Saturday, May 29, 2010
Will the New Speed Camera Signs Have Any Real Effect?
Will the new speed camera signs the County Council have put on the A518 through Haughton and Gnosall make any difference to the safety of the road? I really don’t think so!
As any policeman who is involved with using a speed gun will tell you the vast majority of those people they catch are locals who are familiar with the road. I worry that putting up these new signs will just have the same effect. People who regularly use the road will soon realize that no permanent cameras are in place and will then forget the signs are even there. Then the only people who might take note and watch their speed will be those just passing through for the first time.
While I would support any efforts the Council makes to make this road safer I, and I know a lot of local residents, think this latest move has more to do with legitimizing the mobile speed cameras that occasional visit the A518.
For a long time I have argued that not only should more engineering improvements be carried out on the road, but that the County Council should review the current 60mph speed limit with the view of reducing this down to 50mph. Nothing they have done so far, and that includes these new signs really gives me any confidence that they are taking the problem seriously, and that the amount of cash the spend is more important that getting a really improvement that will save lives in the future.
As any policeman who is involved with using a speed gun will tell you the vast majority of those people they catch are locals who are familiar with the road. I worry that putting up these new signs will just have the same effect. People who regularly use the road will soon realize that no permanent cameras are in place and will then forget the signs are even there. Then the only people who might take note and watch their speed will be those just passing through for the first time.
While I would support any efforts the Council makes to make this road safer I, and I know a lot of local residents, think this latest move has more to do with legitimizing the mobile speed cameras that occasional visit the A518.
For a long time I have argued that not only should more engineering improvements be carried out on the road, but that the County Council should review the current 60mph speed limit with the view of reducing this down to 50mph. Nothing they have done so far, and that includes these new signs really gives me any confidence that they are taking the problem seriously, and that the amount of cash the spend is more important that getting a really improvement that will save lives in the future.
# posted by Barry Stamp @ 11:37 AM
Monday, May 17, 2010
The County Council Must Come Clean Over What Lies Behind the Funding of the Stafford Western Access Road
I real do think the County Council should come clean about how they are intending to fund the proposed Stafford Western Access road if they failed to get money from developers of new housing in the area.
While I agree that the final decision as to where new houses are to be built in Stafford lies with the Borough Council I really do think that County Council should admit that they are planning to build this new road with the intention that it will open up a large area of land for house building.
Indeed they even hinted at this fact in the local press when they said the new road should not be though of as a bypass but instead, as the named suggests an “Access Road”. By its very nature and “Access Road” must provide access to something!
While the County Council are making a bid to Central Government for £36illion of funding, this will fall short of the real cost of building the road with its two new bridges over the railway and river. While in the short-term the Council might fund this shortfall themselves they will no doubt be expecting to recoup this cash sometime in the future. I suggest that this can only mean one thing - they expect developers whose sites will benefit from the new road to contribute towards its costs. Indeed the County Council are already using this funding model in Rugeley where developers are now paying back money the Council spent to build the towns new bypass.
If this is their plan in Stafford then naturally the Burley Fields area of Castlefields seems a likely candidate to provide the cash as this site would certainly benefit from the road and also be large enough to generate the money needed to repay the County Council in full.
I believe the County Council are being totally unfair with the way they are presenting the proposal to build this new road and they should admit it will provide access to Burley Fields, which when developed would make a considerable contribution which would off-set original costs.
While I agree that the final decision as to where new houses are to be built in Stafford lies with the Borough Council I really do think that County Council should admit that they are planning to build this new road with the intention that it will open up a large area of land for house building.
Indeed they even hinted at this fact in the local press when they said the new road should not be though of as a bypass but instead, as the named suggests an “Access Road”. By its very nature and “Access Road” must provide access to something!
While the County Council are making a bid to Central Government for £36illion of funding, this will fall short of the real cost of building the road with its two new bridges over the railway and river. While in the short-term the Council might fund this shortfall themselves they will no doubt be expecting to recoup this cash sometime in the future. I suggest that this can only mean one thing - they expect developers whose sites will benefit from the new road to contribute towards its costs. Indeed the County Council are already using this funding model in Rugeley where developers are now paying back money the Council spent to build the towns new bypass.
If this is their plan in Stafford then naturally the Burley Fields area of Castlefields seems a likely candidate to provide the cash as this site would certainly benefit from the road and also be large enough to generate the money needed to repay the County Council in full.
I believe the County Council are being totally unfair with the way they are presenting the proposal to build this new road and they should admit it will provide access to Burley Fields, which when developed would make a considerable contribution which would off-set original costs.
# posted by Barry Stamp @ 7:16 PM
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Something Must be Done to Improve Road Safety on the A518
Something really must be done to improve road safety on the A518. In the last couple of weeks there have been two accidents on the road, one at the notorious Swan Pit dip and bends and one by the Navigation Inn in Gnosall. Unfortunately the one at Swan Pit resulted in yet another fatality.
In 1995 when I was County Councillor for Gnosall Division I persuaded the Council to carryout a thorough review of the road. As a result they published their A518 Route Strategy which highlighted a number of areas which they felt needed improvement to ensure better road safety. These included the road at Swan Pit.
However since that time a new Councillor has been elected and the County Council has changed to Conservative control. But what does remain the same is the A518 and with ongoing budget cuts being threatened by the County Council I am afraid nothing is going to change in the future.
In 1995 when I was County Councillor for Gnosall Division I persuaded the Council to carryout a thorough review of the road. As a result they published their A518 Route Strategy which highlighted a number of areas which they felt needed improvement to ensure better road safety. These included the road at Swan Pit.
However since that time a new Councillor has been elected and the County Council has changed to Conservative control. But what does remain the same is the A518 and with ongoing budget cuts being threatened by the County Council I am afraid nothing is going to change in the future.
I do admit that since the Route Strategy was published a few new warning signs have been erected and a couple of pedestrian crossings have been installed, but other than that no real investment has been made.
Making this road safe will cost money, but I doubt the County Council have either the cash, or more importantly the commitment to make the real improvements that will prevent further accidents in the future. I do however urge the County Council not to bury their heads in the sand any longer and get something done before yet another accident occurs!
# posted by Barry Stamp @ 5:48 AM
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