UFO set to take off shortly

TalkTalk have published the latest work programme for their Ultra Fibre Optic (UFO) broadband installation project (see left)

There is some better news from the company, who have said that they will now start on final remedial works to verges and other grassed areas which were damaged when work continued during the recent poor weather.

They have also said that they will start to replace the bitmac temporary reinstatements which were an ugly feature of the works in streets such as Stuart Road. The original concrete finish will be re-established.

Any improvement will be welcomed by residents who have had to suffer  major inconvenience over the last 5 months.

We doubt if the footpaths will ever be returned to their original condition.

New plans to cut congestion on York outer ring road roundabout near Monks Cross

City of York Council is sharing proposals to cut congestion and journey times on one of York’s busiest roads.

Residents and businesses have until Friday 1 June to view and comment on designs to upgrade the outer ring road’s Monks Cross roundabout. A leaflet can be downloaded from here

This will be the second of seven A1237 roundabouts set for major improvements over the next four years – a total £38 million programme funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund. The council is starting work on the first junction improvement at Wetherby Road this summer.

The roundabout upgrades will mean more lanes and space on the approaches and exits. Where possible the road layouts will be designed to accommodate the potential future scheme to bring the outer ring road up to dual carriageway standard.  The Monks Cross roundabout improvement works are planned for early 2019, although some site clearance work could start earlier.

 

Plans can be viewed online at www.york.gov.uk/yorr, at the council’s West Offices on Station Rise, YO1 6GA, or at two special public exhibitions at Monks Cross Shopping Centre management suite (in the corner by New Look) between 1 and 6pm on Tuesday 8 May and Tuesday 22 May.

All comments will be reviewed and changes to the design made where possible.  The decision on the final layout will be taken at a public Executive Member for Transport and Planning Decision Session meeting later in the year.

The York Outer Ring Road improvements programme is being funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, and the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

Newbury Avenue development – planning recommendations published

Inadequate of street parking in Windsor Garth

Anger as parking problems not addressed by York Council officials

Council officials are recommending that plans to build on the garage site on Newbury Avenue are given the go ahead.

The issue will be discussed at a planning sub committee meeting taking place on 3rd May.

On the previous day (10:15am Wednesday 2nd May), Councillors will be visiting the site. They will no doubt be able to see the parking problems which already exist in the area.

Residents may attend both meetings and can register to speak at the committee meeting. To do so residents should telephone York 551088 before 5:00pm on 2nd May.

Grassed areas have already been damaged by vehicles and plant

The officers report is negligent in at least one way. Objectors have pointed out that the loss of 28 garages – and with them an equivalent number of off street parking spaces – will have a major impact on congestion and parking problems on the estate.

The report offers no response to this concern.

There are already problems when large vehicles and buses try to access the narrow roads. The problems have got worse since the Council stopped new lettings at the garages while the overspill from the Hob Stone development has also hit the Windsor Garth area.

Now the Council is also threatening to redevelop the Windsor House site on Ascot Way. Again it has given little thought to the parking problems that will emerge both during building works, and afterwards.

It could mean that major building works will take place within the next year at both sites at the same time – a recipe for transport chaos with the only available access to the estate being the relatively narrow route  from Kingsway West.

Grass damaged by parked vehicles

Some objectors to the Newbury Avenue plan have demanded that alternative off street parking spaces be provided before demolition starts. They have pointed to several sites where the provision of matrix protection on grassed areas would provide an option while retaining the green appearance of the estate.

Currently an increasing number of vehicles are being parked on these grassed areas anyway – resulting during periods of  wet weather in unsightly damage which is expensive to repair.

NB. Efforts are being made to form a new Hob Moor Residents Association in the area. The residents group will focus on opposing the Councils plans for the estate and will seek additional investment to address existing problems.

The old Kingsway Area Residents Association (KARA) was disbanded about 5 years ago.

Road users warned of delays as busy Tadcaster Road/St Helens Road junction gets upgrade

City of York Council is warning of severe disruption as it replaces ageing and unreliable traffic lights at the junction of Tadcaster Road and St Helen’s Road from Monday (30 April).

The work is expected to last up to six weeks, and will include temporary lights. The council is advising drivers to allow more time for their journeys, consider alternative routes or travel options “like Park and Ride“!

While replacing the traffic lights,  the council is making changes to the junction which will improve traffic flows, take advantage of new technology and also prove cheaper and more efficient to run.

The changes to pedestrian crossing arrangements were discussed last summer (click).

Work is scheduled to take place from 7.30am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday and from 9am – 3pm on a Saturday. Evening work will be required during certain phases of the work, this will be kept to a minimum to minimise disruption to local residents.

Bus routes should remain unchanged throughout the junction improvements.

Work will be suspended from Wednesday 16 May – Friday 18 May and on Saturday 26 May due to race meetings at York Racecourse.

The five year traffic signal asset renewal programme was given the green light by the councillor responsible for transport and planning in November 2015.

The total replacement programme will cost £2.62m over five years and will be funded through the capital programme budget and the existing Local Transport Plan budget.

For information on travelling in and around York visit  www.itravelyork.info/roadworks

In a separate development the Council says it is “pioneering intelligent transport technology to tackle congestion on the city’s roads”.

In the first of two Department for Transport projects which could change the way traffic is managed in the UK, the council has installed special sensors from Lendal Arch gyratory and along the A59.

These will pick up anonymous (‘hashed’) mobile phone signals and data from ‘connected’ cars.

The council can then combine this with other data – like real-time bus movements – to give a complete picture of how traffic behaves.

