Calstock ward parish councillors Alastair Tinto, Alex Polglase and Sophie Westwood are also suggesting that double yellow lines should be put at the top of Sand Lane to improve visibility. They are also suggesting a 5mph limit past the pirate ship children’s play area towards the social club, due to concerns about traffic potentially hitting a child. This comes after the deaths of two of the village’s white ducks in recent weeks, apparently run over. While many of the measures are not within the parish council’s gift, the ‘wish list’ could be put forward to the highways department at Cornwall Council in due course.There were a total of 50 responses to the consultation publicised at the end of the summer.
Cllr Tinto explained that he and his fellow Calstock ward councillors had flagged up their concerns while canvassing for the local council elections back in May. He said: ‘As I was going around with my election leaflet and talking to people quite a lot of people raised issues about traffic so after the election, Alex, Sophie and I talked with Dorothy Kirk, the county councillor for Calstock, and made our recommendations, asking people what they thought. We had 50 responses and as a result of this, the three of us got together again and we made a draft and produced a second interpretation.
‘On the whole people were very supportive. There were a few people who said “charge the emmets” and that kind of thing but mostly there were good suggestions, that the one-way system could improved around the pubs and that yes, we needed double yellow lines.
‘During the election, what was coming up on the doorstep, people were saying to me, “Isn’t Sand Hill a nightmare? There are so many cars, what are you going to do?” We picked up a lot of concerns and said we have got to do something about this.’
Many of the proposals are outside the parish council’s gift, however, and double yellow lines, suggested for Sand Hill need something called a Traffic Regulation Order. ‘It could cost us £6,000-£10,000 just to go through the Traffic Regulation Order. There are also budget issues as to whether they [Cornwall Council’s highways department] have got the money to put in a 20mph zone, so this is early days.’
Concern was raised about the one-way system around The Tamar pub, which people said encouraged cars to travel faster. Problems with speeding traffic were flagged up from Trainer Bridge to Sand Lane, where councillors are proposing continuing the 30mph limit from the bridge to the end of Sand Lane as well as introducing a speed limit of 40mph along Harewood Road to Calstock parish church. The councillors are also going to look at reinstating a footpath along the road and clearing undergrowth.
On Sand Hill, people flagged up that the vehilcles overtaking parked vehicles on the brow of the hill. There was the same issue further down where Higher Kelly joins Sand Lane.
The councillors are recommending double yellow lines from the Openreach box down to the first lamp post and double yellow above the junction with Higher Kelly.
Double yellow lines are also being proposed on Church Hill below Rowse Gardens, after several residents reported having difficulty out of their driveways due to parked cars.
In addition, although many were sceptical whether they would be adhered to, there was an option to create a 20mph zone from the top of Sand Lane to cover the whole of Calstock. On the road by the Pirate Ship past the Social Club, it was recommended making it a 5mph limit and moving the bollards further out to prevent cars parking next to the Pirate Ship.
Some conflict between pedestrians and motorists was flagged up along Lower Kelly from Cobwebs to Reed Cottages, with wide agreement that signage was needed to ask drivers and pedestrians to respect each other. Cllr Tinto stressed that these were ideas only at this stage.