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twowheelsgood

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Posts posted by twowheelsgood

  1. Can't help but think this is a sticking plaster on the much bigger problem of just too much traffic, which this Council have failed to do anything about in the last 3 years. Perhaps if they followed through on election pledges and turned off some traffic lights to reduce standing traffic, things might improve. 

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  2. The grandly titled Director of Assurance and Resources is not very reassuring in this report. £54k for a piece of software is a lot of money. The report is badly written and doesn't justify the spend. There are no other comparative costs mentioned, nor, crucially, does it refer to any ongoing costs - yes, full breakdown should have been in the report, but the decision has been made. This isn't 'negative council bashing' or 'tripe', it's questions being asked about the spending of our money when, all the time, we are given the message that there isn't money for essentials, whilst spending on planters and the like is seemingly out of control.

    This forum has a very long history of calling out the Council when needs be - it's not jumping on anything.

  3. Both links have bene taken down ... read into that what you will. I did manage to read the auditors report before it disappeared - good grief! For 14 months, officers and staff concealed the facts from councillors that BBLP is a non-trading company with £100 in the bank! What on earth were they on (apart from huge salaries)? What an unholy mess - we've been paying £20m+ a year to a company that doesn't exist! Were these the same officers and staff that concealed the facts and lied to councillors about the massive overspend (and protracted legal wrangles over compulsory purchase) for the link road? What will ti take for this administration (or the next one) to sort out the pervading culture in Plough Lane? 

  4. Precisely, the road is already there, £850k with the so called management plan fee - it's just under 0.25 mile, so that’s £3.4m a mile. That's without officer time, and the last 20 years of reports, consultations, designs, four separate measured surveys and so on.

    Seriously, no one has a clue in Plough Lane. I thought they were bringing in a new project manager to get a grip on these things (away from BBLP). The fact that it is ring fenced money is immaterial - all of these projects and costs have come from the council to go in the application. 

  5. Couldn't agree more. The recent Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) report in the HT highlights the City Centre as having air quality as bad as in London in many places. This isn't new, but this administration were elected on the promise that they would sort out the traffic in the City and sort out BBLP. They haven't done either, nor have they delivered a single piece of cycling infrastructure, all of which would have contributed to cleaner air and better health. Instead we have profligate spending on endless consultations, planters and vanity projects and, with the elections barely a year away, the spectre of a return to tory rule. The City roads are crumbling whilst unclassified lanes in the middle of nowhere continue to get complete resurfacing. The Great Western Way desperately needs improvement - proposals were tabled in 2019 as part of the Hereford Transport Package - a relatively cheap investment into green transport, but again, nothing has happened. £770k + 10% management fee for St Owen's Street cyclepath - the road is already there, this is lunacy, a year ago this scheme was costed at £300k. This administration are keen to blame the last administration for overspends, but they've very rapidly gone the same route.

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  6. Where will the Council hold their meetings now? They've block booked the hotel for the last 18 months or so at some considerable expense, despite owning numerous other buildings they could use for no cost, not the least their own £multi-million HQ in Plough Lane. As for the application, the Council will be happy to take the money, so it's likely a done deal.

  7. Here's a better idea to encourage people to cycle - make the roads safer. Bath St is a rutted nightmare and of course the St Owens St cycle path is still missing, 21 years and counting. Very few of the City's roads are actually pleasant or safe to cycle on and even the Great Western Way needs some love after so many ears providing sterling service (the mooted improvements publicised three years ago have not materialised). Nearly three years in and this green/indie council have yet to deliver a single piece of new cycling infrastructure (or turn off a traffic light) in the City and no, bits of white paint don't count. Who locks their bike in Gaol Street to go shopping anyway? Why not more racks in High Town which are always full. SO many issues to resolve.

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  8. The obvious thing to do is introduce residents parking permits for use in the car parks, for those residents who live in the middle of Kington, and who are minimising the use of their vehicles (as prescribed by this eco-Council) by being able to walk to the shops, school etc. To then penalise them them for a) doing the right thing and b) helping to keep the core of the town alive and c) not being able to park on their property because of the street patterns is really not a good look (and counter to everything the Council claim to stand for). So yeah, lets throw (more than) a few grand at a study that no one will read and which could be better spent on our crumbling infrastructure. I expressed these views to Cllr Harrington before the meeting - no reply. I note the last paragraph - deliver economic benefits (to Plough Lane) ie not benefits to the residents. Did the lazy officers who proposed this nonsense not think to align it with the 'emerging scoping work', due to be published in just a few weeks? After three years, time has run out to keep blaming it all on previous incumbents - we're still waiting for  those traffic lights to be turned off, amongst so many other things. Herefordshire Council - never knowingly achieving.

  9. I've had a look but won't waste my time responding - it's a non-consultation like so many others, I've no doubt the plan is already in place and ready to go. It looks the Government have handed councils a licence to print money in fines, as what few Police we have simply can't be bothered to impose any motoring law. Cue lots of cameras for automated fine collection and an assumption that you are guilty unless you can somehow prove otherwise. Having been on the receiving end of fines from a London Council for motoring offences by a car with cloned number plate of my plate, I can tell you that is next to impossible. 

  10. Small wheels and big potholes don't sit well together. Most of the City's roads are in a truly terrible state and the pavements are not much better. There's a degree of education required over scooters eg do you ride only on the road or only on the pavement or both? Do you have to be insured and display an ID plate etc etc. Of course, no one cares and people will do what they want to do, knowing what few Police are left aren't interested in dealing with the paperwork. Typically, the Government trials have been a shambles and have been manna for screaming Daily Mail headlines, to the extent that these scooters are already toxic in many people's minds. Anything that reduces car use has to be a good thing, and the Voi scooters highlighted in the YouTube video linked above seem to have very sophisticated software to control the behaviour of the scooter independent of the rider, but whether Hereford will turn them or any other a profit remains to be seen. Would I use one? No, I'm not against them, but I'll stick to my bike.

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  11. The ward councillor should be sorting this out - where is she? It needs her to pull together the parties that are ignoring it and ensure that they are all aware of their responsibilities. I note that it has been over 2 years since I commented further up this thread about the BBLP contract review - no surprise that nothing has happened and my periodic emails to my ward councillor and Cllr Harrington about this issue go unanswered.

  12. Just staggering.

    As for the Cathedral and Wye quarter - it'll never happen, why bother, and, even if it does in some way, it'll be a piecemenal shambles a bit like ESG, and look how well that turned out even WITH a masterplan. Not to proceed has been 'considered and rejected' - this is not recommended as this will reduce investment in Hereford city centre which is not consistent with the council’s corporate policy to support the local economy and growth. Business will invest if it sees short term gain - no one is going to hang around for Herefordshire Council to deliver - their record is plain for all to see.

    The St Owen's Street scheme was signed off and should have started by 31 March this year. It was quietly pulled for no stated reason. Now we have to spend £20k for 'critical friend reviews' - have they completely lost the plot (that's a rhetorical question)?!

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