Good to see that progress has been made in clearing moss and detritus from the Grange Lane – Chapelfields Road snicket. Nearby hydrants sign – damaged 2 years ago – has still not been repaired
and the lane to the rear of the Front Street/ Beaconsfield Street is tidier than it has been for some time
We seem to have a blight of fly tipped mattresses in west York.
We reported one that had been dumped behind the railings on the Kingsway West/Green Lane snicket a few weeks ago. It’s still there as the Council claim that it is on “private land”. It’s actually on land that has traditionally been maintained by an internal drainage board. The authorities need to come to an agreement on how the “public realm” will be kept tidy in future.
Elsewhere a mattress appeared on Foxwood Park and was subsequently set on fire.
And another has been duimped on the Chapelfields Road – Wetherby Road snicket.
We think that it is about time manufacturers to come up with an accessible recycling system for bulky items like these.
It looks like many highways defects have been left waiting for attention for so long that expensive remedial works are now needed.
Many carriageways which needed patching in the summer and autumn were ignored. Now some are worn down to the hardcore base while others have multiple surface defects. Several represent a hazard for two wheeled transport users.
We have reported the following streets (but these may just be the tip of the iceberg).
There are also some problems also with leaf and tree detritus. We’ve reported two areas
Finally builders waste has been dumped in the little Green Lane garage area. We’ve asked for it to be removed.
The ice and snow has largely disappeared from York today.
In its place are a new – and not so new – crop of potholes.
Please help to make the City safer by reporting any that are a danger to road users.
The next problem we are likely to face is flooding. Three Flood Warnings are already in place for the City.
It will be two or three days before the snow melt in the Dales & Moors catchment areas reaches the City.
Progress can be viewed by clicking the image below.
Surface water drainage seems to be less of a problem at the moment.
The Knavesmire flood works seem to have reduced the standing water problem which was a feature of most winters until recently.
The current icy spell is taking its toll on poorly maintain road and path surfaces. The Council recently agred to undertake some repairs on teb potholed – and well used – section of Foxwood Lane near the sports area. The work has yet to be completed and the potholes continue to pose a hazard particularly for users of two wheeled transport.
The Council promised to repair damaged roads, paths and verges when the building works on Newbury Avenue and Ascot Way were completed. There is little sign of progress.
We’ve reported the litter that has recently accumulated on Chesney’s Field (Foxwood Lane)
Also dumping next to the Cornlands Road park
Good to see that the litter bin on Tadcaster Road, which we reported last week as being full, was quickly emptied by the Council.
Shame that we are now seeing an increase in other examples of environmental crime
Empty cans blight the cycle underpass at London Bridge despite two litter bins being provided. Graffiti also a continuing problem.
London Bridge
Seat dumped in Acomb Wood. Been a lot of problems with litter there. The wood is maintained by volunteers, is a heaven for wildlife and a popular walk for locals.
Acomb Wood
The York Council took steps to secure playgrounds when the health crisis deepened in March.
Where playgrounds couldn’t be secured, some a attempt was made to surround equipment with barriers.
The intention was to stop transmission of the COVID virus through contact with the equipment. Similar campaigns were initiated on street gym equipment while the “wash your hands” message was continually reinforced.
After nearly 4 months, and with some children now returning to school, perhaps not surprisingly the lure of taking a turn on the play equipment is proving too be strong for some.
Children were playing on the climbing frame and on the zip wire on Foxwood Lane yesterday.
The Council needs to review its policies and – if appropriate – make additional efforts to discourage use of communal play equipment.
A York Council manager has responded promptly to reports of Epicormic (lower trunk) growth on some trees in the Cornlands Road/Tudor Road area.
Such growth can cause sight line problems for drivers.
The manager says the branches will be trimmed.
We’ve reported a similar issue with a tree at the junction of Cornlands Road and Askham Lane.
We also received a prompt response from Cllr Demise Craghill who has executive responsibility for housing in the City.
She was sympathetic to our complaints about delays in bringing empty Council houses back into use and promised to pursue two long standing issues in the Foxwood Lane area.
Lack of action to level potholes on the Morrell Court access road has now been registered as a formal complaint with the Council. The defects were first reported 6 months ago.
Elsewhere black bags have been left next to the recycling bins at the Acomb Wood Drive shopping area.
We have asked for them to be removed.
As lock-down eases, concerns about the condition of some housing estates are starting to emerge.
The Council’s lettings and void repairs staff have made slow progress on getting empty properties back into use. As a result some long term empty properties have deteriorated. No management information has been published by the Council recently so the scale of the problem is unclear.
Even some “prime” site bungalows (usually very attractive to those on the waiting list for homes) have been empty for 6 months or longer.
While cleansing standards have generally improved during lockdown (fewer people around and individual staff members focused on local areas) there have been problems with dumping. Scheduled skip visits, funded through ward committees, didn’t happen and replacement visits have yet to be scheduled.
