Maggie May

All bikes should have a bell on them. I use mine when coming from behind to warn people there is a cyclist approaching, if I am on a shared use path. Most people are fine about this but some seem cross when I have rung it, as if I was trying to frighten them. It is just to warn them not to meander in front of a relatively slow moving bike they wont have seen and which is effectively silent. I did have a dilemma when the children were young as I didn't like my children under the age of 8 cycling on the road if it was a busy. I would try and choose quiet routes, but sometimes we would be on a short stretch of busy road and then I would encourage them to cycle on the pavement for safety but to get off there bikes if there were pedestrians. I think there needs to be more respect for all people travelling, and from car drivers in particular towards cyclists. Some car drivers seem to think cyclists have no right to be there. One long stretch of wide pavement which you rarely see people walking on is the A49 from Asda aroundabout up to the Victoria Street subway. This would be ideal for shared space, but no one seems to have done this section of pavement. Any one know why not?

I agree Bill, and I am a cyclist. As I cycle around Hereford I notice that a lot of the road is often taken up with cars parked all day and night on main roads. For example at the bottom of Belmont Road as you approach the Asda junction if you cycle on the main road you have to go outside of parked cars with not much space for cars wanting to overtake the slower cyclist (me). It means that vehicles take up effectively 3 to 4 lanes and yet there is no dedicated space for cyclists who are not very confident on roads and want something safer than fresh air to protect them from vehicles. The same applies on Whitecross road, where it seems that rather than clear a whole lane of parked cars (right by the old Bulmers staff car park) the Council have made the pavement "shared space" and put pedestrians and cyclists together. I have now got rid of my car as I use it so little. Instead I just hire one if I need to go away anywhere this way. Some cars in Hereford seem to be parked for days without any noticeable use. I am surprised that more people don't do what I do and save quite a bit of money by not having a car.

Thanks Adamski. Does this mean that parking has been reduced but will still be free when it is not on other City Centre Streets? You rarely see a parking warden in this area and yet if the Council targeted it they could make a fortune every day from what I see of the bad and double parking around there.

Why is there no charging for Castle Street? This street already has 2 hours free parking and I get the impression some who use this street think this also means that you can double park as well. To my mind some of the wealthiest car owners regularly park in Castle street so it would target people who can afford to pay for their parking.

I agree that people could tidy up the pavement outside their own homes but undertaking work on road junctions is not possible as volunteers are not insured (or permitted by Balfour Beatty) to work on the Highway. I went out with little ones this weekend and there is a junction on Tower road where there is a lovely Buddleia which is now taller than the junction bollards! This can only be the Highway Authority responsibility, but whilst the Council have previously removed safe trees on roads in Hereford, they seem unable to remove trees growing wild out of the middle of a small bollard junction. The Council seem to have just found an extra £1million for Blueschool St so why are they unable to maintain our roads and pavements in a fit state? I used to be a proud Herefordian but I am now very embarrassed by the state of our once lovely City.

Sorry but I thought my taxpayers money for this road, along with the funding which I thought came from the Homes and Communities body, was to enable the Urban Village. Even the Council's slick 2020 propaganda website says "The recent development of the Old Market leisure complex has been extremely successful and the City Link Road will allow land in the Edgar Street Grid area of Hereford to be further developed as an ‘urban village’. This urban village will help address the county’s housing needs and help make Herefordshire a more attractive place to live, work and visit. Around a third of the development will be affordable housing to help attract younger people to Hereford city." http://www.hereford2020.com/hereford-city-improvements/ . Is even the Council's own propaganda machine not being told the truth? Or cannot they no longer lie consistently we now seem to have 2 Council websites?

Thank you all for these links. Call me simple but when are we getting the 800 new homes on the "Urban Village"? I thought these were going to be built alongside the City Link Road, and yet I have seen no planning applications to move these much needed homes onto development. I thought there had been a planning application approved a few years ago for some supported accommodation at the end of the football club ground. This site would be ideal for older people to move to as they would be closer to all the services, and as buses have been cut, if you are no longer able to drive you need to live close to shops, doctors,hospitals, etc. Friends at The Rose Gardens off Ledbury Road find it so convenient for town and meeting friends. Surely University students wont need to live right in the centre of Hereford - I thought they were going to be working with employers based at the Rotherwas Enterprise Zone and at other employment sites outside of the City centre.

