with many more now appearing, and particularly in the rural areas. Service demand across the highways service remains extremely high and both our officers and contractors continue to work extended hours (including weekends) to try and keep on top of the situation. However, demand far exceeds capacity at the present time and consequently all work is having to be prioritised so that the highest risk issues are repaired first, and this will include the continued use of temporary ‘infill’ repairs. Our contractor, Milestone are doing everything they can to secure more gangs and equipment for Hampshire and when more resource becomes available rest assured they are being deployed immediately. As I’ve said previously it will be many weeks, if not months, before we are back at anything like business-as-usual.

There is also some concerning news I’m afraid, in so far as some of our senior officers attended a briefing session with both the Met Office and the Environment Agency recently and it looks like there is more unfavourable weather on the way. The Met Office are suggesting that the weather in February is most likely to be unsettled, with the potential for more periods of stormy conditions - potentially similar to those we experienced in February 2022 - and some further colder/wintry spells.

Heavy and prolonged rainfall during late December and early January has resulted in saturated catchments in many Hampshire areas with consequential surface water flooding (and ice problems) on some routes.  In light of this, our highways team is currently prioritising gully/manhole cleansing, ditch/grip clearance etc in those areas likely to be most vulnerable to ensure that, at the very least, our highway drainage systems are clear and operational.

Finally, you may not be aware but another winter gritter was damaged over the weekend while spreading salt on one of our priority one routes. No other vehicles were involved, and fortunately the driver was unhurt, but it nevertheless highlights the dangerous conditions that our frontline teams operate in to ensure our roads remain safe for our communities.

As always, please encourage your residents, parishes and towns to continue to report highway issues online wherever possible. For emergency issues they can call 0300 555 1388 (0830-1700) Monday to Friday, or outside officer hours, 101.

Wednesday 18th January

A gritter, sent out to aid a stranded school bus that was not on one of our primary salting routes, overturned near Boarhunt.  Thankfully, the crew were relatively unharmed, sustaining only minor injuries, but they were understandably shaken up. The damaged vehicle was recovered on the same day for inspection and we hope is repairable.

We are working round the clock to treat main routes across Hampshire but incidents like this demonstrate how everyone travelling on our roads must take extra care when we have adverse weather such as the freezing temperatures we’re experiencing currently.

We can assure residents and road users that we have sufficient salt stocks, vehicles and staff to continue treating the main routes as often as needed throughout the winter.

A huge thanks go to our teams who are working so hard this week in really difficult conditions, be it manning the gritters, managing road closures and traffic management or carrying on business as usual.

Tuesday 17th January

You will be acutely aware that we are heading into another prolonged cold snap and temperatures are expected to remain very low until at least the end of the week. This will have further implications for the Highways service and it is highly likely we can expect to see more potholes and degradation on our roads, and especially so given the expected daily freeze-thaw cycle that caused so much damage before Christmas. The recent heavy rain has added to the service pressures with widespread surface water flooding and high groundwater still evident in many places, increasing the risk of ice. It is likely that at least two gritting runs will be required every day until the temperatures rise in order to deal with the continuous wash-off and the freeze-thaw impact - this has consequential impacts for Milestone's resources as many of the gritter drivers are also frontline operatives.

The highways team are continuing to work flat out to keep on top of the situation, including working evenings and weekends, but these current challenges will mean a further re-prioritisation of frontline activity to ensure resources are directed to where they are most needed. The ongoing issues, together with the impacts of further wintry weather, means that it could be several months before the frontline service can return to anything like business as usual activity.

The team are taking urgent steps to update our highway webpages to highlight the peak demand and to inform users/residents that there may be a delay before lower priority repairs can be actioned. So you are aware, and to put the current situation into some perspective, over the weekend alone more than 700 reports/enquiries were received!

Milestone are endeavouring to scale up their resources through their supply chains to meet the heightened demand but most, if not all, of the regional authorities are trying to secure the same resources as their networks also deteriorate.

This is a significant issue members, unprecedented in fact, and it is important that we support our officer colleagues while they wrestle with these weather-related problems. Can I therefore ask that you take very opportunity to remind your residents, parishes, town councils and district colleagues that, whilst we welcome new reports of defects please request they do so using the County Council’s online reporting system.  It is taking more time at the moment to deal with the demand so please urge patience and understanding.

