Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
Demand more Learn more
by Lib Dem team on 21 February, 2019
This is work the Lib Dem team have been asking for for some time, so we’re glad to see it being carried out.
From the Council:
Following recent structure inspections and development of the Barnes Village site we are undertaking works to refurbish the subway under the A34 to the northbound bus stop and A34 Cycleway. The scheme involves masonry painting of the internal and external walls and soffit to the subway; vegetation removal to the surrounding areas to allow access for painting generally; repairs and painting to all railings and parapets to the subway structure; and coping repairs throughout. Our Framework Contractor, Bethell Construction Ltd, will be undertaking works.
Mobilisation to site will be on Wednesday 27th February with the works commencing on Thursday 28th. The works are anticipated to take approximately 4 weeks. Access through the subway will be maintained throughout the works. Freshly painted areas will be protected from public passing using Heras fencing.
11 Comments
It’s good to hear that access will be maintained. Otherwise those of us who live on the South Park estate would be somewhat trapped.
It used to be quite safe for those of us wanting to travel south (or east/west to Gatley and Cheadle) to briefly travel north on Kingsway then do a U-turn at Barnes. And I well recall officials telling me that the U-turn would be maintained after the Barnes development. But, of course, it hasnt been. So we’re left with the, frankly, dangerous option of egress from the estate being onto a busy motorway slip road.
And I was told at the planning meeting that “trafffic from Barnes would NOT cut through the South Park”. Yeh. Right. They do it regularly. As do hundreds of other motorists, including the Police, who don’t know what “Access Only” means!
I apologise to those residents of SPE who follow me (and others sharing frustration at the lack of enforcement) who are stuck behind us at 5mph.
Whilst I’m ranting: The “Give Way” at Kingsway/Braystan needs to be larger as do the 20MPH signs on SPE, Broadway (which some times seems like Le Mans) and other zones so marked.
Yes, apart from the illegality of it, apparently the sales agents for the site use access via the estate for the northbound A34 as a selling point. This is contributing to the rapid deterioration of the slip road, Mardale, South Park & Coniston.
Incidentally, I queried ages ago why the police no longer monitor the northbound access slip road, ticketing all non- residents for ‘failing to obey a traffic sign’ (No access) as I understood it, and was told that they discovered that all revenues from tickets issued went to central government so obviously, they took their ball and went home….t
I agree with Robert. I live on Broadway Avenue. Getting out of the road is a death trap. We are trapped in with cars on both corners, including the grass verge outside 14 Broadway, and across the road. We then have to contend with the Le Mans that Robert quite rightly talks about. We have complained to Stockport Council for years about this. Nothing has happened. Does someone have to die?
Hi Karen – as you’ll recall, double yellow lines were added to the junction of Broadway Avenue and Broadway after your complaints, so it’s simply untrue to say that nothing has happened. If you see people parking on the double yellow lines, you can ask the council to send out a traffic warden.
I wouln’t like to live on the so called Barnes Estate, i bet the car fumes are horrendous. Is it included in the sale price. completely surrounded by blocked up motorway morning and evening
Have to say David that I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the estate and you really wouldn’t know you were close to main roads.
Ian,
We do have a real issues on SPE.
The exit from the motorway has a stop line which is now frequently ignored.
It is becoming extremely dangerous leaving the estate.
Also as the issue with traffic passing throught the estate has been mentioned again. Can you advise what we can do to get this stopped?
Hi Nigel, I agree 100% on the issues with the South Park Road Estate. Our frustration is that the only way to solve the issues without really inconveniencing local residents is for more policing, but with Police numbers slashed they are finding it hard to prioritise these sorts of issues over burglaries, robberies etc.
Iain
I recall your late colleague, Brian Millard, had a possible technological solution. Install two “speed cameras” – one in the underpass, the other near Braystan. Use the software that exists for cameras on motorways which monitor “average speed limits”, to identify vehicles which appear on the first one and then the second one (within, say, two minutes). That would exclude vehicles who are legitimately on the estate, either as residents or visitors. And, BINGO, the remaining vehicles should be 100% of the offenders. Simples!
Hi John – yes, we’ve asked the Police and Council about automated camera options. As you’d expect, there are a depressing number of issues that make it anything but simple.
First, there’s the cost: each of those cameras costs tens of thousands of pounds, along with a legal order which may not have been tested elsewhere. And any fines would go to central government so that’s money out of the policing/council budget, not money that can be recouped through fines.
Secondly, there’s the issue of whether it would actually be legally enforceable. For example, it’s entirely legitimate for someone to drive onto the estate to see a house that’s for sale, drive past the house and then leave again.
So we’ll continue to raise the possibility of a technical solution, just as Brian did over a decade ago, but so far neither the Police nor the Council have gone for it.