This will help the council to set traffic signals which respond to how traffic actually behaves, especially in events like sudden downpours.

Lendal works to be completed before the end of the week

Station Rise resurfacing contract cost revealed

The delayed contract to resurface part of Rougier Street, Station Rise and Station View will cost £153,666.

Work on the contract was suspended a fortnight ago. https://www.york.gov.uk/LendalArch Work is now expected to be completed by Wednesday

Colas Ltd won the contract on 15th March 2018

NB. The value of the new Park and Ride contract in York  is revealed in newly published contract documents.  Won by First, it is expected to be worth £40 million over the next 8 years.

“Resurface our roads” say York residents

£8.4 million budget allocated but disappointment for sub-urban areas

The York Council has announced which roads and footpaths will be resurfaced during 2018/19.

There is good news for Askham Lane, Middlethorpe Grove, Skelton, Marygate and the national cycle route 66 (which will get a £1/4 million resurface).

Much of the rest of the budget is taken up by the continuing street light upgrade programme, with £100,000 to be spent on remedying fibre excavation reinstatements  and £400,000 on City Walls repairs (up by 25%)

School Street – City’s worst carriageway?

The Council says that the priorities were determined following surveys.

“In order to produce the programme of highway works for each year, information is drawn from a number of sources:

· Visual safety survey of all our roads and footways.

 · Digital condition survey of all our roads and footways

· Detailed condition survey of all our roads and footways.

 · United Kingdom Pavement Management System (UKPMS) visual and machine surveys

The survey records five condition categories, being grade 1 (very good), grade 2 (good), grade 3 (fair), grade 4 (poor) and grade 5 (very poor).

The City of York Council commission the service of Gaist Solutions Limited who carried out a detailed video survey of the whole of the council adopted highway network. The survey was utilised to assess the condition of all parts of the network.

Poor roads and footpaths that didn’t make the resurfacing list

 Each road and footway is assessed and given a ranking (score) based on a range of criteria, all metrics of the network were collated and a treatment solution was determined.

The Council goes on to say that further assessments will be undertaken to identify the impacts that have arisen from the long spells of freezing conditions during winter 2017/18. Where necessary works programmes may be amended to address any change in risk arising from reductions in highway asset condition because of this

Nevertheless some residents may be bewildered when they find that their local footpath has not been included in the programme. Path surfaces in streets like St Stephens Square and Ridgeway are now very uneven.

Probably the worst carriageway in the City is School Street in Acomb which doesn’t get a mention.

There will be pressure for the council to publish the “score” that each road received when surveyed.  

Complacent York highways maintenance report rapped

Potholes on the increase

A curiously complacent report on how the York Council has conducted its highways maintenance duties over the last year has just been published.

The reports list a series of successes.

However, it pointedly fails to admit that;

  • Potholes now pose a significant risk for road users and have done for several months
  • Promised resurfacing schemes simply didn’t happen with residents being left in the dark about the delays
  • Broadband network installation works have left verges and paths in a shoddy condition

    Cable works have damaged verges and footpaths

A new executive member has now assumed responsibility for highways (Cllr Dew). His appointment was part of the general “merry go round” of changes initiated by local Conservatives.

It is to be hoped he won’t be duped into thinking that all is well with highway maintenance in the City of York.

NB. The resurfacing programme for the new 2018/19 financial year still hasn’t been published by the Council. In previous years residents were able to see what was planned before the year started.

That was the week that was in west York in pictures

Disappointing to see so many footpaths left inaccessible over the bank holiday weekend as cable laying works drag on. One of the halo LED beacons – on the Foxwood Lane pedestrian crossing installed only 3 weeks ago – has stopped working

Several litter bins in the area are full and have been reported. Nice to see some new bins installed including a joint use one on Askham Lane

Continuing wet weather is taking a toll. Many verges have been damaged by vehicles.

Overnight road closures in central York from 8th April for two weeks

Lendal Arch Gyratory set to be resurfaced

Following on from the extensive Lendal Arch Gyratory traffic signal works City of York Council is set to resurface the area next month to complete the upgrade scheme.

The resurfacing works includes sections of Rougier Street, Station Road, Station Rise(Leeman Road) and Station Avenue.

To minimise disruption, work will take place overnight (8:30pm until 5:30am) every night except Fridays and Saturdays. The work is expected to last up to two weeks, starting on Sunday 8 April.

Road closures will be in place during the works with diversion routes via Nunnery Lane and Water End/Clifton Bridge to avoid Lendal Bridge, Rougier Street and Leeman Road. Throughout the works, all vehicles will still be able to access the station from the Blossom Street direction.

There will be some single lane closures around bus stops on Station Road and Station Avenue as the new surfaces take 24 hours to cure, but these are planned to happen for only one day in the first week.

The Lendal Arch Gyratory work included a full renewal of the traffic signal equipment. Changes to the pedestrian crossing facilities, including widening and realigning the crossing to make the area safer and better for the thousands of pedestrians who regularly use the crossing.

The junction is set to be resurfaced in two phases. Phase one is set to be completed during the first week and includes Rougier Street, from the Tanner Row junction to the new signals, and sections of Station Road and Station Avenue. Phase two will be completed in the second week and includes the remaining sections of Station Road and Station Rise.

As with any resurfacing work residents are likely to experience some disruption. Residents can be assured that the council is doing everything possible to minimise disruption as much as possible. We have also contacted local residents and businesses to inform them of the work.

For information about bus diversions during the works, visit: www.itravelyork.info/