To remind you I have copied the links below once more.  Ice is a considerable challenge in some parts of the County this morning.  There are road closures in place and you can see the latest situation with traffic via the ROMANSE map which you can find here: https://romanse.org.uk/

The better news is that we are now less likely to see any snowfall in Hampshire, but the team will remain vigilant, monitoring forecasts so that if the weather does deteriorate, we are in the best possible shape to respond.

Huge thanks need to all our highways teams, along with our partners in Milestone who are doing a fantastic job in very challenging circumstances at the moment.

Wednesday 11th January

I wanted to update you on the highways situation currently:

You will no doubt be aware that the weather we are currently experiencing is having a significant impact on frontline highway operations and road repairs at the moment.  Rainfall through the Autumn, followed by the prolonged cold snap in December, followed by more heavy rain has resulted in the joint challenges of localised flooding and a significant increase in the number of reported potholes.  Flooding issues have been worsened by the late leaf-fall creating blockages in gullies and drains that the team had previously cleared.

The Council is temporarily re-deploying technical staff from our Engineering and Operation Resilience teams to assist on the frontline, to help ensure we are responding as quickly as we can but at times demand is still outstripping our capacity to respond. Officers have informed me that the Hampshire situation is not unique and that other highway authorities are seeing similar challenges. Seasonal staff sickness is also having an impact.  

In some locations, and primarily to ensure the road network remains safe, you will see temporary infill repairs to potholes. These are, deliberately, quick fixes and it is recognised that they may not last with some potentially needing to be repaired again. Where possible the highways team will endeavour to do permanent repairs but this will depend on service demand at the time. The priority continues to be safety. Inevitably though, operating in this way will create a tail in the work programme so it may be many weeks before highways can return to business-as-usual operations and I would therefore ask for your patience while we remain in emergency conditions.

Reporting issues on the Highways Portal remains the best way to alert the team to any issues.  The various links are at the bottom of this note.  Please do not worry about reporting duplicate issues, better we know about things twice than not at all, and particularly where a repair breaks down.

Links to report road issues are here:

Potholes: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems/potholes

Tree/hedge problems: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems/treehedge

Flooding/drainage issues: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems/flooding

Pavement problems: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/roadproblems/paving

Problems with rights of way: https://www.hants.gov.uk/landplanningandenvironment/rightsofway/reportaproblem

On Monday (14th November) Councillor Rob Humby, Leader of Hampshire County Council, sent a letter jointly with the Leader of Kent County Council to the Prime Minister warning that without intervention both Councils would become financially unviable within the next few years.

The contents of the letter should not come as a surprise to anyone who has heard me speak about Hampshire County Council’s financial position at Town and Parish Council meetings over recent years.

While I welcome the prominence being given to the letter, unfortunately some media outlets have given the misleading impression that the letter indicates that Hampshire County Council is at imminent risk of going bankrupt, this is far from the case. Hampshire has consistently made incredibly difficult decisions to make the necessary savings in order to protect key service areas, such the Children’s and Adults’ services, protecting out most vulnerable and at-risk residents.

Making these tough and often unpopular decisions in a timely way, along with robust financial management, means that Hampshire will be one of the last upper-tier local authorities to arrive at the cliff edge of effective bankruptcy. However, without either changes to the statutory framework the Council operates under and/or additional funding, we will come to that cliff edge and the knowledge that Hampshire will be one of the last to get there is of no solace.

A copy of the letter in full can be viewed here.

As part of the annual programme of works being undertaken by Hampshire County Council's Operation Resilience, we will shortly be undertaking ‘Surface Dressing’ maintenance treatments to extend the life of the highway.

The treatment is applied to the existing road surface, sealing it from water ingress, which is a major cause of potholes, whilst also restoring any lost skid resistance. The process is fast, efficient, and extremely effective in ensuring that our road surfaces are kept safe and serviceable for the longest possible period, whilst using as few non-sustainable material sources as possible.

