WILTSHIRE Council's Cabinet is set to discuss £2m plans for road safety improvement at its next meeting. 

The proposals look at three different aspects of highways maintenance – road marking, gully emptying and fly-tipping.

The council currently spends £270,000 on road and line marking each year, and it is proposed to increase that by £200,000 annually for each of the next three years. The additional funding would be used to renew give way lines, roundabout markings and stop lines in urban areas and on inter-urban roads, with most of the work taking place during the summer months, when line-marking conditions are most favourable.

The proposals also include £333,000 each year invested into emptying gullies. Currently the council spends £1.27m each year emptying gullies, with those on main roads or at most risk of flooding emptied once a year, and others cleared and emptied every three years.

This new investment would pay for an extra combination jet vacuum unit to enable the highways teams to focus on problem areas throughout the county that are at most risk of flooding.

To help combat fly-tipping in Wiltshire, the council proposes to invest a further £150,000 annually to spend on covert cameras and three extra members of staff to help prevent the illegal dumping of waste – and to prosecute offenders.

Councillor Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport and Waste, said: “We know that issues such as road markings, gullies and fly-tipping really matter to our residents, and that’s why we’re looking to invest an extra £2m into these services over the next three years.

“Our Business Plan highlights our commitment to have vibrant, well-connected communities that can live safely. This programme of new road markings would make a huge difference to both the safety and appearance of our road network, while the investment in gully emptying will help to improve drainage and reduce flooding in the key areas.

“Also set out in our Business Plan is our pledge to both educate and pursue more fly-tipping prosecutions, and this extra funding will enable us to invest in officers and equipment and build on our successes in tackling this scourge on our beautiful county.

“This £2m over three years is a significant investment in improving our communities and, if approved by Cabinet, will see a substantial improvement in our highway network.”

The meeting is on July 12.