The Council has tweeted today asking people to ensure that any boundary hedges are trimmed back from public roads and paths. They say this will help with “social distancing”.
The Council is right to do so.
Many people will have time to undertake the chore during the bank holiday weekend.
The Council also rightly asks hedge owners to be careful not to disturb any birds which may be nesting in the hedge.
Hedges overgrowing back lanes are a particular issue in some areas
Meanwhile there has been rapid grass growth this week with several verges and amenity areas becoming overgrown. We have reported several.
Some cul de sacs are in need of a “deep clean”Weed growth in Holgate Beck could affect drainage flows during periods of heavy rain
It looks like the Council has caught up with the collection of domestic waste at least in the Westfield area today.
Unfortunately the same can’t be said for commercial waste with some problems reported weeks ago still to be resolved.
Council bins, to rear of Front Street, filled to overflowingNot just Council bins full. These BIFFA bins are also behind Front Street. Bin that was subject to an arson attack was reported some weeks ago.
Still waiting for York Council to explain how recent land and building acquisitions, funded by borrowing, in the commercial sector will hit its bottom line against a background of falling rents.
NB. The Councils Facebook Q & A session earlier in the week failed to reveal anymore information about how the Councils supposed £24 million budget “back hole” has been calculated.
We were unable to collect household waste from the following areas due to access issues:
Dale Street
Moss Street
We were unable to collect household waste from the following areas due to capcity issues:
Ashley Park Road
Cedar Grove
The Glade
Hazel Garth
High Oaks
This household waste will be collected on Thursday 21 May. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
We were able to recollect all outstanding household waste from Tuesday 19 May.
Recycling
We were unable to collect recycling from a number of areas due to capacity issues.
Missed recycling collections will be collected as soon as possible. Please present your containers for collection by 7.00am.
Garden waste
We were unable to collect garden waste from a number of streets in the following wards due to capcity issues:
Heworth
Heworth Without
Holgate
Huntington and New Earswick
Westfield
We will attempt to collect missed garden waste on Thursday 21 May, but may not be able to revisit until later in the week. Please leave greens bin out and we’ll get to you as soon as we can”
EARLIER: For the first time in several months the York Council failed to update its refuse collection report page yesterday. This prompted speculation that there were too many roads missed to be able to list them all.
The failure to list those streets where bins hadn’t been emptied also prompted questions about whether the promised “next day” emptying will actually take place.
Worst collection problems since 2012
There is a danger of a bow wave of failures extending into next week. Residents who have been storing green waste in gardens, pending the resumption of the emptying service, may already have refilled their bins.
For a Council which has been quick to issue “sound bite” media releases even when it had little of interest to report, this communications failure – on a key public service which everyone uses – is disappointing.
As well as the backlog in green bin emptying (put down to heavy bins) social distancing measures are blamed for a growing backlog in collecting recycling.
Recycling in over 10 streets in the Westfield/Foxwood area alone was not collected yesterday
Previously the Council had blamed vehicle failures and capacity issues for problems with the waste collection reliabily.
There have been calls for a change in top management at the Council or even for the service to be outsourced (AMEY provide the service in the Selby area)
Ironically, at the peak of the corona virus scare, household waste and recycling collection systems worked well.
Bishop Stephen Geoffrey Cottrell, will be confirmed as the new Archbishop of York, the second most senior clerical position in the Church of England, on July 9, in a service broadcast entirely via video conference due to the Coronavirus restrictions. York Minster is currently closed, although virtual services are broadcast on most days.
Acomb hairdresser plans re-opening
Ali Barbers on Front Street is hoping to re-open on 4th July. They will sue an appointments only system.Staff expect to be working flat out with social distancing in place once it reopens its doors.
Test avaiable to determine whether you have had COVID 19
Public Health England had announced its backing for the test last week, and it was now available to order online at www.yorktest.com. The test uses a process developed by a York company and costs £89.