Why does the job centre and customer services hub need to move into Blueschool St? It seems there is plenty of space now available in the Job Centre building where there are 2 floors of offices available to let https://www.sunderlands.co.uk/commercial/property/st-nicholas-street-hereford-4645. If Herefordshire Council go ahead with this project I see that for the rest of the year the budget left for all offices across the entire county is £13,000, which is not alot should there be a problem. With Herefordshire Council there is always a problem, and £13,000 is unlikely to be any where near enough to dig the next fiasco out of a large hole. Isnt it amazing that when a project is part of a Council "vision" money is pretty much unlimited and yet when it involves children with special needs or paying for an adequate number of social workers to support the most vulnerable in our society, the "cupboard is bare".

I have looked at this short youtube video. I appreciate that this has all been released ahead of the consultation, but if I were approaching from Bath Street how on earth am I supposed to join the cycle lane? Do I have to mount the pavement to join the cycle path, whilst cycling contrary to a "no entry" sign? At least the Police, who are not too far away could increase their funds with arresting cyclists at this point. If I get onto the proposed contra flow I see that I am then confronted by cycling directly into cars coming the opposite way as there is no protection for cyclists using this lane. I wasn't keen on the King St cycle path but now that alot of people use it the parked cars do provide some protection when you are cycling contrary to oncoming motorised traffic, especially lorries and buses. Quite a few children and parents use it because it feels safe. I cant say the same about this proposal. At the City centre end of St Owen St again how do I get to cycle left into Offa St? There appears to be a large pavement blocking my way, pushing me out into the oncoming traffic as it goes around St Peters Square memorial. Perhaps the arrow is to direct me straight into Tanners for a stiff drink after surviving this stretch of road! Once again I feel that this film is all very "corporate" but could we have some sensible plans, also showing how this links into other cycle routes - Will Offa St now be made 2 way for cyclists (plenty of road width and a simple short stretch of road that could do this)? Or has the budget for this been blown on the cost of the video? Where will there be good bike parking? Will there be extra, covered cycle parking at The ShireHall and Town Hall? This might encourage councillors and staff to get on their bikes more and lead by example, saving us on paying them mileage.

I have asked a friend of mine who knows about these things and she sent me this link https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/downloads/download/660/council_accounts_201617 If you want to see information behind the figures I think this is the bit that you need to read "Notice is hereby given under Regulation 15(2)(b) of the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 that from 3rd July 2017 to 11th August 2017 inclusive between 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. on weekdays any person may inspect, and make copies of the accounts and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other related documents of the above-named body for the year ended 31st March 2017, as stipulated in Section 25 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. The accounts and other documents will be available for inspection at offices at which they are normally kept by prior arrangement. Application should be made initially to Mr Andrew Lovegrove, Chief Finance and Section 151 Officer, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, Hereford, HR4 OLE, 01432 383519, Andrew.Lovegrove@herefordshire.gov.uk . The accounts will also be available at www.herefordshire.gov.uk . I hope that some of you who know about these things might be able to bring some of the important issues you have raised to the light of public inspection by getting information from the public inspection of accounts. It seems from Councillor Matthews letter that even councillors aren't allowed to know how our money is being spent.

I think on another post someone said that a talk from Balfour Beatty is being given tomorrow evening by the Civic Society. I understand that the man talking has responsibility for the traffic light system in Hereford so perhaps he can tell us how out of date and uncoordinated it is. Despite cycling I have noticed that the traffic has been bad again today. If the Council are trying to attract funding for a "bypass" there is no incentive for them to reduce congestion as that would defy the reason for the pet project they cannot afford.

What is it about the traffic these last few days? It doesn't cause me much of a problem as I now cycle everywhere but the other evening I noticed that before 6pm the Greyfriars Bridge heading north was completely deserted of traffic. Not a single car on the entire dual carriageway at that time in the evening. I was so surprised I have never seen it empty. Is it because the Council are once again consulting on their latest plans for a Transport Plan for Hereford? Whenever they consult about traffic they seem to deliberately make the congestion worse than usual by mucking up the phasing of the lights as a starter. Closing a road or two is an optional extra.

