Our Parish
Households
403 households responded to our questionnaire, an 81% return rate, which is very good. We have an average of 2.5 people per household, equally balanced between male and female. 42.5% of you live in Harberton and 57.5% in Harbertonford.
Our households have some 600 cars and vans and 34 motorbikes. 40 households have no vehicle and most vehicles are parked off the road.
Parish Organisations
We asked you which village you felt more part of. Most of you did feel part of one village or the other but 20% felt part of neither or both. This presumably reflects the feelings of those of you who live outside the villages or very close to the area boundary between them.
We asked you if the interests of Harbertonford and Harberton would be better or worse served by having a separate parish council for each. 357 of you (79% of those who expressed an opinion) thought that the villages would be better served with separate councils. 94 of you (21% of those who expressed an opinion) thought the reverse. Surprisingly, 368 of you expressed no opinion.
Overall 44% thought separation would be better (46% in Harbertonford, 41% in Harberton) 11% thought it would be worse but 45% of you expressed no opinion.
One voice suggested that keeping the status quo might be stronger in furthering parish interests.
Some of you have strong opinions and it is fairly clear from your responses that while there are common problems there are also real differences between the villages and between some of the issues seen by you as important in each village.
With over 44% of you in favour of a change to separate councils this needs following up so that the 45% currently expressing no opinion have the opportunity to find out about the issue.
ACTION NEEDED
Two final quotes:
"I think the present long-standing system of united council has a far better chance of making its voice heard in places where it matters when it comes to the general welfare of the parish"
And:
" "What's in it for Harbertonford?" was the sentiment openly expressed at a public meeting when Harberton wanted parish action on a project. It is crystal clear that if we want a council to work singlemindedly for each of our areas we must have seperate councils." (Harberton)
Public Transport
How satisfied are you with the public transport?
Across the parish roughly a quarter of you were satisfied with the level of public transport. Most of you (42%) were not satisfied and 32% had no opinion. The level of satisfaction around Harbertonford was higher (29%) than in the Harberton area (23%). (As expected since there are more frequent services on the A381).
If there were more, would you use it?
There seems to be a link between the number of you who would use additional buses regularly or occasionally and the number of households with either one or no car. Combining this with your response to the question above suggests that 84% of you who do use the buses are not satisfied with the service.
ACTION NEEDED
A further point which emerges is that the number of you who have no opinion on the service and the number of you who say you would never use additional public transport equates reasonably well with the number of households with 2 or more cars. However, quite high numbers of you do say you would use public transport if it was there, regularly or occasionally, for evening entertainment or shopping. There is comparatively much less support for more public transport for hospital visits.
Present problems
You would like to see:-
The Harbourne Shuttle
P>We asked if you would use the Shuttle more if it could provide a more flexible service. A lot of you liked this idea. (Of those who expressed an opinion, 53% (130) in Harberton, and 63% (215) in Harbertonford). It clearly deserves some examination to see what is possible.The Future
Currently you are only marginally interested in public transport if you have your own vehicle(s). If those who use the buses can get the services improved might we be able to reverse this trend?
Traffic
Speed !
Of 451 of you living there, 417 (93%) emphasised traffic problems in Harbertonford.&NBSPACTION NEEDED
Speed on the A381 is the main problem (71% say ‘dangerously fast’). Traffic calming measures are seen as having failed and 82% of you in Harbertonford say more measures are needed. Harberton has very different problems but even so 54% of you think the speed limit should be reduced although 33% are content.
A381 crossing
91% of you in Harbertonford think that a footbridge or Pelican crossing is essential or desirable – a very high figure.
ACTION NEEDED
Access to main road in Harbertonford
Getting in and out of side roads in Harbertonford is widely perceived as hazardous. Several of you there suggest a mirror at Old Road. The use of Old Road as a ‘rat run’ by commercial vehicles is mentioned as is the danger at the Moreleigh Road junction.
Harberton
Speed in Harberton is also a problem but the nature of the problem is different. 30mph is much too fast for some of the narrow roads with no pavements especially with young children about.
Parking problems & new car parks
Black spots in Harberton are the square and in Harbertonford, Moreleigh Road and Old Road (by the bridge and ab49% of us disapprove including 25% who strongly disapprove but 35% don’t mind. 5% approve and 11% have no opinion. ove Bow Road). Some 80% of you in Harbertonford and 40% in Harberton see new car parks as essential.
Some lateral thinking
Several of you had some rather different approaches to the traffic problem. Both narrow roads and some congestion were seen as ways of calming traffic! Someone suggested that a roadside café in Harbertonford or parking along the A381 might reduce the headlong rush through the village. ‘Bypass Harbertonford’ was another suggestion. Finally, we were advised that there should be a limit to extra car parking created since traffic would expand to fill it.