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.

Better news for Lincoln Court

Lincoln Court

Elderly residents of sheltered accommodation units at Lincoln Court can expect the building to be modernised next year,.

Top of the priority list is new windows although a  general uplift is also needed.

The building was discussed yesterday at the Councils Executive committee meeting which decided to close the adjacent Windsor House elderly persons home.

The two buildings share a heating system.

Residents of Lincoln Court had been left in suspense while Council officials consulted about closure plans but it now seems that the future of the sheltered accommodation is secure.

A report on the future of the Windsor House site is expected early next year. One is suggestion is that a “centre of excellence” for disabled people should be built there.

The Council will first have to address chronic traffic congestion and parking problems in the Kingsway West/Ascot Way/Windsor Garth area.

 

Thanet Road Toucan crossing finished but Council neglects essential work

The Toucan crossing at the junction of Kingsway West and Thanet Road has been completed and is working.

Unfortunately the Council didn’t take the opportunity – when plant was in the area – to resurface the hammerhead on Kingsway West which is very uneven and represents a hazard for cyclists.

The change coincides with the introduction of a 20 mph speed limit outside the Lidl store

Sadly the Council has also failed to upgrade the bollard on the Foxwood lane cycle path approach to the crossing. The wooden bollard has been a  source of complaint for several years. It lacks effective reflectors and, during foggy weather or on dark nights in heavy rain, it becomes virtually invisible for cyclists. The expectation had been that the council would either remove the bollard altogether or at least replace it with one that could be seen at night.

Bollard is a danger when visibility is limited.

 

Thanet Road Toucan crossing nears completion

The weather has been against the contractors this week, but it looks like they will finish installing the new Toucan crossing at the end of Kingsway West this week. The Council also intends to install speed humps on Thanet Road so the work will resume later in the year. We hope that they will resurface the hammerhead in Kingsway West and remove the dangerous post on the cycle path while they are in the area. 

A littler further down Gale Lane the yellow lines in the Stuart Road hammerhead have been renewed.

York Council tackles nettle threat

The Council has acted promoted to remove nettles which were impeding Foxwood Lane. Reported on 2nd October the nettles were removed today.

Nettles removed from Foxwood Lane Not so good is the entrance to Hob Moor from Holly Bank Grove. It’s only October and the path is nearly impassible for pedestrians because of boggy ground. The Holgate Ward committee should take a leaf out of their counterparts in Westfield who arranged for improvements to a similar footpath access, to Acomb Wood from Hawkshead Close, over the summer.

We hope that the contractors, currently working on putting in new Toucan crossing signals at the junction of Kingsway West and Thanet Road, will take the time to resurface the carriageway hammerhead while plant is is the area. The surface is dangerous for cyclists

The same contractors may also be responsible for vehicle damage to the Thanet Road sports area. Bulbs were planted in the grassed area by residents groups over recent years.

Traffic lights set to be upgraded at Carr Lane and Thanet Road

Ageing traffic lights at the junction of York Road with Carr Lane and the Thanet Road crossing near Foxwood Lane are set to be upgraded next month. Work will start on both sites on Monday 2 October.

The lights at the junction of York Road and Carr lane will be fully refurbished. The crossing will also be widened to better meet current safety standards.

The Thanet Road crossing near Foxwood Lane will see the separate pedestrian / cyclist crossing replaced with a shared Toucan crossing. The footpath and cycleway near to the crossing will also be relayed.

Local safety scheme work will also take place alongside this including installing a raised traffic table which will be added to the crossing along with speed cushions in the area to help reduce the speed of vehicles using the road.

Work at the York Road crossing will take place between 7.30am – 5.30pm, Monday – Friday and 9 am – 3pm on Saturdays.    Evening work will take place on Monday 9 October and Thursday 12 October from 6pm – 11pm. Three-way traffic management will be in place at the junction during the works. Full access will be retained to all properties during construction.

Work at the Thanet Road crossing will take place between 7.30am – 5.30pm, Monday – Friday and 8am – 3pm Saturdays. Traffic management will be in place at the junction of Thanet Road / Foxwood Lane during the works. A controlled crossing will be provided during construction to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the road safely.

Thanet Road will be closed between Foxwood Lane and St James Place on 22 October for the installation of the raised traffic table. Additional road closures will be in place on 6 and 7 November to install the speed cushions.

As with any construction work, there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption. Residents are assured that everything reasonably possible will be done to keep this to a minimum, however buses that normally use this street will be diverted and motorists should expect some delays and plan their journey accordingly.

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

The total replacement programme will cost £2.620m over six years and will be funded through the capital programme budget and the existing Local Transport Plan budget.

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

Changes to pedestrian/cycle crossing planned for Thanet Road

The Council is planning to remodel the pedestrian/cycle crossing at the junction of Thanet Road and Kingsway West

We understand that, as part of the changes planned for the traffic arrangements on Thanet Road, the pedestrian and cycle crossing will be modified.

The proposals look to change the cycle crossing to a Toucan crossing and amend the footways to create areas of shared pedestrian / cycle space.  The main changes that we are proposing are as follows:

Creation of a new traffic signal installation to form a Toucan crossing This replaces the existing cycle crossing with a parallel pedestrian crossing at the same location.  The new Toucan crossing will include near sided pedestrian / cyclist red / green aspects.

  • The Toucan crossing will be located on a new “bus friendly” flat topped raised table over the carriageway.  This will require additional gullies for drainage to be installed.
  • New shared use pedestrian / cycle areas will be formed with appropriate tactile paving, road markings and signing.
  • The southern cyclist on / off carriageway sections will be re aligned to tie in with the shared use areas and new northern cyclist on / off carriageway sections will be created.
  • The cycle tracks in the western verge are slightly realigned to fit in with the shared use areas.

We are surprised that changes to the present arrangements are planned. Generally the crossing works well.

Some changes should, however, be made at the junction when the lights are modernised.

  • The hammerhead on Kingsway West is in poor condition and needs resurfacing
  • The central bollard on the footpath link to the crossing needs to be replaced. It’s dull colour is very difficult to see in murky weather.

The plans will be available to view at the Ward Committee meeting which is scheduled to  take place at the Bowling Club from 6:30pm on Tuesday

Road repairs and better parking top priority for residents living near Hob Moor

Residents responding to a survey in the Kingsway West/Windsor Garth/Hamilton Drive area have identified their priorities for public service improvements.

The survey is the latest of a  series being conducted by Councillors representing the Westfield ward on the City of York Council

212 residents have so far completed and returned  the questionnaires 

Generally the results suggest that most residents are at least satisfied with the quality of most public services in the area

However Councillors are now seeking improvements to road repairs, car parking and overgrown trees/bushes in the neighbourhood.

Further details can be downloaded from http://tinyurl.com/surres2017

Other findings included:
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More roads to be salted in York?

 

de-icingThe Council has not said why it is set to discuss the issue halfway through winter or why the plan had not been included on its “forward plan” of decisions.

According to the Press, it says it will pay for any changes using “contingency” funds (which have been available since last April).

The decision to salt the 24 bus route will be welcomed. It was a major bone of contention in 2013. 

The Council have been lucky that in the intervening period the City has enjoyed relatively mild winters.

We can’t expect that to continue.