The works are now programmed to start within the next three weeks. Please see below the list of sites with current proposed start dates:

• Willow Avenue (inc Riverdale Close), Fordingbridge – from Parsonage Park Drive to end – 16th May 2022

• Victoria Gardens (inc Beechwood Gardens), Fordingbridge – from Victoria Road to end – 16th May 2022

• St Georges Road (inc St Georges Crescent), Fordingbridge – from Salisbury Road to end – 16th May 2022

• Green Lane, Fordingbridge – from Salisbury Street to Whitsbury Road – 17th May 2022

• Hyde Lane, Hyde from Hungerford Lane to Stuckton Road – 17th May 2022

These treatments are weather sensitive and part of a larger programme of works, meaning dates are susceptible to change. There may be times when we have to postpone works at very short notice; based on the latest weather forecasts. We will always look to provide up to date information wherever we can, but sometimes these last-minute decisions can be difficult to relay in a timely manner. When we can, any significant changes to the scheduled dates will be made clear on the yellow information signs located at the works limits.

Access for residents and businesses will be maintained when possible and safe to do so, pedestrian access to properties will not be affected, and emergency vehicles will have access at all times.

A letter will be sent to directly effected properties to inform them of the works.

I was pleased to meet with Donna Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire & the Isle of Wight and Lord Manners, the Official Verderer this morning to discuss proposals for an Average Speed Camera system on the B3078 Roger Penny Way between Godshill and Junction 1 of the M27 (Cadnam roundabout).

Donna made it clear that this initial meeting was an opportunity for her to learn more about the community’s concerns and how partners, including the Police, Verderers, Commoners Defence Association, National Park Authority and the District & County Council are working together through the Animal Accident Reduction Group to reduce animal casualties within the Forest.

Lord Manners and I set out some of the measures that have been taken to reduce the number of casualties over the years but explained that while these have been successful in many areas of the Forest, tragically some routes still suffer from significant numbers of casualties. The B3078 Roger Penny Way between Godshill and Cadnam has one of the worse casualty records over recent years and it is also noteworthy that traffic monitoring has also identified this route as experiencing very high levels of speeding traffic, one recent survey recording nearly 50% of vehicles exceeding the 40mph limit.

Unfortunately despite active community education activities, such as Speed Watch and the New Forest Roads Awareness group, and enforcement action by the both the Road Safety Camera Partnership (partly funded by the Verderers) and Police Officers from the Roads Policing Unit and the Country Watch team, speeding levels and animal casualty levels remain high.

We asked that Donna, on behalf of Hampshire Constabulary, join with local Parish Councils (Bramshaw, Godshill & Hale), Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council, New Forest National Park Authority, the Verderers and the Commoners Defence Association in offering ‘in-principal’ support for an Average Speed Camera system.

Donna expressed both concern about the number of casualties on the route and recognition of the need to find new ways to work together to further reduce the number of animal injuries and deaths. As understood by all parties, she reiterated that the reduction in human casualties will always be the top priority for the Police (as it is for many partners including the County Council). However, she undertook to consult with her team and senior police officers, and to provide a response to our request for ‘in-principal’ support as soon as possible.

I appreciate that some may be disappointed at this further period of deliberation by the Police, but I do not think it unreasonable for Donna, who was only first elected to the role of Commissioner in May of this year, to need to consult with her advisers before reaching a decision.

I felt that it was a very useful meeting and I am hopeful of a positive outcome.

Should the Constabulary agree to offer their support, there will still be a long way to go before a system is implemented. The next step will be to commission a full feasibility study, which is likely to cost around £30,000. While many organisations have pledged support, they have done so on the clear understanding that no, or very limited funding (via grants) can be made available. For example, the County Council has limited funding for human road casualty reduction measures and this budget cannot further constrained by funding this or similar projects.

If you would like to be kept updated on this and other local issues, please sign up to receive my regular e-newsletter.

(For more background information, please see my article ‘Animal Casualties in the New Forest.)

I am getting a lot of enquiries about the large telecoms mast that has been put up on Hyde Common. The land is owned by Hampshire County Council and the mast has been put up by Waldon Telecom, I understand on behalf of EE.