Can someone please explain why Herefordshire Council are allowed to put so many traffic lights along Edgar Street? I am not against it for local people looking to cross a busy road but why didn't the link road come out at the Newtown road junction roundabout? These extra traffic lights are slowing the traffic on the A49 and as the lights system is so old and out of date, the phasing doesn't help traffic flow through the City. I thought Highways England were concerned about traffic and congestion in Hereford so why have they approved all these traffic lights?

I intend to vote but I am waiting to see who has what policies before I make a decision. Remember that many thought the Brexit vote would be for remain, but it changed. I know that was on a simple majority, but if all our young people turn out and vote, and most of you posters choose not to, then things could change. My vote will not be about Brexit or Europe but about the future for our country such as our National Health service, our roads, our economy, social care for young and old, and who I feel I can trust. I welcomed seeing prospective MPs at the River Carnival because it isn't about sound bites of a couple of people on the TV or Radio but who will best represent my views in Parliament. Yes it might sound as if I am naive, but that will be my approach. In view of the local situation and nationally I am certainly looking to vote for someone other than the Conservatives as I disagree with many of their policies and what they are doing to our country, and that it nothing to do with Brexit. At the moment I have been quite interested in what the Green Party is offering. Herefordshire has been very innovative on sustainable energy, and making the Country more resilient, which to my view is what will make our economy stronger and protect future generations against the worst effect of climate change.

I was at The River Carnival today and I saw Jesse at a distance with his trumpet case (well I think that was what he had in it, could have been his lunch). I also saw Diana Toynbee the Green Party candidate as well as the Leominster Green Candidate Ellie Chowns(?). I wondered why she as there but then someone pointed out that a lot of areas just outside of the City boundary are in the Leominster constituency. I heard a request over the tannoy for the Mayor of Hereford as they seemed to have lost him - so he must have been there somewhere. From a national perspective I dont want a Conservative win as they are wrecking our NHS, they have wasted so much of our money on these "free schools" (look at Robert Owen Free school in Hereford), I dont want grammar schools and they have destroyed so much of our local services whether buses, libraries, children's services, etc. and just spend on new roads, whilst our trains are jam packed and out of date, and road surfaces are a danger for someone like me who pedals around Hereford. On policies I will not be voting Conservative regardless of the person representing them.

I also cycle quicker than this and I am definitely in the "young and fit" group of cyclists. As Twowheelsgood says the major cause of delays are traffic lights. More and more lights seem to be appearing and is it me or is this particularly bad whilst the consultation on the Hereford Transport Package is happening until 22nd May?

Whilst I am no speed cyclist I see those who use bikes are not in the video. I went to the consultation in The Courtyard last week and I was told that cyclists and pedestrians will be sharing pavement space in Hereford. There is no safe cycle path separate from pedestrian footpaths. Seeing as most of those front doors open straight onto the street I can see real problems here for pedestrians and cyclists. Most other cities now are building protected cycle lanes when they build any new road infrastructure so that cyclists that travel at 10-15mph to get around small cities like Hereford, do not cause any injury to pedestrians. In Hereford they don't. I can already hear people complaining about cyclists on the pavements, and that it because we are being put there by bad town planning e.g. Whitecross Road or Holme Lacy road. I dont like doing this to pedestrians so I end up cycling on the road so as not to stop and start at every side road and to avoid pedestrians. Perhaps I am just old fashioned.

Will an auction really achieve the best price for local taxpayers? I thought properties and estates like this were only auctioned when the owners were desperate and would take pretty much any price. Alot to put on in one go as well if they are selling all the small holdings even those with sitting tenants. I thought with all the nice plans/videos at the latest Council consultation on Hereford that the Council must have loads of money to throw around.

I see that the issue of the sale of the Council small holdings has been raised in evidence by the South Herefordshire Green Party for a select committee looking at the effectiveness of Local Government Overview & Scrutiny committees. The submission by the local Green Party can be seen here http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/communities-and-local-government-committee/overview-and-scrutiny-in-local-government/written/49015.html It seems Herefordshire Council also made a written submission http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/communities-and-local-government-committee/overview-and-scrutiny-in-local-government/written/48737.html . It looks to me as if the communications team have been working overtime. I wonder how many elected councils would agree that this is actually how the Overview & scrutiny committee actually operates in practise.

