Secret meetings between Culture Minister and others.....

STAG completely agrees with the posting by Dr Andrew Shuttleworth on his blog: http://bypasswinterbournestoke.blogspot.co.uk about the, by all accounts, secretive and undemocratic meeting on Wednesday 16th April, facilitated by persons unknown.....line up all guilty parties please!!   By all local media accounts confirmed in a story by

Annie Riddle in http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/11164491.Meetings_over_Stonehenge_right_of_way/
those in attendance at said meeting included : Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, Wiltshire Council, and English Heritage and they met to discuss "traffic problems around Stonehenge" or to get to the nitty gritty....wait for it.....how to close Byway 12 specifically between the A303 and the now (defunct?) A344.
It doesn't take any local rocket scientist many more milliseconds to deduce that the prime purpose of this undemocratic meeting, was to exert as much leverage into STOPPING any traffic from either using, or parking on Byway 12 - very clearly, because www.english-heritage.org.uk EH (and we do exclude Kate Davies/General Manager at Stonehenge Visitor's Centre) do not and have never, since their inception as a QUANGO in 1984, wanted to allow FREE ACCESS to the Stone Circle at Stonehenge.

Arthur Uther Pendragon has campaigned on this issue for many a long year, culminating in a protest on Byway 12 in 2008 to allow free access to the Nation's property that is Stonehenge.
STAG in principle, would support this view...i.e. to deny a RIGHT - underwritten by Sir Cecil Chubb in the early 20th Century, that Stonehenge BELONGS to the Nation and that any citizen should have access (effectively free, or otherwise) basically in perpetuity.
What we are seeing now, is the latest in a long line of cynical, quasi-legal, and very forceful attempts to close non-metalled roads in the vicinity of Stonehenge to ALL forms of traffic, and this currently, has nothing whatsoever to do with any supposedly legitimate aspects of safety.  It has all to do with English Heritage's - MISSION/QUEST/OBSESSION!  (I would not give it the title "crusade" as this would give the attempt, an erroneous form of legitimacy).
Consider this: A303 gets an overdue and appropriate dualling past Stonehenge, by whatever means.   Would this then mean that EH's supposed concerns over "safety" in respect of Byway 12/A303 be met, or overtaken by events?.....Certainly not!   They would then claim that they had "succeeded" in addressing the "safety issues" and there could be no reason to then return that section of Byway 12 to its previous status.   They would then dig in heels, and demand that because, for a given period of time, there had been no continuity of route on said Byway in either a Northerly or Southerly direction, that this would be sufficient reason to close the whole of the route by Statutory Instrument or S I, dig it up, and therefore, the same tenets would also be applied to the remaining Byways in the locus of Stonehenge of which there are 5 others, some of which are both, not visible from Stonehenge and vice versa.  Also, as described in the report to Wiltshire Council of 16th November 2011 see: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/stonehenge-inquiry-recommendation-report.pdf file ref: DPI/T3915/11/20 as "clearly little used, with grassy sward over most of its length....very quiet and the landscape is more intimate"  If you have no time to read the whole 83 pages of this report, the important section is on page 5 para 2.8.
E H attempted in 2011 to, not only obliterate the A344, but all other Byways they considered within the Stonehenge WHS by the instrument of Stopping Up Orders (SUOs) and a tranche of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs).   However, they failed to achieve their objectives as a result of well presented objections by a very large number of parties who were well briefed and in the greater majority, presented arguments that EH thought they could "brush aside".
They didn't succeed in part of their plan then, and some of us who are in STAG now realise that, figuratively speaking, they would lick their wounds, and then be back to try again.
It appears.....THAT TIME HAS COME!
Labels:A303,Accidents,Bypass,Deaths,Ed Vaizey,English Heritage,Highways Agency,Stonehenge,Stonehenge Traffic Action Group,Wiltshire Police,WiSBAng

Ralph Smyth MA BCL.....engage brain before mouth please!

