Just when you thought it was safe to enter the ring road

The A59 lane closures continue

Boroughbridge Rd southeast bound closed between A1237 & Beckfield Ln junctions 09:30hrs till 15:30hrs 30th July due to road works.

— York Travel (@york_travel) July 25, 2014

At the Council meeting on 17th July the Cabinet member with responsibility for transport (Cllr Levene) was asked;

“Who took the decision, and when, to open the new Park and Ride site at Poppleton before work had been completed? (The outstanding works on 9th June included car parking space, signage, traffic signals, road junction layout, layout, A1237 junction improvements etc).

What has been the number of vehicles parked on average each day at the site and how many passengers have been carried by the new buses on each day since 9th June?

When will all work connected with the Park and Ride site and associated road works be completed?”

He has been unable to answer.

This can mean only one thing.

The road-works at Poppleton will never end!

Acomb toilets closed

No progress information from Council

Visitors to the ADAM festival last week found that the public conveniences had been closed.

Despite assurances to the contrary no temporary facilities had been provided although a disabled loo was available in the library.

A portaloo has now been delivered but there is no notice displayed saying how long the Council expects the modernisation of the permanent facility to take.

When opened, the new facilities are expected to involve a 40p charge for users.

It is really shameful that a Council which spends hundreds of thousands of pounds on public relations activities can’t even put the toilet modernisation programme target completion dates on its own web site.

Yet it manages to issue media releases with the most anodyne commentary on “cabinet” member “visits”.

It’s time for the York Council to put its customers first.

Lendal Bridge legal battle costs taxpayers £700 a week

Labour run York Council’s legal battle over traffic restrictions on Lendal Bridge and Coppergate has cost taxpayers £700 a week, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

At the end of March a Government Traffic Adjudicator ruled that the council had “no power” to issue fines on Lendal Bridge or Coppergate. Since then, York Council has been contesting the Adjudicator’s ruling on both the schemes.

However, last week the council said it was dropping the Lendal Bridge appeal and only continuing with the Coppergate challenge.

The Lib Dems can now reveal that so far the council has spent £11,330 on the legal battle, with the figure set to continue to rise as the Coppergate row rolls on.

The revelation comes at a time when Labour are refusing to say when their proposal to repay the fines unlawfully imposed on drivers using Lendal Bridge will be refunded.

Despite claims made on TV and in Council media releases that the Council had decided to repay the fines, it emerged at the last Council meeting that no such decision had been made.

A meeting to discuss the proposal – and a move to withdraw the Councils appeal against the traffic adjudicators decision – was promised “shortly” but has still not yet been scheduled.

(more…)

Huntsman’s Walk resurfacing starts on 4th August

Petition prompts Council action

Work on resurfacing the footpaths at the low numbered end of Huntsmans Walk commences on 4th August.

Petition collected last year

The work is expected to last for about 5 weeks

The work consists of excavating the current tarmac surfacing, re-grading the stone foundation and relaying a new layer of tarmac. Selected road kerbs are to be replaced.

The Council are offering a discounted cost for the extension, or provision, of a new vehicle crossing if it can be constructed as part of the scheme. Anyone wishing to take advantage of this offer should contact 01904 553130

The resurfacing priority for this street was increased following the collection of a petition, on behalf of residents, by Andrew Waller.

Details of the area to eb resurfaced can be viewed here.