Total Pageviews

Translate

Saturday 31 August 2019

Do-Si-Do for the DCO!

I don't think Paul, as a follower, will have a problem with me putting this up on the blog:

On 30 Aug 2019, at 18:34, Paul Timlett 

"Next time Wiltshire Council tells you that the rat running is by locals perhaps you'd like to tell them about the guy who just hit my new car as I was trying to turn into my drive whilst returning from Speed Watch duty on London Road.
I was stationary indicating right but rather than stop to let me across he tried to force his camper van past me. Nice bloke (being a fellow cyclist) and he was pretty shaken up. Explained he was following his Satnav on his way back to St Albans from somewhere west. I advised him strongly not to try to go up the High Street which is bedlam. Told him to go back to the A303. He said he had no idea where he was going, and was just following his Satnav.
Previously, I tried to drive up the High Street on my way to Speed Watch. Had to turn round and go via the Visitor Centre. All these "locals" in camper vans, cars towing caravans or with roof boxes, bikes, canoes, surf boards on top.
For your accident statistics, this is now the second collision caused by rat runners outside my house. You'll recall my neighbour's car was written off by a guy from Yeovil".....
STAG says.....Sorry Paul....you must know that the incident MUST be reported to the police to make it onto the Stats 😞

Paul,
So sorry to hear of this as an on-going problem. 
If it’s any consolation, Dave & I attended the final Hearing at Guild Hall yesterday and whilst a lot of it was boring, there were some quite interesting discussions and points put to the National Infrastructural Panel: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/a303-Stonehenge/?ipcsection=docs   this all means that the final
DCO - Development Consent Order for the A303 is almost ready to be presented to the Infrastructure panel who have listened almost every day since early June to the various objections, arguments, outlandish representations not to mention the nit picking.....tunnel is not long enough, Salisbury Cathedral will collapse, Stonehenge is going to fall into the hole, the River Avon will dry up and poor old Amesbury will fall into a sink hole!!!
It did appear that all of the groups present have come together between NI Planning Inspectorate Hearings and agreements have been reached on points that either needed clarification or were short on detail and so we certainly seem to be making progress on A303 matters.
Stonehenge Alliance, although 4 places were set out for them, did not turn up unless they arrived after lunch.  It seems that at Wednesday's Hearing, One Dr George Reeves on their behalf, made the usual deliberate misleading and out of date presentation on geology, hydrogeology, geotechnics & effects of tunnelling on groundwater....so if you're a geek.... this can be read here...all 13 pages:
https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR010025/TR010025-001565-AS%20Stonehenge%20Alliance.pdf 

Stonehenge Alliance have previously announced that they have “NO Common Ground” with any of these usual attendees/groups.   Those around the table were 5 Wiltshire Council including solicitor, (not the local ones we have to deal with!!), National Trust (2) Environment Agency (2) Historic England (3) Highways England – The Applicant (8) including a solicitor, H E meet and greet, plus many others behind the scene as support for information required on the spot when asked by the Inspectorate panel including Madam Chair.....In other words, the Hearings are all very formal.  Others in attendance were C.O.G.S, British Horse Society, Rachel who farms south side of the A303 had her solicitor representing local land owners, and ourselves STAG.  We didn’t stay for the afternoon session, but it certainly looked like it was coming together and across the table, they were in agreement on most items with just a few i’s to be dotted and t’s to be crossed this coming week.   Parvis Khansari Highways and Environment Director at Wiltshire Council always acknowledges our presence and feels positive about the outcome so far….but it could go either way. 
You can keep up with progress on the A303 Project here: https://eia.aecom-digital.com/A303/intro
and I will post up the next FORUM which will be mid September, when I have it.

This is the end of the summer holidays…..now we just have to wait for the Autumn school break up...stand by your beds!!!




Sunday 18 August 2019

It's only local people who RAT RUN?!

At least this is according to some Amesbury Councillors including our "Local Highway Engineer"...note: ("Highway" not to be mistaken for Highways England)

On the 20th July, the writer of this blog was injured having fallen on rough tarmac on the pedestrian walkway along side the Co-op in Shrewton High Street.   The incident was reported on

"My Wiltshire" at Wiltshire Council where apparently...... "Everybody Matters" and these photos show the injuries.


Of more concern to the writer, are the elderly in our village, many of whom use Rollators or Disability Scooters.  Why this "walkway" was merely painted on without addressing the surface and perhaps using some sort of high friction smooth surfacing, beggars belief.  The elderly tell me they try to avoid the rough surface by going out into the road usually meaning they have to avoid parked vehicles, of which there are many because this is part of the RAT RUN therefore taking them into the path of on-coming vehicles.  Many of these are speeding because they have come off their planned route to avoid the queues on the A303.
A further e-mail was sent to our Local Highway Engineer and you can read his response when it was forwarded to Bridget Wayman who is Cabinet member for Transport in this area. This is the response from our "Local Highway Engineer"....please pay particular attention to the part in ENLARGED BOLD regarding RAT RUNNING..... and local people...... 
"From: Local Highway Engineer 
Sent: 23 July 2019 09:31
To: Bridget.Wayman: Cabinet Member for Transport Wiltshire Council
Subject: FW: Shrewton High Street B3086