I thank Salisbury's MP johnglenmp.com for providing a link to a story in this morning's Telegraph....please read here those who are remotely interested in matters A303...it won't take too much of your time:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/10783496/Stonehenge-tunnel-plans-could-be-revived.html 
I am astounded at a comment within the piece from One......
Ralph Smyth MA BCL  who is Senior Transport campaigner for CPRE: Campaign to protect Rural England....he has lots of attributes to his name, and is both a Barrister and Bachelor of Civil Law.   I'm wondering if he's been locked up rather than locking others up, for the past 10 years from the following.....and I quote: "The traffic at Stonehenge hasn't increased in the last 10 years and it does not justify the huge cost of a tunnel"   He goes on to say that "a tunnel would be preferable to a dual carriageway at the surface, which could cause the historic site to lose its World Heritage status".   Where is he coming from?....I call that running with the hare and hunting with hound!!   I don't suppose he's all that interested in reading anything from local people who have to live with the queues along this section of the A303 and the fact that our villages have become untenable with rat run traffic, which we all experience throughout the summer and Bank Holidays.  If he is of a mind to, he can read blogs at: www.sh2.co.uk but he probably won't even bother.   For his information, the increased traffic figures are available at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/traffic-counts/cp.php?la=Wiltshire#countpointstable  count point i.d. 6874  These figures are only up to 2012, so prior to the new Stonehenge visitor's centre opening last year.   In just 4 months, they report a 10% increase in ticket sales with 21,000 visitors during the Easter holiday......how did Ralph Smyth think that many people arrived there???? And just as an update following the Atkins Traffic Survey of one week during March 2014 and the same week during August 2015.....on the 8th August over 1100 vehicles used the very narrow, no pavement, High Street in Shrewton, which is part of the rat run created by the now very successful Stonehenge Visitor's Centre and we have to deal with this in going about our daily lives Ralph!!!!
In his capacity as a barrister, he should get his facts straight before putting his proverbial foot in mouth.....which is another rural problem he probably knows nothing about!
Of course, living where he does in London, he is completely out of touch with the consequences of not improving the A303 in some way shape or form and is clearly less than interested in the economy of the West Country and the main industry of tourism!   I urge him also to get on his bike as he appears to be a fit bugg....r .....oops sorry! gentleman, and cycle along the A303 past Stonehenge on a Bank Holiday Saturday and experience for himself .....the chaos that is an increase in traffic!!!!

If you want to take this up with the CPRE directly, then their contact details are:

National Office
Campaign to Protect Rural England
5-11 Lavington Street
London
SE1 0NZ

Tel: 020 7981 2800
Fax: 020 7981 2899

Email: info@cpre.org.uk

A quicky at Stonehenge Bottom?

Judging from the number of hits my posting "a nice place to have a kip" has had, it's clear you're all intrigued to know what this HGV driver was doing on Wednesday last, parked for such a long time on the "Clearway" at Stonehenge Bottom!   If you've not read it....take a look....Of course this kind of parking, whilst not against the law, is downright dangerous, especially when he then had to join back into the flowing traffic which could have resulted in a  serious accident!! 

 It's obvious to me that people with maps are not buying new ones and people with sat. navs are not up dating them either!   Both are surprised to find that, when they pitch up at this section of the A303 and expect to cross over onto the A344 to get their "quicky of the monument" through the fence, only to find that this is no longer available to them because the A344 is now closed permanently..... so what do they do now?.....They could do what these drivers are doing here again, not against the law but should just an inch of rubber tyre find itself over that white line, this could result in the driver being presented with a heavy fine or worse......Or they could resort to what other drivers have been doing of late and take "an on the move photo" with camera phone when passing the monument, resulting in a different type of dangerous situation.    Why are drivers doing this?....for a free photo of course, because now they should use the preferred and safer route, by staying in the queue on the A303 to Longbarrow, make their way to the New Visitor's Centre and pay the money - £14.90 per person, take the land train to the monument....this in itself, has probably given them a feeling of deja vu .....because they're actually back where they were, only on the other side of the monument.  They can now take their photos in a safe manner!

 My thanks to Inspector Christian Lange of Wiltshire Police, www.wiltshire.police.uk  who has provided this photo of vehicles parked on both sides of the A303 at the same spot just 3 days later....keep a weather eye out for the barriers to be erected very soon at this spot,but until then, if you see vehicles parked here, please phone 101 and report the situation!

Two weeks of West bound and now it's East bound in 48 hours!!

The later Easter was of benefit to those travelling to the West Country this year.   The schools had already been on holiday for 2 weeks prior to the Bank Holiday and this meant people could stagger their journeys.   That said, the A303 around Stonehenge was queued, mainly westbound throughout the whole of the two weeks leading up to Easter....allowing only a 2/3 day holiday for some.....Then......it all works in reverse on the return leg.    But....not over a 2 week period......home bound traffic this time, has just a 48 hour window and so the A303 was queued Eastbound around the area of that bottle neck that is - Stonehenge but starting with Longbarrow!!
However, nothing keeps Wife of Watch Bustard down....she had to be out there with the camera at 19.10......but knew she had to be back at the nest for Monday night's Corry!!!   Taking the B3083 to Winterbourne Stoke she finds the A303 is flowing nicely, so ventures out when there's a gap in the traffic......then, half way up the hill towards Longbarrow, encounters the queue, brake lights a plenty, reason being.....
there's the usual snarl up at the roundabout with 3 lanes of vehicles all trying to get into one lane......as I've reported before: "a quart doesn't fit into a pint pot".....

I quote from a local driver, returning to Shrewton at 16.40 from Amesbury yesterday..... "traffic was free flowing until about 500 metres east of Longbarrow, from there, through the roundabout and all the way up to Berwick Down (how many miles?) traffic was solid or stationary. All three lanes of the roundabout were being used by vehicles going straight on, along the A303. The entire jam was being caused by cars in these three lanes all fighting to get into one. So, miles of stationary traffic being caused by the totally crap design of the Longbarrow roundabout, and drivers' selfishness"...... 

