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The temporary closure of the B5056 has been put back to Wednesday (17th June).  This closure is for investigation of the landslip north of the Bentley Brook Inn, prior to undertaking repairs at a future date.  It is likely to be closed into next week (so this will implicate Sunday’s Open Gardens traffic in the diversions), but Highways will get back to us to confirm this.  If we have more news today we will update this post, otherwise we will keep you updated with further posts as news comes in.

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Don’t forget that from Monday the B5056 will be closed for up to two weeks while Highways investigate the subsidence just north of the Bentley Brook Inn.  Click here to read the Highways notice.

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Thank you to Parwich Parish Council for passing on the following information received from Highways:

B5056 Temporary Closure: A 200m stretch of the  B5056 just north of the Bentley Brook in will be closed from Monday 15th June to Friday 26th June in order to investigate the landslip.  The road will be re-opened sooner if possible.  Diverted traffic is expected to use the Via Gellia (A5012) and the Ashbourne to Buxton road (A515). (Click here to read the County Council notice as a pdf.)

A515 Temporary Speed limit: Due to resurfacing the A515, between the Alsop en le Dale turning and the next turning south for Alstonfield, will be subject to a reduced speed limit of 30mph (10mph when in convoy) from Monday 1st June to Friday 17th July.  (Click here to read the County Council notice as a pdf.)

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We have heard, via the Parish Council, that the section of the B5056 next to the Bentley Brook – where the road is slipping away – is to be closed for two weeks from 16 to 30 June.  This is to allow the problem to  be investigated rather than fixed.  Who knows what will happen after that?

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Our traffic signs series concludes today with a pair of “Unsuitable for motors” notices. These are placed at either end of the narrow path which connects the far end of Kiln Lane (just below Gibbons Bank) at the top with Monsdale Lane at the bottom.

In a few days’ time, we’ll be publishing the results of all 22 sets of votes, ranked in order of popularity. We shall then be able to see which signs you most want to keep, and which signs you most want to disappear.

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For our penultimate traffic signs post (yes, the end is nearly in sight!), here’s the “No Through Road” sign at the top of Creamery Lane, just in front of Rathbone Croft.

Is there a danger that traffic could unwittingly proceed beyond this point, only to get stuck further along the road?

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Although the “Caution: Elderly People” sign has finally disappeared from Kiln Lane, there are a couple of remaining signs whose purpose has outlived the conversion of Rathbone Hall into a private residence.

Here’s the first of them: a warning that beyond Gardener’s Cottage and the entrance to Rathbone Hall, there will be no further room for vehicles to pass each other, or to make U-turns.

As we’ve already established, the hairpin bend at the top of Creamery Lane is a regular trouble spot for unsuspecting larger vehicles. So, does this sign do an effective job?

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Here’s another double sign, located on Smithy Lane on the way out of the viilage. Firstly, is it useful to indicate the right hand junction? And secondly, is it necessary to warn drivers of the impending Z-bend?

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Our seemingly never-ending series continues (well, there are a LOT of traffic signs in Parwich!) with a look at two more School signs. Motorists entering the village through Smithy Lane will see both of these signs as they approach The Square.

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Instead of examining every individual speed limit sign in the village, let’s take one example and ask a more general question. Do you agree that 30mph is the correct speed limit for Parwich, or would you prefer to see it lowered to 20mph?

Now let’s look at the same signs from the opposite side. Is this the right place to increase the speed limit to 60mph, or should the speed limit only be lifted once all the remaining buildings have been passed? Or perhaps you think that a lower limit should apply all the way to Alsop, thereby including the houses at Parwich Lees?

Finally, and for the completists among you, here are a couple of signs that we won’t be polling: (more…)

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Twelve signs into our series, it’s interesting to note that no traffic sign has yet won unanimous support, or universal condemnation. Perhaps there are some of you who have voted in support of every sign, and some others who have always voted against? But if that’s the case, then there are also plenty of others who are voting in different directions, depending on the sign in question.

So, how will the verdict fall on this pair of signs: located at the cut-through lane near the old Methodist chapel, and leading down to the back of the school?

Firstly, is this a useful place for another school sign? Perhaps this depends on the number of children who use the cut-through lane. Is it a popular route?

Secondly, is there a danger that stray traffic might turn up this narrow lane, only to get stuck further up? This is certainly a problem near the top of Creamery Lane, as earlier comments have suggested – so is this sign doing a good job of preventing a similar situation elsewhere in the village, or is it merely stating the obvious?

