New Traffic Lights Running - A49N Now GRIDLOCKED

[Jim Kenyon]

This is madness sent this earlier

 

Hi folks

 

Just driven same route today with no change is there any tweaking going to take place or are you waiting for people to give up on trying to come to Hereford and move freely around it.

 

Cheers

CLLR Jim Kenyon

 

I also followed it up with phone calls to find out why there is no answer to my emails.

[Ubique]

Following press release from HCC website!

 

 

A49 Edgar Street works complete

 

27 November 2013

 

The Highways Agency has informed us that they have now completed the A49 pinch point works at Edgar Street and new traffic lights have now been synchronised. They will continue to monitor the traffic lights to ensure that motorists can enjoy improved travel through the area as we move into the busy festive season.

[Colin James]

Following press release from HCC website!

 

 

A49 Edgar Street works complete

 

27 November 2013

 

The Highways Agency has informed us that they have now completed the A49 pinch point works at Edgar Street and new traffic lights have now been synchronised. They will continue to monitor the traffic lights to ensure that motorists can enjoy improved travel through the area as we move into the busy festive season.

 

Its a JOKE 

[dippyhippy]

Great emails Jim!

Keep firing them off, they may get the message eventually, that you're not going to be fobbed off.

 

Colin, your letter is in the HT - probably won't make it on-line, as we are on rations!!

Just two new letters have appeared in over three weeks!

[bobby47]

No Colin, this is no joke! These are serious people. When they say, ' to ensure we enjoy it' they really mean it. If they think it, say it, it's printed and we've read it, to them, that are in a different place to you and I, it becomes their truth and their mantra.

These people are passionately driven to deliver a robustly positive outcome for their service users and they'll not be diverted from this corporate mission statement and the unquenchable desire to to provide value for money, save us millions and provide us a thousand jobs, for any reason at all.

Here's my personal pledge to you my dear friend and colleague Colin. There's more chance of my breasts beginning to lactate milk than there ever is of 'them' switching off the lights and doing as you suggest. It ain't going to happen Colin. Oh, they'll meet you, they'll even provide a steering group to look at your suggestion, but when shove comes to push, they'll simply fob you off with a. 'Lets review this again in six months', giving you the golden opportunity to sit at the table again and repeat the pointless process in trying to communicate with these people.

Whatsmore, you've more chance of communicating with the former Mayor, Great Uncle bloody Albert Farr via a highly expensive Medium than you have in getting this bunch to think outside the box and respond to your request. It ain't going to happen Colin. Oh, there'll be times when you treck home, stagger through the front door and shout to your loved ones, 'I think Im getting somewhere', but you ain't Colin. They'll simply be giving you a little sugar to sate your taste buds in the hope you'll come back again, and again, and again to discuss the issue and the bundle of papers that you've helped create that now need a vast storage room to store these documents generated by you and this bureaucratic monster we call our Council.

God help you Colin.

[Biomech]

As a council member, Jim, are you not in some way an authorative figure for what's going on here? What I mean - and I'm probably wrong as I really care little about politics - is shouldn't they do as you say? At least to some degree? Isn't ignoring a councillors requests like ignoring your line manager in some way?

[Jim Kenyon]

As a council member, Jim, are you not in some way an authorative figure for what's going on here? What I mean - and I'm probably wrong as I really care little about politics - is shouldn't they do as you say? At least to some degree? Isn't ignoring a councillors requests like ignoring your line manager in some way?

Your quite right but as a opposition CLLR they don't offer you the same time as they would the cabinet member to be fair the HCC officers have chased things but the highways agency are answerable to themselves hence the slow replies and biomech your better off not knowing what's going on as the more you know the worse it is.

[dippyhippy]

 Colin, I am in a  poetic mood tonight, so here's one just for you!!

 

                           "Ode To Traffic Lights."

 

Sometimes they are green,

But they're usually red,

Traffic Lights in Hereford,

Means they'll be delays ahead!

 

There is an answer to this problem,

To end our sorry plight,

Listen to Our Colin,

And switch off those bloody lights!

 

            By D.Hippy.

[twowheelsgood]

"monitoring the situation" is Council-speak for we can't be bothered to get to grips with the mess we've created, we're off to the next project and hope that everyone gets tired of chasing us to do something. I've heard it a hundred times from Council Officers. They're still "monitoring the situation" they created with the non-sensical traffic lights at the bottom of Foley Lane/Ledbury Road junction, which have blighted all the residents lives for years. Imposed on them on the whim of one councillor, without any consultation, a subsequent meeting with residents, councillors, council officers and MP Keetch, saw the council agreeing to "monitor the situation". They haven't as much as given it a backwards glance since.

