Residents can now find the consultation documents, about the layout of the new park and ride sites, on the Councils web site.

The access arrangements for the site at Askham Bar are considerably more complex than the original roundabout plan. However the entrance is still beyond the Tadcaster Road/ Sim Balk Lane junction and should have the effect of removing a lot of the incoming traffic which currently clogs up the Tesco roundabout.

There may be concerns about having 2 pelican crossings and two sets of traffic lights in Tadcaster Road all in the space of less than 1/4 mile. Outgoing traffic queues may, as a result, be worse during the evening peak.

The Council has also confirmed the effect that it expects the enlarged roundabout at the A1237/A59 junction near Poppleton will have on traffic queue lengths.

Residents have until March to respond to the consultation

We’ve had a big response recently to the “grumble sheets” which are circulated as part of our Focus newsletters.

When asked which were the most satisfactory public services provided in the area, refuse collection came out top.

This was closely followed by the bus service, rather contradicting criticisms made by some in the local media.

Street lighting also polled well although there was a lot of criticism of the Council’s decision to remove, and not replace, the 2 lampposts on Front Street near the junction with the car park entrance.
Residents were least satisfied with snow/ice clearance although this must be a hangover from last year as we have had – so far – one of the mildest winters on record.

Public Service rankings (Westfield ward)
1. Refuse collection
2. Bus service
3. Street lighting
4. Street cleaning
5. Grass cutting
6. Road surfaces
7. Policing
8. Footpath surfaces
9. Tree/hedge maintenance
10. Snow/ice clearance

We also asked residents to list their complaints about services.

The most complained about service was the amount of litter on some roads. In our experience reports of litter problems have been dealt with promptly by the Council.

Potholes in roads and footpaths have seen the biggest rise in complains over the last few months. The Council are rumoured to be considering a big cut in road maintenance activity during the next 12 months, so things may get even worse. It would be a short-sighted policy as potholes left unfilled are subject to greater frost damage – and eventually cost even more to repair.

Biggest number of complaints
1. Litter or detritus
2. Potholes on road or path
3. Overgrown hedges or trees
4. Other (resident specified)
5. Graffiti or vandalism
6. Faulty street lights

Problems with public services can be reported via this web site (see “report a problem” right)