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Here’s another double sign, which we’re going to split in two. Firstly, is the upcoming Z-bend on the outbound Alsop road hazardous enough to warrant a sign?

And secondly, how much of a danger is posed by the upcoming lane on the right hand side? The lane in question is a quiet one, and it’s signed as “unsuitable for motors” – so why does it need its own dedicated warning? (Is it used as a cut-through by school students, for example?)

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Our second school sign is placed on the incoming road from Alsop-en-le-Dale. It serves a dual function: warning drivers to keep a look-out for young pedestrians on the main road ahead, and also for any who might be emerging from the footpath that connects to The Square.

In the absence of pavements, the risk of contact between pedestrians and vehicles is bound to be increased. Or do you feel that the risk here is more theoretical than actual, and that the issue could be better resolved by dropping the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph?

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As it’s generally accepted that destination/mileage signs are both useful and necessary, we don’t propose to cover them in this series – with one exception, as pictured above.

Could this particular sign be better positioned? Please let us know what you think.

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Our series resumes with a “two for the price of one” selection. The junction sign indicates the turning to the Alsop road, while the school sign reminds drivers to keep a look-out for younger pedestrians.

We’re going to poll each sign separately, starting with the junction sign. Is the Alsop turning an obvious one – or could it easily be missed, sending traffic further towards the school? And how much danger is presented by traffic joining the road from the left? (Once again, there’s no corresponding “Give Way” sign for this junction.)

Now for the school sign: our first in this series, with several more to come. With a speed limit of 30mph in operation, do drivers need to be reminded to take special care on this stretch of road? Or should the speed limit be lowered and the sign removed?

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Now, here’s a curious thing: this is the only “Give Way” sign in Parwich, and yet it’s placed at the end of the Smithy Lane cul-de-sac.

Of all the road junctions to pick for such a sign, Smithy Lane does feel like a strange choice. Do its residents really need the constant reminder, especially when the priorities are clearly marked on the road itself?

Or should the authorities be taking the opposite route, and installing “Give Way” signs on more of our junctions?

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Here’s another junction sign, warning drivers entering the village on the main road that traffic might be pulling out from Smithy Close on the left hand side.

Since Smithy Close is a relatively small cul-de-sac, is this junction sufficiently busy and/or hazardous to justify such a sign?

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There is only one sign in the village indicating off-street parking – and it’s here, opposite the entrance to Blanche Meadow Farm.

Is this area correctly signed? Are there any other off-street parking areas in Parwich which should be similarly signed? Do we even need a designated parking area? Or will the construction of the new Memorial Hall increase the need for such areas?

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This sign indicates a left-hand junction with the lower end of Creamery Lane. Although the junction is not a particularly busy one, all traffic leaving the village from Creamery Lane, Croft Avenue, Monsdale Lane, Church Walk and Parsons Croft has to pull out onto the main road from here.

Some will argue that it is important to warn drivers on the main road to keep a look-out for traffic joining the road from the left. Others will argue that the junction is insufficiently busy or dangerous to warrant such a sign, or that the sign is unlikely to cause anybody to drive differently.

It’s also worth pointing out that there is no actual “Give Way” sign at the bottom of Creamery Lane.

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Four identical traffic signs have been grouped together for this post, for reasons that should become obvious…

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Some people like traffic signs. Parwich can be a confusing place for drivers who haven’t been here before: there are tricky bends, dead ends and narrow roads to negotiate, and there’s always the danger of encountering a young child or a household pet around the next corner. If our traffic signs prevent even one serious accident from taking place, then their presence is justifed.

Other people loathe traffic signs. Some of them are too obvious, pointing out features that we can see perfectly well for ourselves. Others are unnecessary, pointing out features that cause no danger or difficulty. Others are redundant, pointing out features that have disappeared. Without traffic signs, our village would be a more visually attractive place, and drivers would be encouraged to think for themselves – perhaps even driving with more care and attention as a result.

There’s a strong case to be made for keeping some of our traffic signs, and there’s an equally strong case to be made for getting rid of others. So with that in mind, we’re going to run a series of posts on the traffic signs of Parwich. At the end of each post, there will be a poll, asking you whether the sign in question is useful or unnecessary. Whatever your opinion, we hope you’ll take the opportunity to state your case and have your say.

Off we go then, with our first sign… (more…)

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We are starting a new competition on the blog – how many sets of temporary traffic lights can you go through between Parwich and your destination.  I will start the bidding at 5 this morning on the way from Parwich to Sainsburys in Ashbourne.  Can anyone top that?

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