Wales and West have an unexpected technical problem with their works. The original Victorian cast iron gas pipes have bends which would make it difficult for them to complete their works without a total closure of Shaftesbury Road.

A compromise solution has been found which will mean that they will dig an extra 10 metres along one side of Shaftesbury Road as far as Third Avenue. This will enable access to be maintained to Moorland Road for deliveries and disabled drivers.

Will and David support this solution and have asked that Wales and West communicate with those homes and businesses effected by the change.

Photograph of Victoria Bridge by Phillip Halling http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/546748

Will  has received an update from Cllr Roger Symonds (B&NES Cabinet member for Transport) about Victoria Bridge.

As most resdients will know the Bridge has been found to be structurally unsound and needs repair work.

The latest moves to stabilise the bridge have included a new structural engineer who specialises in suspension bridges being brought in to review the work done so far. Unfortunately this review will take a couple of months, during which time no further action will be taken with the bridge. Any future works recommended will need the agreement of English Heritage.

Roger’s preference is still to have a Bailey Bridge pedestrian/cycle way as a temporary measure, but a decision will not be made until the bridge expert reports back, and would probably involve land not currently in the Council’s ownership.

For cyclists, there is hoped to be a diversion in place from October which will run from Sainsbury’s, over the reopended Victoria Bridge Road, and then over the Western Riverside to Midland Road. If a cycle contraflow can be put in place, this would allow a North / South cycle link over the Destructor Bridge. Unfortunately, this is not as helpful for pedestrians.

Your local Councillors understand the importance of Victoria Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists from both sides of the City and we continue to press for the bridge, or a short alternative route to be provided as soon as possible. Unfortunately at the moment, it looks like progress will be slow.

The gas works started today. All the shops are open for business as usual. Wales and West have agreed to allow access to Moorland Road for deliveries and blue badge holders, but only when it is safe to do so.

Will and David urge everyone in our community to continue supporting the Traders in Moorland Road over the next few weeks.

If you need to collect any bulky items from the shops, special arrangements will be made by the traders.

You’re driving, you see blue lights behind you, what do you do?

Well, as long as you’re not just about to be caught speeding, you will want to get out of the emergency services way as soon as possible. Has anyone ever told you exactly what you should do?

It’s not in the highway code or part of the driving test.

Will is one of the Council’s representatives on Avon Fire and Rescue Service who have set up a new help us get there website to give advice to drivers about how they should react when they are under the sudden pressure of the emergency services trying to get past them on our roads.

There are YouTube clips for learner drivers, new drivers and experienced drivers.

Will said: “No-body’s every told me how I should react to the blue lights of the emergency services when I’m driving – until now.

This is a great initiative from Avon Fire and Rescue and I hope that the information will enable me and other drivers react safely when the emergency services are on call.

Anything we can do to help the emergency services to get safely and swiftly to where they need to be is of benefit to us all.”

The works have been postponed

The Gas Works have been postponed for a week to allow for better information to be provided to the community and more robust consultation with Traders about deliveries.

Last Friday Cllr Will Sandry met senior managers from Wales and West Utilities in Bristol to discuss the poor communication which had beset this project.

Specifically Will asked why only people with a gas supply had been consulted instead of all the traders and local residents, and sought reassurance that deliveries to and from the shops would be accommodated. He also addressed the issue of the poor communication of parking suspensions with residents in the surrounding streets.

Will said: “I’m pleased that Wales and West have agreed to take time out to consider what they could do better and improve their communication. Moorland Road has many  independent businesses, and lots of residents in the surrounding streets. It’s really important that their needs are catered for during these works.

Now I’ve met with Wales and West I understand the complex job that they are doing on Moorland Road. It’s not just one gas main they are replacing but two large ones on each side of the street. They have to dig some very large holes to push new pipes through the existing ones.

Everyone I’ve spoken with understands that Wales and West need to do the work, but equally everyone says that Wales and West should have communicated better.”

Will also found out other information about the works have have not been communicated to the residents and traders as yet:

• Working hours will be 12 hours per day, six days a week starting at 07:30 / 08:00. In the event that a day’s work has got to a critical point, the contractor may work on for another few hours beyond 8pm.
• The planned rest day is Sunday, but that may be swapped with Saturday for operational reasons during the works.
• Access to the shops for shoppers will be maintained at all times during opening hours and arrangements will be made for those with wheelchairs, pushchairs and mobility scooters.
• Further gas main replacement will be required on Third Avenue, Shaftesbury Road, Beckhampton Road, and the Lower Bristol Road within the next two years.

Moorland Road Gas Main Replacement

Cllr Will Sandry has expressed his anger that the gas main replacement work project on Moorland Road is failing the community before it has even started.

Will said: “I’ve been assured that Moorland Road is open to shoppers on foot (and mobility impaired) throughout the closure, but the Traders are saying to me that Morrisons (the contractor) are making ineffective plans to ensure deliveries can continue to take place to the shops.

I’ve seen a letter from Wales and West Utilities (WWU) to local residents which talks about limiting parking in surrounding streets so that traffic diversions can happen, but it doesn’t specify exactly where the restrictions will be or take in to account existing disabled bays in those streets.”

Whilst recognising that a safe gas supply and a safe working area for the contractors are also important to our community; Will and David are pressing Morrisons, WWU and Bath and North East Somerset Council to ensure that these problems are addressed before works commence on Monday, 25th July.

Click for larger image

This is advance notification that there will be a phased closure of parts of Moorland Road until November 2011. This is so that Wales and West Utilities (WWU) can complete a £120,000 project to replace a gas main.

The map (provided by WWU) shows the phases of the closures, but your Councillors have expressed their concern:

Cllr Will Sandry said: “WWU have been in touch with the Moorland Road Traders, but when I spoke with them, the Traders either hadn’t heard about the closure or thought the closure would just be for one day.

I’m very worried about the effect on the independent businesses.  Moorland Road is the heart of the south of Bath and in a recession, the message must go out that it’s business as usual on Moorland Road.”

Cllr David Dixon added: “When I was Councillor for Walcot Ward, I dealt with endless complaints about WWU’s works on the A4 London Road last year. That was a project which over ran and I personally had difficulties getting any positive response from the company.”

Will and David are speaking with WWU with the expectation that they will:

• keep local residents informed of their plans, and progress;
• enable full access to the shops for pedestrians and wheelchair users;
• make sure that traffic diversions are appropriate;
• ensure that deliveries can take place to all the shops.

Every 4 to 6 weeks Will and David publish a community enews for Oldfield Park, Moorfields Estate and parts of Englishcombe Lane. Currently we have over 25o subscribers, if you’d like to subscribe, please email oldfieldbath@gmail.com with the subject line SUBSCRIBE.

You can read our latest issue by clicking here or on the picture.

Will Sandry fixing the signs

Cllr Will Sandry has had a few complaints about some dog owners being irresponsible with their dog’s waste along the Linear Park.

Will said: “Dog mess is very anti social, but since the new litter bins have been installed in the park I wasn’t sure that all the community know that the bins can be used for both general litter and dog waste.

I’ve been in touch with the Council’s Dog Warden who provided me with signs for the bins. I put the signs on yesterday, and it’s now clear that the bins are for multipurpose use.

Hopefully, this will encourage dog owners to be more responsible and mean that they can avoid a £50 on the spot fine for dog fouling and the possibility of prosecution”.

The Council’s Dog Warden Service operates five days a week with some weekend patrols.

Early morning and late evening patrols are undertaken when there has been a specific complaint in an area.

You can read more about the Council’s Dog Warden Service by clicking here.