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Monday, 29 October 2012

New Roundabout in Town: I Still Want A Shared Space Scheme

As part of the planning permissions for Morrisons new store in Houghton Regis a new roundabout was installed at a main junction today.
I'm glad the lights have gone.
I'm happy the roundabout is back.
But I still need to work on the powers that be to get them to accept "Shared Space".

INTRODUCTION TO SHARED SPACE - PART ONE

INTRODUCTION TO SHARED SPACE - PART TWO






Sunday, 28 October 2012

Busway Route Too Narrow for Wheelchairs

Misguided?

The footpaths around the bus stops in Houghton Regis have had their kerbs raised and footpaths relaid to make it easier for the elderly and people in wheelchairs to gain access to the buses without a ramp.  We won't know if this will always be possible because it's likely that on occasion wheels will get stuck in the gap.  In any case this particular path in my ward, in Parkside Drive, would be too narrow to get a wheelchair along.


DEVELOPMENT COSTS
The capital costs of the busway scheme are around £90million, (DfT £80m, local councils and private sector funding about £10m [reference]). The busway will run between Houghton Regis and Luton town centre and is due to open next Spring. Watch out for the spin. There'll be plenty of over-bearing, gushing, ministerial and council officials making announcements.

The government approved this project hours before the Spending Review announcement was made to review all capital projects. Echoes of "Yes Minister" in my head.  In the region, there is no popular support for the concrete busway and many commentators have said as much. As much as it is a lame duck, that skirts around the edges of housing estates with very few bus stops, I am committed to promoting it, because if it's not promoted and used local Councils are going to have very high annual maintenance bills for it, with little coming back in to balance the books.

It would have been far more prudent, in my view, to have spent the DfT money on the A5-M1 link road (recently approved) and the Woodside Connection, a new arterial route proposed to take traffic from Dunstable to a new M1 motorway junction 11a (and supply local roads in a major new housing development).

The A5-M1 link road will cost between £156m and £212m. In part, this is being financed by £45 million from the private sector and £5 million from Central Bedfordshire Council. The Woodside Connection is expected to cost some £45m, and I don't think anyone seriously knows how it will be afforded, yet.

Of this private sector finance, the cost is, of course, bound to be loaded back onto the cost of the 7,000 new homes the developers want to build, and the way I see that is that it will mean less cash available for new community facilities like doctors surgeries, community halls, churches, sporting facilities.

Saturday, 27 October 2012

Dolphin Drive: Parking Trouble Brews At Blind Corner

It so winds me up that drivers continue to flout the double yellow lines in Dolphin Drive, Houghton Regis.

After I took this picture, this driver told me, "I only stopped to buy some cups of tea. You need to get a life."


Well, it's not me that needs to get a life. It's him that needs to save a life.

I'm sure he did just stop to get some tea. And I'm sure he was only a few minutes. But after he's driven off, some other yo-yo is guaranteed to park up there, too, within 10 minutes, to "only get a loaf of bread", or "only get a newspaper." And before you know it the area is occupied by vehicles all day long.

The double yellows are down there to keep the road safe throughout the day. The obstruction caused could easily lead to a driver overtaking said parked-up-vehicle, and running into some other vehicle coming around the right-bend corner.

Worse, it could be an emergency vehicle obstructed from making progress to attending a local house. Seconds lost towards saving someone's life, or someone's home from going up in smoke. Still, chummy here can always fall back on his excuse,  "I only stopped to buy some cups of tea" as his defence to the judge.




Thursday, 4 October 2012

Parkside Drive Resurfacing


I have just spoken to Jason from Amey, who is running the operation to resurface Parkside Drive, Houghton Regis.

The work started this morning and will continue over the next four days. The times are 08:00 to 18:00.
The area to be resurfaced is from Windsor Drive junction to Westminster Gardens.

Through traffic is being barred from Parkside Drive, although local road access is possible.



Windsor Drive and Parkside Drive are used by traffic as an alternative rush hour route to Park Road North and Sundon Road.

Because of the hours of operation of this resurfacing, this alternative route will be unavailable.
This will mean that for Thursday and Friday evenings, there will be double the amount of traffic converging from Park Road North onto the Chequers roundabout, Houghton Regis.

I don't want to sound alarmist, but this is going to have a significant impact all down Poynters Road and beyond. 

Therefore, traffic aiming for Tithe Farm and Parkside estates would do better by trying to reroute their homeward journeys, either via Luton or Junction 12 of the M1.

I have enquired as to why off-peak resurfacing is not being done. I have been told that that would cost another 25% on the budget, so is unaffordable.

I have enquired about the use of one-way traffic and traffic lights. I have been told that would endanger workmen and equipment, and if equipment is damaged would cost the operation even more.
I have enquired as to the temporary potential opening of the bus link. I have been told that would not be possible as alternative routes must be on same grade routes, shrubbery would need to be cut back, graffiti removed from the road surface as to leave it would make the surface slippery, and to do all that work for short term gain would be inappropriate.

Please don't blame the messenger!