I have tried to keep local residents informed over recent weeks and the proposals for the temporary mast were discussed at the Hyde Annual Parish Meeting on the 22nd May but I appreciate that its arrival may have been a surprise for many.

Below is a brief explanation of the situation as I understand it:

Hampshire County Council has granted permission for the erection of a temporary mast on its land for a period of no more than 18 months. This decision followed a Court order requiring the removal of a mast previously sited on nearby private land and is intended to allow time for the operator to obtain permission for a new permanent mast to be sited off Common and environmentally protected land. The County Council sought advice regarding the powers available to mobile telecom operators and determined that granting an 18 month licence to site temporary equipment, while clearly advising the operator that the Council does not believe that the siting of a permanent mast on the Common is appropriate, best protected the Council's position to defend against a permanent encroachment.

I am advised that Natural England assent is required to site such equipment on a SSSI and would assume that this has been obtained by the operator.

Following enquiries to the National Park Authority I am advised that Planning Permission is not required for many telecom masts and associated equipment/structures and that the current temporary mast meets the requirements of 'permitted development' afforded to mobile telecommunications providers.

While no formal consultation has been undertaken by the operator, I have sought to keep the Parish Council updated on the situation (https://www.hydeparish.net/meeting-minutes).

Information on the 'Telecom Code' which gives certain powers to telecom operators can be found at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/information-for-industry/policy/electronic-comm-code but I include and extract below.

" What do Code powers allow an operator to do?
Code powers allow an operator to have access to the public highway to perform certain street works necessary for the construction, inspection, maintenance, adjustment, repair and/or alteration of associated network apparatus, without the need for a specific street works licence.

Code powers also enable an operator to benefit from certain immunities from the Town and Country Planning legislation

The Code confers “code rights” on a person with Code powers. A “code right is a right —

to install electronic communications apparatus on, under or over the land;
to keep installed apparatus which is on, under or over land;
to inspect, maintain, and operate apparatus;
to carry out any works on the land to enable apparatus to be installed and maintained;
to gain access to land to maintain or operate apparatus;
to connect to a power supply;
to interfere with or obstruct a means of access to or from the land (whether or not any electronic communications apparatus is on, under or over the land), or
to lop or cut back any tree or other vegetation that could interfere with apparatus.
In the event that agreement cannot be reached with the owner or occupier of private land, the Code allows an operator to apply to the Court to impose an agreement which confers the Code right being sought or for the Code right to bind the landowner or occupier.

Code powers also allow an operator to claim compensation from a local authority in circumstances where that local authority has obstructed access to electronic communications apparatus in certain stipulated circumstances."

BBC Solent will running a week of programming on Animal Casualties in the New Forest from Monday 27th March, starting with a discussion on the Julian Clegg morning show. This has been prompted by the public debate, reignited by the recent animal casualties on the B3078 (three killed or humanely destroyed in the week commencing 30th January alone), already taking place within the Forest.

Unfortunately, this week of discussions will take place during the ‘purdah’ period of the May Local Government elections and therefore, to ensure their impartiality is maintained, the BBC is limited in the contributions it can broadcast from those seeking election. This is a shame as I am not aware of this being a party political issue, but I appreciate their position.

This being the situation, I thought that it would be useful to set out my position. I am currently the County Councillor for the Fordingbridge Division of Hampshire County Council (which includes the B3078 between Godshill and Bramshaw), Deputy Chairman of the New Forest National Park Authority and a member of the Verderer’s Court, and am therefore regularly working with the many organisations and individuals who have and continue to work to reduce the animal casualties.

Partnership working to reduce animal injuries and deaths is a key priority for a number of stakeholders and continues even when not receiving current levels of media and public interest. It is important to recognise work that has already been undertaken over many years to reduce animal casualties and pay tribute to groups, organisations and individuals that have played key roles in this. The Animal Accident Reduction Group, members of which include representatives of the Verderers, National Park Authority and Police amongst others, has been a key driver in reducing animal deaths and its work should be applauded.