 

Tell us about your journey along the A303 and win a bottle of bubbly....visit: http://bypasswinterbournestoke.blogspot.co.uk

The A303 needs to be improved from West Amsbury to Berwick Down by what ever means...so please sign our petition at www.sh2.co.uk  many thanks!

The A303 at 1000mph....win a bottle of bubbly for fun!

We think you regulars who make the journey along the A303 each weekend - twice, will already know that it's taking longer since the closure of the A344 past Stonehenge.  So lets get some fun out of it......!
We have an unclaimed bottle of bubbly from last year and another one for this year starting today.....
if you can film your journey either east bound or west bound.
Check out my learned friend Dr Andrew Shuttleworth's blog for all the details, watch the video, and read rules of the competition here:
http://bypasswinterbournestoke.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/stuck-on-a303-win-one-of-two-bottles-of.html

Best of luck! and thanks for following my blog!

A Web Cam at West Amesbury.......soon please H A!

The STAG team are very pleased that our web page is at last up for all to see: www.sh2.co.uk!   Among lots of information about how the dualling campaign is progressing, we can check what's going on with the A303 from the web cam at Solstice Park.  This information is handy in as much, that Watch Bustard and wife decided it wouldn't be necessary to go handing out flyers at West Amesbury, since the A303 looked to be practically empty at Beacon Hill and, it being Easter Saturday, assumed most people had reached their particular holiday destination..... How wrong we were, when we took a run out for some food supplies....And a note to :

a web cam at West Amesbury please......soon!

Queueing at West Amesbury was....S.N.A.S.U.....situation normal....another snarl up!!   Not only was it nose to tail, as it has been most days since we were out on Friday 11th with flyers, but at least two vehicles had to be rescued with poached radiators....or....over heats to you and me.  There was the usual cooked clutches..... and of course....Watch Bustard does have his uses in getting all these broken cars off the carriageway!......Only the finest bottled water, just purchased from Lidl 20 minutes previously..... used to cool things down!!  Tip from WB....apart from checking your water levels before you leave home, if you do find yourself in a traffic queue, turn AC off, the fan on full and the heating up to max - even if it's 30 degrees outside.  This has the effect of taking heat away from the engine therefore cooling things down under the bonnet!   Unfortunately, this information was too late for these poor soles !!

While all this rescuing is going on, flyers are being handed out.....my thanks to the gentleman who said "this road needed to be dualled over 20 years ago"....and offered me a shovel!!   I hope the two lads in the black Renault made it to their wedding in Frome and so sorry for the family in the Volvo who only went out for the day to visit Stonehenge......without a ticket!!   Watch Bustard and myself have made so many friends out here on the A303...such fun!


Just when things were settling down into a moving queue......there's an incident over the hill toward Stonehenge Bottom and Wiltshire's finest with blues and two's, are having to weave in and out through standing traffic......!!!!













Please will you sign our petition to get rid of these queues:
www.sh2.co.uk  Thank you!

Nice place to have a kip.....

I've already posted up about the "quick fix" ideas discussed at the Multi Agency meeting on the 24th March.   Inspector Lange was anxious to deal with people parking up at Stonehenge Bottom to take photographs of the monument......or.......even - have yourself a kip if you will!!    Kip or 40 Winks....40 clins d'oeil!
The weather is beautiful today Wednesday, on Salisbury Plain - wall to wall sunshine and blue skies - the perfect day to view Stonehenge!    We're told by Stonehenge General Manager that ticket bookings have increased to the level of that around the Christmas holidays and the car park, was certainly into over flow mode - with cars parked on the grass above the parking area when we passed.  

 
However.....here, we have Monsieur Norbert Dentrassangle parked up at Stonehenge Bottom on the A303.   He was first clocked by Watch Bustard at 15.15.  Le Monsieur was just dropping down from his cab at the time, and making his way to the gate into the WHS.  20 minutes later, banking all done, Watch Bustard comes out of town via West Amesbury....and..... Le Monsieur is still there parked up as before.  Only this time.....Watch Bustard clocks the driver closing the curtains of his cab!!!   Well, you would if you wanted a bit of shut eye and traffic was heavy but flowing past your cab!!!    Anyway! Watch Bustard returns to the nest, grabs the wife and camera - (which, wife says.... should always be carried anyway!) and about 16.30 our foreign gentleman is still sound asleep, while having his photos taken....and we noted that on our second round, he'd been joined by a couple of bikes - probably having a fag stop! 
 






Can you see the motorbike in front at 16.30



These are the words from The Good Inspector if we see this type of thing again.....

"Thank you for passing these photos to the Police. We are making enquiries with the HGV company to establish why the driver parked there and to ensure that the driver is dealt with appropriatly.

We would encourage people to call 101 if they see other HGVs parking at Stonehenge bottom.

Please ensure that any pictures taken whilst driving on the A303 are taken by the passenger and not the driver".

Many thanks
Inspector Christian Lange