Bus stop, junction of Bricknell Avenue and Fairfax Avenue

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with the bus stop at the junction of Fairfax Avenue and Bricknell Avenue. Some local residents – perhaps especially those older than the two of us – have been making representations to us regarding the location of the stop and the absence of a bus shelter. Given the conflicting opinions on the latter point, we have asked the officers to consult with local residents on this matter in the hope of finding a better place for the stop and/or a consensus on the provision of a shelter. It goes without saying that we are not seeking to force a solution on local residents, who may however wish to take a look at the Rainhill Road bus stop, with its electronic board showing when the next three buses are due, as an indication of what could be done if the funds to do so were available.

Fairfax Avenue speeding

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve issues with motorists speeding on Fairfax Avenue. During the recent local election campaign we had it drawn to our attention that local residents perceived some motorists as possibly bending, or perhaps even breaking, the speed limit while using Fairfax Avenue. We therefore referred the matter to the officers who say there is no speed measuring equipment in place already but that they would be prepared to carry out a survey if we were prepared to pay for it. They also asked for information, which we were happy to provide, as to where along the length of Fairfax Avenue the speeding was going on. We take this matter seriously; it may or may not be a consequence of the wilful ignorance of the corporate centre in refusing to declassify Fairfax Avenue and the other parts of the ring road, but speeding is speeding, as taxi drivers who come before members of Licensing Committee are apt to find out, and in the interests of public safety we will continue to work to ensure Fairfax Avenue does not become a race track.

Kenilworth Avenue speed bumps

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for the re-marking of speed bumps on Kenilworth Avenue. During our campaign for the recent local elections we noticed that these markings were very much looking the worse for wear. We therefore notified the officers at once of their condition; they came to see for themselves and got back to us to say that they agreed the work needed doing and would make arrangements to ensure that it was. It goes without saying that we think it important that these markings should be in place; they offer motorists fair warning that they will soon reach a speed bump, and we not only want to see the speed limits observed, we also want motorists to be able to pass over speed bumps without damaging their vehicles.

Goddard Avenue traffic options

John Fareham and John Abbott wish to know what option Goddard Avenue residents would prefer for the resolution of traffic problems there. Readers may recall our calling a public meeting at the Newland Building some years ago at which no clear preference for any one solution emerged. Like all those who attended, we would like to support a solution, but it must be one that all local residents can live with and find acceptable. Once such a consensus emerges we would be delighted to put as much pressure on the corporate centre as it takes: John Fareham of course was involved in securing the chicane at Jack Kaye Walk as a solution to speeding issues, but traffic levels have moved on, car ownership has increased and the need for a solution has increased too.

Ancaster Avenue grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott are working to resolve problems with the misuse of weedkiller on Ancaster Avenue grass verges. We have received a number of complaints from local residents that in addition to killing the weeds, those doing so were also blasting the grass verge and killing large amounts of grass. We have referred our concerns about this to the officers and will persist with this matter until we not only have a solution to restoring your grass verges to the right condition but also have an explanation as to why they were damaged in the first place. Grass verge maintenance is something you might have expected the corporate centre to gain a bit of experience with; treating your grass verges in this way is not acceptable and we will seek to ensure it never happens again.

Fairfax Avenue grass verges

John Fareham and John Abbott have secured prompt trimming of Fairfax Avenue grass verges. Whilst canvassing for John Fareham’s candidacy in the elections on May 22nd we noticed that the grass in Fairfax Avenue verges was getting a little too long – not quite in the dandelion-ridden state visible elsewhere, but long enough to warrant trimming. We therefore asked that the Council’s Streetscene staff, who were in need of catching themselves up after the bank holiday, bring the work forward. It goes without saying we will continue to monitor the situation – we are heading into the peak time of year for grass growth and the situation will continue to require monitoring.”

Land behind Millers Walk

John Fareham and John Abbott confirm that the land behind Millers Walk and Abbotsford Close is still in the possession of the Council rather than in the possession of the developers of the existing properties. We were contacted by local residents concerned that part of this land might still be in the possession of the developers and open for having more houses built on it. I therefore checked the facts with the officers who confirm that all the land on site is either carriageway with houses on it or Council owned recreational land, leaving no space for further development on the site. Given the level of concern among some local residents that this might not be the case we are delighted to pass on this information as it now stands; given the corporate centre’s preference for selling land in wards not held by the ruling group, the position might conceivably change, but if it does we will of course let local residents know at once.

Abbotsford Close litter and debris

John Fareham and John Abbott have arranged for litter and debris to be cleared away from communal trees in Abbotsford Close. One of the regular advantages of campaigning for election recently was that local residents have yet another chance to raise matters with us, this time on a stop-me-and-buy-one basis. This is how we came by the knowledge that there was such debris to be removed; we contacted the officers at once and they arranged for Streetscene to come and get rid of the rubbish as soon as they had the spare manpower, which they anticipate should be within the next two weeks. It goes without saying that we both take a serious view of rubbish in all its forms, whether it be issues with bin collection, discarded takeaway packaging or whatever, and if this issue recurs we will of course be delighted to address it again.

Loveridge Avenue traffic scheme

John Fareham and John Abbott report that the consultation exercise for the Loveridge Avenue traffic scheme will take place sometime soon now that polling day in the local and European elections on May 22nd is past. Local and central government officers are prohibited by law, and have been for some years, from saying or doing anything during a specified period before elections that might be seen as favouring one candidate or another. This of course included consulting with Loveridge Avenue residents on the traffic scheme for Loveridge Avenue during the closed period, as we have been working to secure this for some time as reported in CONTACT!. We will of course both be pressing for the consultation exercise to take place as soon as is practicable.