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Acomb team in “Top Cop” poll bid

Voting opens on the North Yorkshire Police Public Choice Award

Keep calm NYP Members of the public are being invited to cast their vote, and decide who will win this year’s coveted Public Choice Award at the North Yorkshire Police Annual Awards event.

Over the course of the last year, a number of police officers, staff and volunteers have been nominated for a commendation, for demonstrating courage, compassion or inspiration, over and above the call of duty. From these commendations, eight finalists have been selected, and members of the public are now being asked to vote for the individual or team that they want to receive the Public Choice Award for 2016.

The winner of the Public Choice Award will be announced by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, at the North Yorkshire Police Annual Awards event in November. The event will also include awards for Lifetime Achievement, and the presentation of the Glenn Goodman Trophy for the most outstanding Special Constable.

The 2016 Public Choice Award finalists are:

PC Xavi Lopez from Harrogate, who prevented two girls from jumping from a railway bridge
PC Michael Tinsley from Scarborough, who single-handedly dealt with a double knife threat from two violent and intoxicated women
PCs Gregory, Ellison, Harvey, Scott and Churchward, and PSCOs Lewis and Taylor from York, who were first on the scene at a dramatic fatal stabbing incident at a house in Acomb
York PCSOs Dowson, Warburton, Harris, Calpin, Martin and Burgoyne who entered a burning building to stop a fire spreading to neighbouring buildings
DC Chris Ryan from Selby, who tracked a violent criminal all the way to Costa Rica and negotiated his return to the UK to face justice
PCSOs Di Smith and Ange Kaye, based at Catterick Garrison, who worked both on and off-duty to help a woman in severe distress to get the life-saving help she needed
Acting DI Steve Menzies from Craven, who has raised thousands of pounds for local youth charities
The Serious Crime Team, whose painstaking work secured a conviction in a “first of its kind” landmark manslaughter case

To cast your vote in the North Yorkshire Police Public Choice Award 2016 click HERE to vote.

Council to spend £800,000 on rapid chargers for electric vehicles

Many transport investment projects – due to be completed in the last financial year – will now be slipped into the current year.

A council report says that “This high level of underspend was due to delays in progressing some of the larger schemes in the programme; additional DfT funding being received too late in the year to deliver the schemes; and delivery of some schemes under budget”.

In total over £8 million will be spent.

Traffic lights will be modernised

£1.6 million of this will go on public transport mainly involving bus stop improvements and modifications to reduce emissions.
£3.6 million will be spent on traffic management including £1.2 million on easing problems on the A19 near Fulford, £800,000 on “rapid vehicle chargers” and over £400,000 on renewing traffic signals
£1.2 million will be spent on pedestrian and cycle schemes with the largest proportion of this going on a new cycle/pedestrian crossing next to Scarborough Bridge
£300,000 is allocated to safety schemes including improvements near Hob Moor School (changes to signing & lining), at the Kingsway West/Tudor Road junction and at the Cornlands Road/Gale Lane junction

Following a successful bid to the Government’s Office of Low Emission Vehicles, the council has been awarded £800k funding for the installation of rapid charger hubs around the outer ring road and city centre areas over the next two years. The Council will also complete the installation of electric vehicle rapid charging points at ten businesses in York.

Council report lacks transparency!

The Council says that the conversion of tour buses to electric drive was not progressed in 2015/16 due to delays in appointing a contractor to carry out the work. It is proposed to add the £476k grant to the 2016/17 programme to allow the conversion work to be progressed.

Existing “cycle network” click to access

Although funding has been allocated for the installation of electronic “next bus” real time information screens at sub-urban bus stops it is unclear whether the busy stops in Acomb will finally get the facility.

A full list of the scheme due to be completed this year can be seen by clicking here.

Separately the Council is trying to sort out where it goes next with improvements to the cycle network. The Council currently has 141 separate cycles schemes in the pipeline for implementation.

We think this is too many and that they should concentrate resources on providing direct, off road, links on routes with the highest commuter demand. They are taking a step towards that approach at a meeting next week.

