Diversion routes through Bentley
Following up Bentley Parish Council's concerns regarding Bergholt Road being used as a diversion route, County Councillor Georgia Hall has had this response from Network Assurance -
Dear Cllr Hall,
Thank for your recent email, I am the Network Permit Manager in Network Assurance and I have been asked to investigate this matter on your behalf. Please see the below response in which we seek to answer the concerns raised by our residents.
The response provided previously to concerns raised regarding the Quiet Lanes in Bentley was as follows;
"The A12 at Capel St Mary is maintained by Highways England, when Highways England require a diversion route on Suffolk County Council’s network, they must submit this to us to be reviewed and approved.
The official diversion route for this part of the A12 is the A137 | A14 | A12 and vice versa.
Upon review, we ensure that the proposed diversion route is suitable for the road that is being closed. The diversion routes should be ‘like for like’ or higher classification of road to the one that is being closed. Unfortunately, Network Assurance are unable to stop the travelling public from finding and using alternative routes instead of the official signed diversion route.
Network Assurance will consider asking Highways England for additional signage at this location to state ‘unsuitable diversion route’ but these signs are not enforceable and are only advisory.
Thank you for letting us know that the Quiet Lanes will be added to the designations on our Insight system, this will also help us when coordinating roadworks."
When National Highways (Highways England) require a diversion route on Suffolk’s network, these are reviewed and approved on each occasion, Network Assurance will advise that the official diversion route to be used is A137 | A14 | A12 and vice versa and not through Bentley village.
Network Assurance would not look to use Quiet Lanes as part of the official diversion route for a closure of a main A road as these routes are not suitable for all vehicle types, however, as previous advised, we are unable to stop the travelling public from finding and sing alternative routes instead of the official signed diversion route.
We will look to ask for additional signage to be placed out to deter the travelling public from using these routes but as advised in the previous response, these are not enforceable and are only advisory.
Network Assurance are currently working with National Highways to review the existing emergency routes where they divert on the Suffolk Network which will see the most suitable routes being used even in an emergency situation.
Yours Sincerely,
Megan Block | Network Permit Manager
Network Assurance
Growth, Highways and Infrastructure
Suffolk County Council