Deaths
TWO more patients with coronavirus have died at hospitals run by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The fatalities take the total number of Covid-19 related deaths so far at York Hospital and Scarborough Hospital to 195. The trust said one of the patients died at York, taking the total number of deaths there to 117, and the other died at Scarborough Hospital, raising the total there to 78.
Over 50 streets, squares and snickelways across York’s city centre have been deep cleaned by frontline crews.
City of York Council is taking the opportunity to do a deep clean whilst the city centre is quieter than normal – so as and when the city is allowed to welcome back visitors, please help by keeping our streets clean and putting litter in the bins.
This also takes into account recently changed government guidance that allows residents to spend more time exercising during the day.
Cllr Paula Widdowson, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change: “Our front line crews have been doing a fantastic job to cleaning our city centre of weeds, cigarette butts under benches and all those nooks and crannies.
“They’ve been working round the clock to make our city centre cleaner and safer during the pandemic. Please help them by putting your litter in the bin and making sure we keep our city clean.”
Frontline crews are working 7 days a week to carry out mechanical sweeping (using a small ride on sweeper and various pedestrian controlled machines), litter bin emptying, weeding and manual litter picking.
Staff were previously redeployed to assist the waste services team but have now re-joined the public realm service.
The deep clean includes:
the removal of detritus (dust/silt), weeds and cigarette butts from building lines, under benches, nooks and crannies
the removal of cable ties and expired notices, stickers etc.
cleaning the interior and exterior of litter bins.
The council is also identifying/removing graffiti on council owned buildings, which will also be removed.
All council car parks are also being deep cleaned!
The council has worked hard to ensure crucial frontline services can continue despite the pandemic.
All crews carrying out the works will be operating under strict social distancing guidance due to the current Coronavirus restrictions.
The council has worked with trade unions to develop new ways of working and has ensured works can happen in a safe way for front line operatives and the public, whilst the city centre is quieter than normal.
Residents will hope that the teams now move on to deal with the overgrown hedges, weeds, potholes and detritus that impede paths particularly in the sub-urban area.
Sections of the media are reporting that buses will not stop to pick up passengers if drivers have a “full” load.
Larger bus shelters may be needed!
Post COVID, and to retain social distancing, that could be as few as 25 people on a double decker bus.
At peak time such services might previously have carried as many as 100 people.
Bus capacity will be reduced by 75% according to First York. Passengers will be counted at they get on and off services with effect from Monday.
With more workers, and some schools, set to add pressure to the transport system in June, clearly some measures need to be taken to ensure that priority is given to those making essential journeys.
One suggestion is that free – or discounted – travel should be restricted to off peak times (10:00am – 3:00pm and after 7:00pm in the evening). This could affect pensioners, children and those using the YoZone card.
Bus screens now need free space indicators
Some officials believe that this would ease capacity issues on public transport particularly if employers and schools stagger arrival/closing times and that as many people as possible continue to “work from home”.
There has also been a suggestion that a new Priority weekly ticket could limit travel to two hour specified slots during the day (morning and evening) to give workers a better chance of finding space on a particular service.
Despite the protests of some ultra pro cycling groups, that the 15,000 or so per day displaced bus passengers should take to their bikes, the reality is that even doubling the numbers cycling to work would scarcely dent the demand pattern for bus services.
A clear plan to avoid the congestion that increased car use would bring to the City is needed and it is needed now. Whatever the solution, bus companies and the council need to get a process in place quickly if chaos is to be avoided.
Meanwhile it has emerged that the Council failed to spend its bus stop improvement budget last year. Despite pleas for “next bus” screens to be installed at busy stops in Acomb, Foxwood and elsewhere, no progress was made.
The budget was underspent by around £45,000.
The screens, and mobile travel apps, need now to be upgraded to show whether spare seats are available on individual services (as already happens with some rail services).
Real time information systems have a vital role to play in avoiding large queues at bus stops at least while social distancing rules are in place.
Weeds overgrowing a bus shelter in Foxwood Lane
Many bus shelters are in poor condition. Some need repainting. Others need panels replacing. Some are regularly overgrown with vegetation. One on Foxwood Lane famously sports a crown of weeds every summer.