Under a newly prioritised list the most urgent schemes are now judged to be:

University Road/Field Lane (near University),
Monkgate roundabout,
York University internal links (Heslington East)
Tower Gardens access gates &
a cross City centre route (e.g. High Petergate / Low Petergate / Colliergate / Fossgate / Walmgate)

Extensions of the expensive orbital cycle path around the A1237 – controversially started near Monks Cross – will now have a low priority.

Council claims that the Clifton Moor – Haxby Road cycle path is finally useable

An embarrassing 18 months behind schedule, the £1 million cycle track linking Clifton Moor to Haxby Road has finally been declared officially “open”.

The Council says that, “the scheme has created a safe off-road shared cycle and pedestrian route along the A1237 outer ring road between the Haxby Road roundabout and the B1363 Wigginton Road roundabout, connecting over 15,000 people living in this area of York.

The measures also include new links with Haxby Road near to the roundabout, a new bridge over the York to Scarborough railway line with approach ramps on the existing embankments and an additional crossing point on Wigginton Road to safely connect with Clifton Moor.

The provision of an off-road route/safe link opens up access (sustainably, via cycling and/or walking) between Haxby, Huntington, New Earswick and to the retail, leisure and employment destination of Clifton Moor as well as students attending Joseph Rowntree School“.

The delays to the completion of the scheme – which was scheduled to start in 2013 – have been put down to “poor ground conditions”

York Council to spend £5.8 million on transport improvements over next 12 months

No ring road improvements scheduled. Little being spent on reducing congestion

The Councils transport investment programme has been published. As usual the devil will be in the detail and the programme could be scrapped if there are major changes in the make-up of the Council at the May 7^th polls.

Bus Services

Around £775,000 is to be spent on improvements to bus services. £250,000 of this will go on the delays Rougier Street bus shelter while £200,000 will address “pinch point improvements”. Once again sub-urban areas fare badly in the allocations (separately on the agenda for the same meeting a £20,000 plan to improve facilities in Rawcliffe is recommended for rejection)

Traffic congestion

Proposed extra lane for A19 pinch point

£2 million is being spent easing the “pinch point” on the A19 near the Designer Outlet. Much less is being spent elsewhere in the £2.4 million budget although the modernisation of variable message boards – which have been increasingly unreliable – is welcome.

Cycling/Pedestrian schemes

£468,000 is being spent on a range of small schemes. The biggest is the provision of a cycle link at Scarborough Bridge. This is mostly being covered by central government grant.

Road Safety

Wetherby Road VAS

This is only being allocated £450,000 in the programme which is still driven by Labour priorities. School safety schemes, school crossing warning signs, “speed management” and the renewal of the vehicle activated signs (VAS), like those on Wetherby Road and Green Lane, will all get a boost.

Money is also asset aside to develop future improvements and to continue maintenance of the City Walls. The alleygating programme will also continue.

No expenditure on improvements to the northern by pass is expected over the next 12 months despite promises from the Labour Council leadership that this was now one of their priorities.

York Council plans huge increase in borrowing

£1 million a year in interest charges to be added to Council Tax burden

Labour Council leaders say that they want to spend an additional £44 million on capital schemes in the City.

Potentially controversial projects include:

Scarborough footbridge £3 million bill

£3 million on a replacement Scarborough (foot/cycle) bridge (the adjacent rail bridge is currently being renewed in a completely separate project)
£12.1 million on new IT systems (£1.8 million of which will be charged to Council tenants)
£1.8 million on further “reinvigorating” York work
£11.0 million on a bridge into the York Central site
£800,000 on LED street lamps (despite the Council poor performance in getting existing lights repaired)

No provision has been made for the new Elderly Care facilities at Lowfields or Burnholme – effectively confirming that the Council intends either to abandon these projects or hand them over to the private sector.

Instead a further £300,000 is to be spent repairing existing homes.

Summary of new growth proposals click to enlarge

Also missing is any reference to investment in the Guildhall although the last Labour Cabinet meeting authorised a £9.2 million scheme to convert it into a Digital and Arts Media centre.

The Council is making cuts to road resurfacing (structural maintenance) with its contribution falling from £1.0 million next year to £3/4 million in future years.

