Acomb Front Street pedestrian crossing upgrade

Ageing and outdated traffic signals on the Front Street, Acomb, are set to be replaced this month by City of York Council.

Works are estimated to take around two weeks to complete and will start on Monday 5 July and is expected to be fully completed by Friday 16 July.

New, more reliable, traffic signals will be installed on the crossing as part of the Traffic Signal Asset Renewal Programme.

The new traffic signals will be cheaper to run and more reliable.  It will also enable the new systems to link direct to the council’s Traffic and Control Centre, so that the Network Monitoring Officers can manage the flow of traffic better in busy periods by adjusting traffic lights to best suit traffic conditions.

To help minimise disruption works will be carried out from 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.

To allow for the works to be undertaken safely, it will be necessary to close a lane of the carriageway and operate temporary signals during the works. 

Everything will be done to keep delays to a minimum, but motorists are expected to experience some delays while the works are underway. 

Twenty metres of on street parking to the west of the crossing on both sides of the road will be suspended, to allow for the works to take place.

The council will be undertaking pedestrian crossing upgrades on Front Street in Acomb to provide more reliable traffic signals and improved pedestrian access.

A temporary controlled crossing will be provided during construction to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely. Pedestrian routes and access to all businesses and properties will be retained throughout the duration of the works as will vehicular access. 

It will be necessary to temporarily close footways in the works area at certain times during the works and footway diversion routes will be put in place.

Those using the route are urged to plan ahead, allow more time for journeys and to consider alternatives and to use public transport where possible.

For any enquires regarding these works please contact tsar@york.gov.uk.

Hob Moor incident – Court decision

The media are reporting that a woman arrested following a disturbing incident on Hob Moor last June has received a suspended prison sentence for the offence.

The woman is understood to have left the City.

101 busy

Meanwhile the police are facing a growing wave of crime reports which is leaving their control room very busy.

Below is the official North Yorkshire Police Online reporting system for those reporting non urgent crime that would prefer to do it this way rather than the 101 telephone reporting system.

https://northyorkshire.police.uk/do-it-online/report-it/

Residents newsletter reveals history of brick making on Foxwood Lane

The Foxwood Residents Associartion is delivering a “Fox” newsletter to every househod in the area.

It includes an interesting article on he history of brick making on land now called Chesney’s Field. The article reveals that several buildings in Acomb used bricks from the works. Many are still standing.

Brick making started in 1880 and continued well into the 20th century.

The area was leveled 30 years ago and is currently well used by sports teams and for children’s play.

(1) Foxwood Residents Association – Posts | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FoxwoodResidentsAssociation/posts/4802031839823394

We understand that chidren from Hob Moor school are planning to “adopt” part of Chesney’s Field and help to keep it clean

We hope that the Council will improve its grass cutting performance.. It is not just parts of Chesney’s field which are becoming overgrown. The sports pitches, in particular, need regular mowing if they are to be used by young people during the summer holidays.

Grass cutting standards vary across west York

Council mowing grass as community clean up day arrives

Today is litter pick day in Foxwood.

We hope that residents will check and trim their boundary hedges at the same time. Several public footpaths are now obstructed by recent growth.

Some hedges are obstructing footpaths

Meanwhile the Council has, somewhat belatedly, got round to mowing local public open spaces. This has left a bit of a mess in some parks because of the large amount of grass clippings

UPDATE

Residents have collected 10 large bags of rubbish during todays Foxwood litter pick. Part of the Great British Spring Clean

Cyclist suffers serious injuries in Askham Lane incident

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses and information about an incident that occurred on Askham Lane in York.

It is believed to have happened at around 1pm on Tuesday 8 June 2021, and involved a man in his 80s from York who was seriously injured as a result of the incident. He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by air ambulance.

The incident is believed to have occurred on Askham Lane, York, between the junctions of Cornlands Road and Tedder Road, which was closed while officers investigated the scene.

The cyclist was found to have fallen from his bicycle. There do not appear to have been any other vehicles involved, although this cannot be entirely ruled out at this stage.

Officers are therefore appealing for witnesses to the incident, or anyone who may have CCTV or dashcam footage, to get in touch as soon as possible to assist the investigation. If you can help, please contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for Chris Storey. You can also email chris.storey@northyorkshire.police.uk. Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12210135005.

Good weather brings problems for cyclists and playing fields

The current period of fair weather has prompted high growth rates on grassed areas.

The surge in growth seems to have caught the Council out with mowing schedules inadequate to ensure that areas used for ball games are kept tidy.

There have already been some criticisms of the grass in parks in west York not being cut. Some have – rightly – not being mowed to ensure that meadowland is created to help pollinators. But the neglect of sports pitches remains unexplained by the Council.

Another Council department is encouraging active sports and leisure activities particularly among younger people. They will find this more difficult if grass is not cut.

Some amenity areas are being cut this week while some sports pitches remain unusable

It isn’t just sports pitches where a lack of maintenance is evident.

Once again cycle paths are becoming overgrown. It is usually the same ones each year with Tadcaster Road being the stand out example.

Some visibility splays at road junctions also haven’t been trimmed this year.

Cycle tracks are obstructed while some visibility splays need trimming for safety reasons

The Council should update residents on its planned maintenance schedules

North Yorkshire Police appeal following rape on Hob Moor

May be an image of outdoors and text that says "APPEAL ON LICE"

We’re appealing for information as part of a rape investigation in York.It happened on Hob Moor at around 4am to 4.30am on Sunday (30 May).

A number of lines of enquiry have been carried out which lead us to believe this was an isolated incident.

A young woman was walking across Hob Moor in a south-eastern direct from the west when she was approached by a man and assaulted.

The man is described as a slim build and wearing black trousers, a black hooded jacket and black gloves.

A full investigation is currently under way, and there has been an increased police presence in the area.

Anyone with information about the incident, or who saw anyone acting suspiciously, is urged to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101 and select option 1, quoting reference 12210128446.

Call for Chapelfields clean up

Seems that weed growth is getting out of hand again this summer in the Chapelfields estate. We’ve asked for better street cleaning in the estate.

Too many of the drainage channels near the traffic buildouts are blocked with detritus and weeds
Some of the cul de sacs and garage areas on the estate need to be hand-swept
Several problem areas don’t appear to have had their first application of weed killer yet.

Meanwhile mystery still surrounds the future of the Sanderson House community centre on Bramham Road. The running of the centre was taken over by the Council last year but there is little evidence that activities with a wide appeal will restart there anytime soon.

If any estate would benefit from an active residents association then it is surely Chapelfields. We hope the authorities will provide the necessary support to make this a reality again.