I met on site with highway officers and talked through residents concerns. From our talks:

• The banks will be cleared back off of the path.
• The chalk mounds cleared away. These could potentially slip onto the path.
• Fallen trees will be removed.
• The path swept.
• The rails will be renewed where they are missing and broken ones replaced.
• Missing uprights will be replaced at the crossing point.

And i am pushing for a coat of white paint!

The rails have fallen into unsightly disrepair over the years. I’m glad something will now be done about it.

Map2

Map

The traffic order has been published in the Journal this week and the public consultation will run from 13th March to 7th April.

If you support the scheme, then please send your comments by post or email, quoting reference LJB/TRO/SALS to:

TRO Team
Highways & Transport
Sustainable Transport Group
County Hall
Bythesea Road
TROWBRIDGE
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN

Email: lianne.bartle@wiltshire.gov.uk

I am meeting with Wiltshire council highways officers next Monday at 10am about the state of the crossing and railings along here. I will be pushing very hard for:

Fallen tree stumps etc to be cleared

Chalk mounds to be removed. These could cause a likely landslip onto the footpath

Railings to be repaired like for like

The crossing point to be repaired and some signs for oncoming traffic to warn drivers of the crossing

A hopeful repaint of the railings.

I was initially asked my view on the closure of the crossing point from Harvard Heights to Bouverie Ave. I would not support its closure. Although not ideal, it is widely used. Some minor maintenance here will make all the difference.

I will update further.

Crater ridden Brown Street and Part St Ann’s Street will be resurfaced, starting 27th April. This will be followed by:
Exeter Street – Following on from Brown Street and should be completed by 15th June (Sunday working only on both of these sites).
Queen Alexandra Road.
Roman Road.
Milford Hill.
Devonshire Road
Park Street.
St Mark’s Road.
Silver Street/Minster Street.
Seth Ward Drive.
Mill Road.
Bedwin Street.

There are other sites which are down for preventative treatment. Depending on what is found on site, it could be total resurfacing. These include:

Part of Endless Street – from Winchester Street to Chipper Lane.
Fisherton Street – from Summerlock Approach to High Street.
Summerlock Approach – From Fisherton Street to Chapel Lane.
Old Blandford Road.
Harnham Road junc with Saxon Road.
St Marks Avenue

Waitrose Slip Road on to Churchill way Westbound.
Pembroke Road.
Folkestone Road.
Estcourt Road.
Cherry Orchard Lane.
Pennyfarthing Street.

All, about time too!

The consultation for the traffic order in Parsonage Green will be advertised in the Journal on 13th March. The public consultation will run from 13th March to 6th April.

If you support the scheme, you are encouraged to write to the council and say so! Those that don’t, will.

More to follow.

There is some good news! Following on from residents concerns raised with me, I have pushed for some form of crossing and have managed to secure almost £6,000 of funding which will fund two ‘informal’ crossing points near to both bus stops, where residents cross the road. One near the bottom shelter and one near the top shelter.

A survey was recently carried out here, which has justified a form of non-controlled crossing point.

Two sets of dropped kerbs, wooden bollards, signage and coloured road markings will go in place, to show the ‘informal’ crossings. There is one such crossing ouside Debenhams.

This is some good news, but I know that residents would prefer a zebra, or pelican crossing, but funding just is not available and would take many years, if ever, to be implemented.

Something now, rather than another 20 years, is good news. But i promise that if ever funding for crossings do suddenly appear, i will fight like mad to get something.

When i know more details, i will post them here.

The traffic order for Hollows Close is also due to be advertised very soon. What residents want is a scheme as in Saxon Rd, banning all but permitted vehicles, Monday to Friday.

Again, if the scheme gets the go-ahead, it should be implemented sometime in the summer.

Residents are advised however, to submit their support for the scheme when comments are asked for. It is at this point that objectors will do exactly the same.

Watch this space!

The advertisement for the traffic order in Parsonage Green is imminent. You may recall that i visited those residents that are on the bus route here. A scheme was drawn up, including double yellow lines and ‘part time’ single yellow lines.

If approved, they should be in place this summer.

Watch this space!

In all my years as a councillor, i have never witnessed such a shambolic meeting that took place in Trowbridge on Tuesday this week.

Several members of the public, who had organised a petition calling for the resignation of the Leader and Cabinet after the allowances hike shame, were hissed, booed and shouted at by Conservative councillors as they presented their petition and spoke. This act was pathetic by those members, who are meant to be community leaders. Certain councillors seem to act as they please in the council chamber in Trowbridge, away from their wards.

The motion to council tried to rescind a decision taken in November to hike up allowances for members of the Cabinet by 22% and the Leader by 37%. All other councillors were given 1%, just like all other public sector workers, as we are supposed to be “All in this together”.

I was a signatory to the motion and voted for the motion to rescind the rises. The motion was defeated 24 votes to 60.

Please click here to see how your councillor voted.

Please click here to read the report in The Gazette & Herald.

Although a handfull of LibDem councillors voted against the motion for whatever reason (i believe they should not have done so), with the sheer Tory majority, it would have lost anyway.

Let’s hope those councillors that acted like animals will be booted out next time – here’s hoping!

After much debate, the City council tax will rise by 16.6% this year. At a time of wage freezes and rising utility bills and the Trussell Trust working their socks off handing out food boxes.

The Conservative’s had to eat humble pie though. Their budget included reversing paying the lowest staff members the living wage (about £7.65 an hour), which would have cost about £8,000 a year. The independent councillors (who all supported the Tory budget) made the Tories include this in the budget, so those staff members will get the living wage.

I did not support this budget rise of 16.6%. One comment that I have received was, that they wish their wages had risen by a similar amount.