Well if the cyber security centre is going there I hope they have a really good cable/broadband connection as when I used to work down there your upload and download speeds were a joke. Sometimes it was quicker to back stuff onto a memory stick and take it home before sending it. Hardly the best environment for a cyber security centre. Malvern already has a cyber centre where alot of people from Qineteq and other tech places all work http://www.malvern-cybersecurity.com/ . AS usual Hereford is behind the curve on this - and doesnt have the transport or internet access like so many other areas. Malvern you can easily get to Birmingham or London. THat bit from Hereford to Malvern or vice versa can be terminated at Ledbury or the train fails to turn up.

"This project will help us identify opportunities for the community to adopt and manage assets such as sports pitches, parks and open spaces, while the council moves to focus on its key priorities. The project will help create a sustainable model of cultural enterprise, cultural tourism and retail, and develop a cultural brand strategy for Herefordshire.†Let me guess that the cultural branding will cost more than will ever be spent on grass cutting and open spaces. If a website can cost £250,000 how much could you spend on developing a "cultural brand strategy" . Perhaps they will change the colour of the apple again - rosy red this time? ​I see that this will enable the Council to focus on its key priorities. Sorry but I thought grass cutting, maintaining sports pitches, open spaces was one of the reasons we all have to pay so much in Herefordshire for our Council tax and as far as I am concerned my children and grand children being able to play outside is a priority to me, along with rubbish collection, filling potholes, etc.

I also see that the Council are looking to lift covenants and sell the old Holme Lacy primary school http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/15168112.Consultation_on_the_future_of_closed_primary_school/ . "Herefordshire Council is currently consulting on a proposal to lift the restrictive education covenants from the land and playing fields so it can sell or redevelop the land." Am I being simple but if the Council are looking to build houses on this site and also at Lower Bullingham, etc surely they will need a school? Or are the Council planning to just attract people retiring to the area rather than provide facilities and schools for young families.

Surely the money cant have run out as I was told the Council had upped the budget to over £40Million. Apparently this was done by renaming the whole project the Hereford City Centre Transport Project and adding £13million of new money to the original £27million they had for the City Link road. I heard that they had trouble last year not being able to work out how much they had spent previously and what the costs were brought forward, but surely with a new accountant he cant have lost the figures like Mr Robinson http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50036966/AG%20report%20cover%20sheet%20-%20HC_Hereford%20City%20Centre%20Transport%20Package%20Link%20Road%204-7-16%20003.pdf . If this City Link Road has cost over £27million what is the likely cost of the Southern Link Road now? This was also supposed to cost £27million, but this is a much longer stretch of road and surely a much more complex project as they have to build bridges over roads and railway tracks. Does anyone know what this is now expected to cost? If it is more than £27 million who has to make up the difference? I would rather they spent the money making the current roads we have safe enough to drive and cycle along.

Thank you Denise for this. It makes me so cross that Herefordshire Council can spend £260,000 or more on a new website, but cant help families, some of whom can be at breaking point trying to care for a child with complex needs. I read somewhere else that a huge amount of money has been spent on Elgar House for Council staff, when no previous employer has had to spend that amount of money on it for staff to work there. As I say it makes me angry and it just adds insult to injury to the families affected by the closure of No1 Ledbury Road.

I think the Hereford Civic Society proposed developments at Pontrilas a year or so ago as it was thought to be a "sustainable" location and nearly the entire population descended on the Civic Society meeting including a large number of local county councillors. On that basis I cant see Herefordshire Council looking to improve the river crossing at Llangua and avoid the height restriction under the railway bridge at Pontrilas. Herefordshire Council are much happier claiming a parallel road to the M6/M6 from Ross-on-Wye up the A49. If this needs to be done alot of work will be required around Woonton, Craven Arms, etc to enable HGVs to travel through there in larger volumes and at higher speeds. I would have thought improving the railway service and carriages would be much cheaper as you can travel from Cardiff all the way to Manchester by train and work whilst travelling. If freight needs to be used what about freight on rail? Freight now travels from China to London by trains http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38654176 .