Labour intend to impose wheeled bins on terraced houses – sparking fears that wars, about the impact that collection points may have on neighbouring properties, will be reignited.

There is a lot missing from the published programme – or hidden from public view.

Despite promises that the “Combined Authority” link with West Yorkshire would provide capital investment funding for transport improvements such as the dualling of the northern by pass, no such contribution is shown during the next 5 years.

Congestion on northern by pass set to continue?

Similarly no new economic development funding is shown – leaving hopes, for a regeneration initiative in Acomb, floating in the air.

The housing programme once again fails to recognise the need for a face-lift on many sub-urban estates, despite the surplus on the housing account now approaching £15 million.

It is likely that Liberal Democrat Councillors will seek to use some of this surplus to tackle parking issues on some of the older estates where road widths are relatively narrow.

Should we be worried about the Councils increasing debt burden?

Planned Council borrowing levels click to enlarge

The York Council currently owes about £330 million.

That is set to rise to £348 million over the next 2 years.

This is an historic high and means that a significant proportion of the taxes being paid (around 14%) are being absorbed by interest and repayment costs.

The Council is currently borrowing at an interest rate of about 4% pa

The new proposals (above) will add around £28 to the average tax bill.

Mobile safety camera routes York area

Below are the enforcement locations for North Yorkshire Police’s mobile safety cameras for week commencing 13 August 2014.

The safety cameras are now more visible then ever before with each of the three vehicles bearing the same hi-vis livery as North Yorkshire Police’s marked vehicle fleet. Photos attached.

All safety camera locations are published on the force website along with an explanation of the various route types.

Members of the public can now view the results of the safety camera enforcement activity on the force website. Up to date data for the previous week is uploaded every Tuesday which can be interrogated by route and date ranges. http://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/10951

The mobile safety cameras will be in operation at the following sites at various times over the coming week. Cameras will not be in use all day, every day. The locations were accurate when this news release was produced.

Due to operating constraints, our mobile safety camera locations may change without prior warning.

The cameras operate at three difference types of site, these are:
•Exceptional sites which are identified through the speed management protocol as being of community concern.
•Motorcycle routes – route used by motorcycles that have a high incidence of collisions and anti social behaviour.
•Killed or seriously injured – sites where people have been killed or seriously injured and where excess or inappropriate speed has been deemed to be a factor.

The list below now includes the site types.

A1237 Monks Cross, York – Motorcycle
A64 east-bound, Heslington York – Killed or seriously injured
A64 west-bound, Heslington York – Killed or seriously injured
A64 west-bound, Street Houses, Bilborough – Killed or seriously injured
Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York – Community concern
Strensall Road, Huntington, York – Community concern
Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, York – Community concern
Church Lane, Wheldrake – Community concern
Greenshaw Drive, Haxby – Community concern

(more…)

York river deaths report makes sober reading

Hot weather attracts more to river plunge

A report to a Council meeting next week, from the Safer York Partnership, confirms that there have been 24 deaths by drowning in York’s’ rivers over the last 15 years.

There were more deaths in the river Foss (14) than the river Ouse (10)

Of 6 deaths in the Ouse in the City centre area, 4 have been treated as accidental.

The report comes at a time when many young people are risking their lives by jumping off City centre bridges (see above).

The report says,

“Between 1999 and April 2014 there have been 24 deaths connected to rivers within the York district. Of the 24 deaths that have occurred 10 of them went into the River Ouse in York and 14 of them went into the River Foss in York.

Of these 10 deaths connected to the River Ouse, 4 of them did not enter the river in the City Centre and 6 of them did enter the river in the City Centre.

Of these 6 deaths that were within the city centre connected to the River Ouse; 2 are believed to have entered the river accidentally; 2 are believed to have committed suicide and 2 climbed barriers to jump in and drowned accidentally.

Between May 2013 and April 2014 there were approximately 35 other reported incidents to North Yorkshire Police that were connected to the river that involved some from of possible harm.

