TRANSPORT and TRAFFIC
Costessey is served by the Costessey - Norwich - Heartsease bus route. Most of the residents live within 500m of the route but some of the more remote parts of the village, e.g. Ringland Lane, West End, Taverham Lane, The Street, Folgate Lane, are up to 1.5 km from the route. At peak times in particular the service is unreliable. Apart from the shopper bus to the Longwater Retail site no other destinations can be reached directly. More than half the respondents regarded the service as costly; one respondent considered that First Bus are "taking us for a ride".
The most popular forms of private transport are the car (owned by 94%) and the bicycle (39%). Car users expressed concern at the sheer volume of traffic using the village roads, particularly at peak times, which leads to excessive queues and delays on the routes out of Costessey onto the A1074. Queues in Longwater Lane are the result of the volume of traffic moving between Taverham (and beyond) and the Southern Bypass. Queues in Norwich Rd are exacerbated by motorists using Costessey as an easier route to Norwich than the more direct but even more difficult Fakenham/Drayton Road (A1067). This also affects peak time buses. The all day bus lane on Dereham Road introduced both to expedite bus movement and to deter private car use is perceived to be a problem.
The construction of the Southern Bypass without any link to the extensive residential areas to the north is a major cause of the traffic problems. The current proposal for the Northern Distributor Route to terminate at Taverham will only exacerbate these problems. This apparent lack of concern for Costessey created the most vigorous responses, especially with regard to traffic volumes, heavy lorries, non-compliance with speed limits and traffic noise.
Although a small majority of respondents consider anti-speeding measures in the village to be adequate (if enforced), the most significant hazard is perceived to be speeding mainly on routes used by through traffic. Commercial traffic, particularly HGVs mounting pavements in the presence of school children, is a cause for concern as is inconsiderate parking near schools.
ACTION POINTS
T1 Set up an action group to develop an overall traffic plan for the parish and surrounding area.
T2 Campaign for improvement and extension of the bus services.