Now, ironically, there is a suggestion that “green roofs” should be installed on some shelters to aid biodiversity. (NB. The shelters that are regularly overgrown are located next to the countryside so make little contribution to bee welfare).
These are issues that require prompt attention and a proper dialogue with local residents.
There was some excitement last week when the government announced extra funding to tackle “pothole” repairs. The top line figure bandied around was an increase of £5.6 million.
That would have effectively doubled the York Councils highway repairs budget.
It turns out that this included already committed grants which have already been allocated to cover this years repairs programme.
The actual new money increase is £1.8 million.
Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation engineers
Even this is not additional money. As the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation has now made clear, it is simply expenditure being re categorised.
It is not the first time that a government has announced the same spending decision on multiple occasions.
Still a substantial sum but, to put it into context, last year the Council spent £1/2 million just repairing one street (Stonegate).
The sooner the Council comes up with proposals – including the use of funds delegated to wards – for the resurfacing programme for this year the better.
Roads will only get busier as the virus threat recedes and people get back to their more normal lifestyles. Road closures and subsequent delays later in the year could impede the City’s economic recovery.
The York Council has announced that it is conducting an “on line” consultation on whether (and where) a new railway station should be provided.
It says the short timescale (responses have to be in by 26th May) has been prompted by a request by central government for bids to its “New Station Fund 3”.
Haxby station back on the agenda
The timing is ironic with public transport facing a difficult time as the impact of “social distancing” hits home. Some 90% of bus and rail journeys may be deflected onto other transport modes. Still any new station would take several years to come to fruition so hopefully, by then, public transport will have recovered its popularity.
This will be the fourth attempt to get a new station opened at Haxby. The ambition dates back to the time when the City fell within the boundaries of the North Yorkshire County Council. That authority looked at various possible new station sites with Haxby, Strensall and a halt at the York hospital being the most popular.
The plans always came to nothing for a variety of reasons.
Initially there was confusion about whether the Haxby station was aimed at the “park and rail” (Parkway) market or at local villagers making their way to York, Leeds and beyond. A York rail shuttle service was deemed to be uneconomic, so services would be limited to the Transpennine frequencies.
The “Park and Rail” option proved to be problematic as a site with good road access and a large parking area was required. This might have been found near to the A1237 but that would have meant a hefty hike for those wanting to walk to the location. In the event, road-based park and ride services won the day although a residual fear remains that parking problems might still be caused if a village location attracts car born commuters from the east.
The working assumption is now that the station will be sited where the previous platforms were located (Station Road). One previous consultation in the 90’s also favoured the same location.
It produced an indignant response from one resident who had just purchased a property on Station Road. He claimed he had no knowledge of any railway in the area much less a railway station. Officials pointed out that there was strong clue in the name of the street that he lived on!
Some favoured taking over the nearby allotments as a car park. This is also the current plan.
Others were less enthusiastic and pointed out that the old station site was not very central to serve the now much larger Haxby/Wigginton community.
However, the key issue was always one of finance.
Even the cheapest dual unmanned platform and bus shelter design cost over £1.2 million. Stopping the transpennine trains would incur a delay and a cost. Any additional refinements, for example, a footbridge or car park would see the capital costs escalate.
Analysis of transport demand suggested heavy peaks in the morning and evening commuter periods with a much lower demand at other times. Any re-timing of services might cause issues with “path” capacity at York station.
Finally there was a concern that a station could take customers from both stage carriage and park and ride bus services. This could mean less frequent – or possibly no – bus services in the Haxby area.
The survey does not really address many of the traditional barriers to providing a railway station at Haxby. It says nothing about either investment or running costs. It says even less about frequencies or hours of operation.
Without such information, respondents are unable to give an informed reply.
The survey does, however, ask if respondents are “more or less likely to use public transport as a result of the coronavirus crisis”!
They go on to, rather naively, ask what residents would like to see “which would give them confidence to use public transport again?”