[Biomech]

Remember those adventure books from the 70/80's where you chose how the story went?

 

 

You walk into the kitchen, it's a bit chilly and the cooker looks a bit antiquated.

 

"I know!", you exclaim, "I'll get a newer cooker, that will make everything look fantastic! And if I buy it from Uncle Dave, I'll get a discount and he can buy me a fantastic Christmas present this year!"

 

The new cooker arrives and the installation team put it in. It looks wonderful!

 

You turn the hob on using the shiny new brushed metal dials on the top, gas rushes through the pipes and the rings burst into flames. WOW! 

 

It's time to go to work now. You reach forward and turn the dial back, but wait! nothing happens! The flames are still dancing. You turn the dial again, now the flames jump higher! The heat rushes up the wall and envelopes the dried hops hanging from the oak timber. Things are really starting to heat up now. You look around, but can't work out what's gone wrong. The heat is becoming too much to bear

 

Chose your path;

 

A: Ignore the problem, you don't know what is causing it so you might as well leave it, after all, it's new and sparkly! Your house might burn down but you have other things you want to buy

 

B: Turn the cooker off at the mains. You can use the old cooker until the gas man can find the problem and fix it.

[Colin James]

 Colin, I am in a  poetic mood tonight, so here's one just for you!!

 

                           "Ode To Traffic Lights."

 

Sometimes they are green,

But they're usually red,

Traffic Lights in Hereford,

Means they'll be delays ahead!

 

There is an answer to this problem,

To end our sorry plight,

Listen to Our Colin,

And switch off those bloody lights!

 

            By D.Hippy.

 

 

 Brilliant!! ha ha 

[dippyhippy]

Oh. My. God!

A couple of things spring to mind!

 

1.They are "monitoring" the situation! That always rings alarm bells!

2."We are confident road users can look forward to some real benefits...."  Like what, celebrating getting another year older whilst sat there????!!

 

It is beyond! A timescale please! When - precisely- will this be sorted!!???

 

And well done Jim for all you are doing about this, and the updates!!

Two Wheels , as you can see, absolutely agree with your comment about "monitoring."

 

Colin - its a pleasure! Glad you liked it. I am a red wine free zone tonight, so hopefully will be able to add in this quote,press "post" and not get myself into too much of a muddle....here goes!

[dippyhippy]

Result!

[Steve Major]

No Colin, this is no joke! These are serious people. When they say, ' to ensure we enjoy it' they really mean it. If they think it, say it, it's printed and we've read it, to them, that are in a different place to you and I, it becomes their truth and their mantra.

These people are passionately driven to deliver a robustly positive outcome for their service users and they'll not be diverted from this corporate mission statement and the unquenchable desire to to provide value for money, save us millions and provide us a thousand jobs, for any reason at all.

Here's my personal pledge to you my dear friend and colleague Colin. There's more chance of my breasts beginning to lactate milk than there ever is of 'them' switching off the lights and doing as you suggest. It ain't going to happen Colin. Oh, they'll meet you, they'll even provide a steering group to look at your suggestion, but when shove comes to push, they'll simply fob you off with a. 'Lets review this again in six months', giving you the golden opportunity to sit at the table again and repeat the pointless process in trying to communicate with these people.

Whatsmore, you've more chance of communicating with the former Mayor, Great Uncle bloody Albert Farr via a highly expensive Medium than you have in getting this bunch to think outside the box and respond to your request. It ain't going to happen Colin. Oh, there'll be times when you treck home, stagger through the front door and shout to your loved ones, 'I think Im getting somewhere', but you ain't Colin. They'll simply be giving you a little sugar to sate your taste buds in the hope you'll come back again, and again, and again to discuss the issue and the bundle of papers that you've helped create that now need a vast storage room to store these documents generated by you and this bureaucratic monster we call our Council.

God help you Colin.

 

bobby could be right but in my experience I would stick with it, don't give up because a tremendous amount of local people are behind you with this campaign Mr James, even if you got the lights reduced to part-time it would be a result.

[Biomech]

I've been having a FANTASTIC time lately avoiding Hereford. Taking the backroads out and avoiding going through town is not only a quicker more pleasurable drive but I can often do my shopping elsewhere with a lot less hassle. Hell, I can even get my frozen goods back to the house without them melting in the bags!

So I guess the positive that has come out of the atrocious traffic conditions in Hereford, is that I've found much quicker routes and better places to shop. So for that at least, I thank you HC.

[dippyhippy]

Well....I haven't abandoned High Town!

I called in at The Butter Market for a cauliflower and broccoli for yet another exciting vegetarian feast....!!

[Biomech]

Well....I haven't abandoned High Town!