Which leads to the need, while obviously being rightly concerned about the level of animal injuries and deaths and in no way being complacent, to recognise that in 2015 casualties were at their lowest since records started. 1962 saw the highest number stock (ponies, cattle, pigs, sheep & donkeys) deaths recorded (until 1985 only deaths, not injuries were recorded) at 313. With 6,484 animal running, this amounted to 4.82% of the stock on the Forest being killed in a single year. 1963, while having slightly fewer deaths (289), with a reduction in the level of stock turned out (4,658) saw this percentage rise to 6.2%.

Thankfully, due to a series of measures since 1963 including the introduction of the 40 mph limits in March 1990 (North) and June 1992 (South), current casualties are at nothing like that level. In 2015, 55 animals were killed. With record levels of stock depastured (10,714) this represented 0.51% of stock.

This is not to say that with 55 deaths and a further 21 injuries to stock, that there isn't more that needs to be done. And while the overall number of casualties have reduced, it is clear that a small number of roads within the Forest are responsible for a large number of the current casualties. In October 2015 I requested a report be brought to Hampshire County Council’s Economy, Transport & Environment Select Committee on ‘Animal Casualties on New Forest Roads’.

(A copy of the report can be downloaded by clicking here.)

This report confirmed that the majority of animal casualties occur on three routes:

B3078 Cadnam to Godshill (Roger Penny Way)

B3054 Hatchet Pond to Portmore

B3056 Beaulieu to Lyndhurst

This leads to the conclusion that, while work needs to continue to seek to reduce the overall number of animal casualties and that current measures such as the Verderer’s funded speed camera van and Commoners Defence Association led education and social media campaign ‘Shared Forest’ are vital, further targeted measures on these three routes is also required.

In the Spring of 2016 a revised signage scheme was agreed and implemented on the B3078 which, while reducing the number of signposts along the route, increased the number of warning signs by placing them ‘back to back’ so that they could be viewed by traffic travelling in both directions. At the same time a greater variety of messages were introduced such as “Ponies don’t dent they die”. It is too soon to establish whether these measures have led to any reduction in casualties as, to account for any statistical anomalies, data needs to be collected over a number of years, but information from speed monitoring (Speed Indicator Devices, traffic monitors and the Police Camera Van), indicate that any effect is likely to be minimal.

I have therefore asked the Executive Member for the Environment & Transport at Hampshire County Council to consider allocating funding for a feasibility study as to the technical, legislative and financial practicalities of installing an average speed camera system on the B3078. At the same time as any feasibility study is undertaken it will also be necessary to consider the potential impact on the landscape and grazing within the Forest and establish whether the proposals would have public support.

I don’t believe that average speed cameras on the B3078 will stop all animal casualties, but ensuring adherence to the current 40mph speed limit would certainly help. But this needs to be combined with enforcement of the by-laws against feed of stock, which encourages them nearer to roads; greater awareness amongst drivers of the unpredictability of stock, that they may wander or even run onto the road at any time and the need to pass slow and wide; and the investigation and prosecution of those unspeakable individuals who ‘hit and run’, who may have also been committing other offences at the time such as drink driving, driving while disqualified or not having insurance.

I am sure the debate will also touch on other measures, such as reducing the 40mph limit to 30mph or fencing more Forest roads. Personally, I don’t support a reduction of the New Forest speed limit to 30mph for a number of reasons (which I would be happy to expand upon at another time), but I understand the positon of those who do,

Fencing more roads however, is likely to destroy the very things we are trying to protect, reducing the New Forest from ancient open grazing where stock can move freely to a series of large fields. Those who advocate fencing often say that it is time to consider ‘radical’ solutions and that fencing is the only way to ensure the stocks safety. But what they mean is, that it is the only way to ensure the animals safety but have no adverse impact on drivers.

Not that I would advocate or support it, but closing roads as through routes would reduce traffic, forcing it onto the existing fenced roads such as the A31 and, along with introducing aggressive traffic calming, or even return the surface of some roads to Hoggin (local gravel), it could achieve the same reductions in animal casualties as fencing. These measures would adversely impact the lives of those living and working within the Forest and damage the local economy, but would have no adverse impact on the stock and undoubtedly reduce animal deaths. I don’t believe we need to go down the route of considering ‘radical’ solutions, but if others do, let’s not just consider those that are most advantageous to the Forest’s human inhabitants.