This figure is likely to be an underestimate due to difficulties in data retrieval and classification. The following are known about these incidents;

4 incidents involving falls in to the river;

20 incidents involving swimming in the river;

11 incidents involving threatening to jump in the river;

Approx 1/3^rd of incidents involved people under the age of 18;

There is no significant pattern by hour of the day;

Incidents are reported all year round but peak in July / August;

Reported incidents are mainly on the Ouse river;

Reported incidentsareatmanydifferent locationsontheriver,withkey locations being Lendal Bridge and Scarborough Bridge”.

”

Dramatic fall in numbers fined for littering in York

Despite growing concerns about the amount of litter on our streets, the York Council has scaled back by nearly 95% the number of penalty notices issued for littering.

In 2013/14 only 16 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued compared to 216 in the previous year.

The number of people fined more than £100 has also dropped from the 2012/13 high when 18 prosecutions resulted in fines totally £1700.

£280 in victim surcharges were also received together with £4100 in court costs.

The Council has been criticised for the double environmental “whammy” of reducing the number of litter bins in the City while all but abandoning enforcement of anti littering legislation.

Tour de France – weekend events list published as concerns increase about poor City image.

click to enlarge

Full litter bins and detritus on river banks

Concerns are increasing about the appearance of the City in the immediate lead up to the Tour de France start.

It seems the Council has taken its eye off the ball, not just in its preparations for tomorrows Huntington Stadium “Grand Departy” not to mention the Poppleton Park and Ride embarrassment, but also visitors are arriving in the City to be greeted with public service standards which in some locations are boarding on the squalid..

: Graffiti next to the railway station

Residents are, however, being encouraged to prepare for a “full and diverse cultural weekend” to celebrate the Tour de France as events as activities for the whole family take place across the city from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 July.

Highlights include:

Friday 4 – Sunday 6 July

· York Curiouser explores the city centre through contemporary art interventions in colour, texture and word

· Boulevard St Leonard’s will have themed pavement cafés, French decoration and music. Plus, Maintenant (Now) is a sound installation of 100 sounds of Paris and 100 sounds of York – Now! Both are commissioned by Yorkshire Air Museum and York Theatre Royal. www.yorkshireairmuseum.org/ and http://festival.yorkshire.com/events/boulevard-st-leonard

· 60 stunning 15-feet long mediaeval-style banners created by 50 community groups and hung from the city walls from the Lendal Bridge archway to Bishophill via Micklegate bar

· Sonnet Walks involve a collection of costumed characters performing Shakespeare sonnets and speeches around the city centre. http://www.yorkshakespeareproject.org/
(more…)

York police opinion survey and speed camera locations

Chief Constable Dave Jones and Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire are currently seeking the public’s views on safety cameras and speeding. Members of the public are invited to complete the on online survey which can be found by clicking here .

The survey does have a question on 20 mph speed limits

Enforcement locations for North Yorkshire Police’s mobile safety cameras for week commencing Wednesday 21 May 2014.

Safety camera van The mobile safety cameras will be in operation at the following sites at various times over the coming week. Cameras will not be in use all day, every day. The locations were accurate when this news release was produced.

You can now view the results of the safety camera enforcement activity on our website. Up to date data for the previous week is uploaded every Tuesday which can be interrogated by route and date ranges.
Deployment and results

Due to operating constraints, our mobile safety camera locations may change without prior warning.

A1237 Monks Cross, York
A64 eastbound Tadcaster by-pass
A64 westbound Tadcaster by-pass
Skipwith Road, Escrick
Brayton Lane, Brayton, Selby
Millfield Road, Chapel Haddlesey
A63 Cliffe
A19 Burn
A162 Sherburn by-pass
A64 eastbound, Islington, Tadcaster
A64 westbound Street Houses, Bilborough
A64 westbound Wharfe Bridge, Tadcaster
B1228 Dunnington Lodge, Elvington
Tadcaster Road, Dringhouses, York
Strensall Road, Huntington, York
Church Lane, Wheldrake
Millfield lane, Poppleton, York
Greenshaw Drive, Haxby
A64 eastbound, Heslington, York
A64 westbound, Heslington, York

(more…)

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