 

 

As I've mentioned, I can often travel all over the country for work. You know the old adage, "the grass is always greener on the other side" ? Well in the case of Hereford, there's a ******* rainforest on the other side :P

[dippyhippy]

Love that comment Biomech!

[megilleland]

Hereford Times reader - relatively new to the county - has some ideas about improving Hereford.

 

Hereford Times: 3:12pm Thursday 6th March 2014 in Letters

 

Tim Waller of Ruckhall, Hereford, suggests new road and a one-way system

 

AS a newish resident of Hereford I am appalled to see how useless the council is at getting things done – surely it is employed to serve the public?

 

The two main problems I see are no ring road and bad planning in the city centre.

 

Perhaps a new look at these two things may help.

 

Firstly, as the Belmont golf club has now closed isn’t this a perfect time to acquire the land and swing a relief road around the city from Grafton across the old golf course and river then into a tunnel to come out north of the city?

 

Secondly, I think the city centre would benefit greatly from making a one-way system around the new shopping centre, then the roundabout on Edgar Street could become a T-junction, pedestrians crossing from the new shopping centre to the old town would only have one way to watch for traffic.

 

All existing traffic lights must become responsive to traffic flows and not timed as they appear to be now.

 

Finally, to make the city come to life reduce the ludicrously high parking charges, these should not be seen as a cash cow for the council.

 

Every other city I have visited has reasonable parking charges, and should be free after 5pm and on Sundays, Come on Hereford make yourself shine, as I understand it – HERE YOU CAN!

 

Can't see that happening as Belmont Golf Club was situated in an historic landscape.

[dippyhippy]

He's spot on with his first sentence though!!

[Biomech]

I've ran out of upvotes :P

 

Colin, is the limit per day or per 24 hours? :)

[Colin James]

I've ran out of upvotes :P

 

Colin, is the limit per day or per 24 hours? :)

 

 

Voting is limited to allow 10 x positive votes and ONLY 3 negative votes in any 24 hour period here. Below is a image of what I can do within the admin section. I can also turn on a feature that allows members to view who voted and how they voted but I think turning that on may cause more hassle that it's worth, that said, as the Administrator I can view who voted.

Finally, unlike what I am reading about the HT you can't fiddle the voting on here.  

 Voting.png

 

[twowheelsgood]

What about my suggestion that people can only vote once they reach a certain number of postings (say 50)? This is common on other postings for things such as selling.

[Biomech]

Thanks Colin, you did indeed say before. I would have upvoted that (and 2wheels) but my 24hours isn't up yet :P

 

Cheers!

[Ubique]

Today I saw it all , just !

I drove up Edgar St intending to travel up Eign St towards Whitecross , approaching Bewell St Traffic Island I joined the right hand lane ,my correct lane , an Audi 4X4 decided to move, quite aggressively into my lane in front of me, no problem , to old for road rage , we drove around the Traffic Island , keeping very correctly in the right hand lane , once we had cleared the Island and were driving very nicely into the slip road for Whitecross the Audi driver realised that he/she had make what is commonly called a cock up - the driver realised that the car was in the wrong lane because the Audi wanted to go south towards the ASDA island . Before my very eyes the driver moved to the left into the next lane , this action forced the car travelling in Lane 2 into Lane 1 , if this action was not taken it was apparent that the Audi would have hit the red car in Lane 2 . However this action caused the car in Lane 1 to swerve into the Tesco car park entrance and the bit of Bewell St where the taxies go. It's apparent that all the signs are there telling drivers which Lane they should be but - something must be confusing strangers to the area.

[Biomech]

I've just had visitors from Wales leave and they had big problems with;

 

A: The quality of the roads

B: The huge deep potholes near Dunelm

C: People not using the Tesco roundabout correctly, cutting them up and switching lanes.

 

They also mention that the "white lines" are difficult to read and seem to "go off all over the place".

 

I'd like to add, after driving at night in the rain, that the white markings on Commercial Road are non existent and need to be painted back on. 
I've lived here for decades and the other week, in the rain and dark, I even found myself accidentally straddling 2 lanes as I head towards KFC. At night/rain you cannot see any road markings down commerical road.

[Biomech]

 It's apparent that all the signs are there telling drivers which Lane they should be but - something must be confusing strangers to the area. 

 

 

 

The signs are correct, it's the behaviour that is the problem. Unfortunately, when a f*** up does happen, SO many people are doing it wrong that the person in the correct lane appears to be the one causing the problems.

 

What does need to be changed, however, are the arrows on the signs themselves. Coming from Newmarket Street to the roundabout, the lanes for the A49N/Edgar Street are shown by arrows pointing straight over, when, in reality, you're turning right.