twowheelsgood

Looking at the open ‘ablution areas’ - these are used by Muslims before prayer, so I surmise this will become a mosque, albeit a small one. They indicate that prayer will start at 6am and finish at 11pm - not sure what nearby residents will think of this. A shockingly mediocre scheme that pays no heed to Building Regulation fire and other requirements.

That'll be as a result of some of the 'value engineering' that was done to bring the cost down!!

At least £1m - niceties such as fees (£110k to the architects alone) have conveniently not been included. Whilst, typically, SWAP and the Council have concentrated on procedure, or chronic lack of, seemingly no one has looked at the actual building cost - is £2m reasonable for the work done and if not what steps can be taken to recover some of the monies. Given that architects HUB provided an accurate build cost of £1,060,000, then it is baffling why the cost doubled for what is a pretty small job. Why has no one pulled in a Quantity Surveyor to go through all of the costs and challenge the contractors to justify them? That money, our money, has gone somewhere and for sure it's not in that building. As an aside, as for the contractors, HUB were appointed on the say of one officer, no checks, no tender, no demonstration of value for money and no contract either. Truly shocking.

Sort of right - there was a last minute stand off on the sale of the land - the developers demanded a £0.5m reduction or they would walk away from the whole proposal. Council duly rolled over for tummy tickling as the developers knew they would. I believe the site was valued at £30m at the start of the ESG debacle and that it was sold for less than a tenth of that to British Land.

I braved the A49 Newtown Road northbound this morning - flew through, none of the usual delays - work in progress consisted of 4 workers leaning on a fence talking. However, coming back was rather different - traffic is diverted onto Yazor Road and Whitecross Road, more than doubling it's load. Result - nothing moving. At all. Gave up at the end of Yazor Road, turned right and headed back across the top of the City. Nine weeks of this - the cost to business will be massive - I lost an hour which no one will pay me for.

"aimed to be established by September 2018 with 60 students" They'll fit in Franklin Barnes - job done.

Newtown roundabout is 'around the clock'. Which rather puts into perspective the Lugg Flats work where Western Power said they couldn't do that because it would disturb residents (despite there being no houses).

From Hereford 2020; ROAD WORKS | Here's a list of road works which are being undertaken in the upcoming months in Hereford City Centre, due to the construction of the new Link Road: A49 Edgar Street Date: 30 October until 4 November Times: 8pm – 7am Works undertaken: resurfacing and network upgrade Traffic management: lane closures and diversion Newtown Roundabout Date: 11 September until 10 November Times: around the clock Works undertaken: widening works Traffic management: southbound lane closure and diversion Farriers Way and Newtown Road Date: 5 November until 11 November Times: 8pm – 7am Works undertaken: resurfacing Traffic management: closure of northbound lane at Farriers Way and Newtown Road closure at the roundabout Newtown Roundabout Date: 12 November until 19 November Times: 8pm – 7am Works undertaken: resurfacing Traffic management: temporary traffic lights A465 Commercial Road and Aylestone Hill Date: 19 November until 26 November Times: 8pm – 7am Works undertaken: resurfacing Traffic management: HGV closure and diversion

I cycled down Skylon View (towards the City) at about 5.30pm and there were 2 police cars, a fire engine and some builder types at the gateway at the end. No one was looking very alarmed - just standing around chatting. They've recently started working in this area and so something may well have been uncovered, but nothing was closed off. I'd gone in the other direction at about 4pm and nothing was happening then.

Perhaps the contractors will play the 'unforseen circumstances' card - it's worked like a dream on the Lugg Flats. I guess the Council won't be fining their own contractors in this instance though - more likely paying them handsomely for 'extras'.

That's the Lugg Bridge that was due to open yesterday and then suddenly wasn't due to 'unforeseen circumstances' and now may open at some random time in the future at least several weeks away? What an utter shambles - lesson's really aren't ever learned are they?

No, it isn't. The offender would still be liable for a Fixed Penalty Fine for riding on a pavement.

Please stop calling these people criminals - they are not. Cycling on the pavement is not a criminal offence. The Chief Police Officer has the discretion to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) to an offender with a £50 fine. That does not make you a criminal nor give you a criminal record, assuming you pay the fine. Other offences such as riding through red lights also carry a FPN fine. Accepted this is a simple summary of the law and a case may have extenuating circumstances which may make it more serious. FPN Guidance says "The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief Police Officers who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required". The Home Office guidance was re-affirmed in 2014 by the then Cycling Minister Robert Goodwill, who agreed that the police should use discretion in enforcing the law and recommended that the matter be taken up with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). ACPO welcomed the renewed guidance, circulated it to all forces, and issued a statement referring to "discretion in taking a reasonable and proportionate approach, with safety being a guiding principle. Further, the Highway Code is not a legal absolute, it is not of itself a statement of the law, but a combination of both advice and mandatory rules which apply to all road users in the UK. In the interests of balanced reporting, can we have thread titled 'Highway Code Doesn't Apply To Some Motorists Then?.

It's perfectly legal to cycle in High Town and Commercial Street before 10am and after 4.30pm.