Dear Councillor Wayman,
 We became aware of the injury to Mrs Hassett yesterday, as it was reported to us via an app report, my Technician inspected the vicinity outside the shop and could not find a defect which met our intervention levels for attention. The marked foot way is on the road outside the shop as the road is not wide enough to construct or install a proper foot way, the markings were requested and installed via the CATG process as stated.
 Whilst the surface is uneven it is not possible to undertake any remedial works to make it safer. This could only be achieved with a substantial patch being done or the road being completely resurfaced, which is planned in the next few years.
 The issue of ‘rat running’ has been a long running complaint by residents of Shrewton and there is no easy solution to this issue, mostly as the rat running is done by locals and other residents of Wiltshire who know how to avoid the problems of the A303 in the summer months. There is documentary evidence from traffic surveys undertaken to confirm that this is the case.
 With regards to the scheduling of works in the Shrewton Area, whilst High Street ‘ is on the list’ for resurfacing; other roads within the Shrewton area have taken precedence. The A360 through the village was resurfaced this financial year, the B3086 has been surface dressed in its entirety from Shrewton to Rollestone Crossroads, Orcheston Lane is being surface dressed in part this year; and a number of other associated works have been undertaken each year since 2014.
 I can confirm that High Street was never scheduled for resurfacing in 2014 and the Parish Council just assumed that it was to be done, due to the fact it was shown on the proposed list of resurfacing works for future works when the current major maintenance program was complied. Diane Ware can provide you with the list of works done in the area since 2014 and what proposals are in place for the future including the possible date for High Street re-surfacing.
 I note the issue of vehicles parking outside the shop but the matter lies with the Parish Council to consider whether to apply for waiting restrictions or yellow lines. They have so far refrained from applying, as they do not want the Co- Op to close due to lack of custom.
 I have sympathy with Mr Hassett and the injuries sustained by his wife and we will continue to monitor the area outside the shop but it is unlikely that I can undertake any substantial repair without major works being required to remove the unevenness of the carriage way in that location.
I trust this provides sufficient information for you to respond.
Regards,
Andy Cole
Amesbury and Tidworth Areas
Local Highways Engineer
Highways and Transport
Wiltshire Council
Mr Cole..... with regard to the paragraph in your e-mail: "mostly as the rat running is done by locals etc...." I fail to understand how a village with 1870 voting residents, which probably equates to 850 vehicles??? can cause rat running over the course of a month at a rate of 168,393 for June and 150,125 for the month of July and this only on London Road B3086!!!!   Of course, you've probably noticed that we all drive around the area with Top boxes, up to 4 bicycles on the rear of our vehicles, pulling caravans and....we even sometimes drive around with surf boards on the top!!!!   
In conclusion, thank you for you're concern regarding my injuries....my knee, hand, nose and chin are healing well but it does appear that the scar caused by the  torn lip will be there for the rest of my life!!  

Tuesday 6 August 2019

Of course!......nothing needs to be done about the A303 past Stonehenge!

At least that's what Stonehenge Alliance and their associated groups, sycophants, and whom so ever would have us believe, in the same way that Hitler; by repeating the same lie ad infanitum, believed that people would inevitably accept it as truth.   And by the way.....the majority of their followers don't live where we live.
Yes! I do keep banging on about rat run traffic in our village of Shrewton, and so, following on from my post dated 02/05/2019 showing the SID figures (smiley face to you and me) for the 15 days over Easter for London Road - just one of the 4 entry points to our village at 67,030 vehicles,  and those registered for June at....168,939 with a max speed of 78-mph!!!

And now we have the July figure at.....150,125 with a max speed of 78-mph.....again!   Ah! I hear you say.....the figure has reduced for July!.....well that's good is it not? 
No! not if you take into account the fact that London Road was closed for 3 days during the installation of our new village gateway and signage.  So, lets do some figures...... if we take the average figure per day at 4574.8 vehicles and times this by 3 making a further 13,724.4 to be added to 150,125 and so bringing the figure up nearer June's to 163,849.4!!!!   And the schools have not even broken up for summer....well, call me a geek but, I for one am looking forward to August figures!
Rat running is used as a means to divert out of the queue on the A303 on the single section past the monument of Stonehenge and find a "faster route" or at least one that means....."well at least I'm moving!!!"   Unfortunately, this descends right in our High Street with a width varying over 7 to 9 meters and very often no pavements.....our village is a dangerous place to live!
NO! Nothing should be done about the A303 past Stonehenge!!  
 Stonehenge Alliance say....a longer tunnel of 4.5km: Stonehenge Traffic Action Group - STAG say "Clearly, these people are in cloud cuckoo land and have not thought where the east and west portals would be if a longer tunnel were agreed - their original request being a tunnel 4.5km starting from Folly Bottom which would take the western portal out right adjacent to the monument !!!!?🤣     Or, if we leave the eastern portal where it is on the plan.....the west portal would have to be at Winterbourne Stoke High Street and exiting straight into the River Till water meadow!!!... I don't think that was the plan somehow. All of this taking a further 10 or 15 years of further consultation and deliberation and costing £4 billion instead of the present £1.7 billion!!! So, will all these groups have a whip round??.....probably not!!!😆