Spot on comment. Motorists kill 3000+ people every year, including cyclists, and its accepted that that’s just the way it is. Cyclists kill on average 3 people per year. The issue with bikes is that anyone aged from 6 to 100 can ride them - I doubt very much that any 15 year old pavement riding oik has even heard of the Highway Code, even assuming he can read. So, it's a question of education as much as anything. I don't condone law breaking, I don't do it when I'm on my bike but then I'm old school, but I will very occasionally ride on a pavement where the road is simply too dangerous to do otherwise (south of Belmont roundabout for instance), but I'll always stop/give way to any pedestrians. Just to correct some of the comments further up the thread - this IS allowed and the Police are well aware of it. I do regularly cycle over the Vicky Bridge, but only when there is no one on it, otherwise I'll walk - it's just a common courtesy (and in fact I did get a 'ruling' from the ward councillor that he would support this if it was ever challenged). I do have third party insurance for my own safety - I'm far more likely to be knocked off by a speeding Audi (very nearly, twice this year) than I am to cause an accident - but that's my choice and it would be impossible to make it compulsory, and nor should it be.

Looking back at the ESG Masterplan '20 Year Vision', adopted in 2007 (so we're halfway through it ...) Phase 1, 2010 - 2012 • Commence Station Approach redevelopment • Construction of link road including land assembly and clearance (route options under consideration between A-B) • Land assembly and construction of new car park for Royal Mail, to south west of existing Royal Mail building • Establish pedestrian connection between railway station and Blackfriars • Widemarsh Brook diversion - route options under consideration • Initial works at Station Square and transport hub • Streetscaping to Widemarsh Street So far behind schedule, they've quietly abandoned this multi-million pound Masterplan (that’s just the fees to consultants by the way) and started again with the Hereford Area Plan and lots of new (different) quarters. More of a job creation scheme than a constructive approach to the future, but that's the way Council's continue to roll with our money.

Due to open 'end of the year' - it takes a long time to wire up 100 traffic lights and to make sure that none of them talk to each other. The transport hub is a future proposal - you didn't expect that as well did you! It was of course a key part of the ESG Masterplan and should have been delivered years ago.

I was pointing out that none of the immediate priorities had been addressed six years (not five as I previously said) after they had been identified and put in the public domain. One of the best-preserved major historic cities anywhere in England deserves to be properly managed.

In September 2011, Herefordshire Council published the hugely impressive and comprehensive 'Hereford City Defences - a conservation management plan’. Download all three parts from here www.herefordshire.gov.uk/downloads/download/53/archaeology_and_the_historic_environment_record The study concluded in part; A recent characterisation study of its historic townscape concluded that Hereford is – measurably and objectively – one of the best-preserved major historic cities anywhere in England, with only one minor street added within the walls since the Middle Ages (Herefordshire Archaeology report 266, 2010). The city walls are an integral part of that historic townscape and any enhancement of them will add materially to the historic character of the city as a whole. A number of simple measures are outlined in this plan to do just that, without the necessity for any capital-intensive programmes of works. Properly maintained, made more accessible, displayed and interpreted within an improved setting and properly promoted, the city walls can play a leading role in a broader campaign of heritage-led regeneration. Immediate priorities for the period 2011-2014: These are essentially either urgent actions to address specific issues, or are actions that should serve to focus activity in subsequent years. •  Establish a permanent programme for routine maintenance •  Undertake a review of the spatial scope of current statutory designation provision and in particular the extent of scheduling •  Resolve issues concerning the interface between the planned Retail Quarter and the city walls (policy proposal 1.3, above •  Continue remedial work (1) on recent vegetation re-growth and (2), on failed structural elements and unstable masonry in the Greyfriars Surgery/Black Lion area (see 2.4 and 2.5, above) •  Develop and carry out a project to better record and understand, and restore one or both surviving bastions and improve public access and information (see 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, above) •  Develop an interpretation strategy, linked to other city-centre initiatives, for example streetscape re-design and enhancement •  Develop a floodlighting and display strategy to improve the setting of the walls and their display •  Encourage other bodies to bring develop proposals for the enhancement of the monuments. At the time of writing (September 2011) Hereford Civic Society is developing a strategy to distinguish the developmental priorities for the period 2012-2026. I think it is fair to say that none of the immediate priorities have been implemented 5 years after they were highlighted. Why oh why do we have such a lamentable Council?

It's not only weeds that are causing damage - this section in Gaol Street is gradually being demolished by idiot drivers. I've flagged incidents of damage in the past to the Council but nothing is done (save for displaced lumps of ancient stone just being taken away and never seen again).

Six parking spaces plus cycle storage.

It will be 7 years in October - the OLM wasn't even built then. The site already has planning permission - this is the new owners revising the scheme slightly. There will be 19 dwellings and 2 shops.

Width is immaterial - it is the legal status of the path. As George says, if they are designated as 'shared space' then cycling is allowed and these paths are signed with small repeater signs showing a pedestrian and a bicycle. Many in the City are far from ideal but they are a lot better than nothing. I use the Whitecross Road one for instance, as a cyclist, to get to Plough Lane without having to try and turn right across Whitecross Road. You do have to be wary of wandering pedestrians who are inevitably oblivious to the fact that it is a shared space and they should act accordingly.

I saw two suits and a hi-viz looking at it on Thursday. Clearly some official talking if not action.

This is a project that the City Council could/should pick up and fund, especially the signs and vending machine.