John Harrington

Agreed, being polite in current traffic gets you stuffed! I still occasionally let people through, being a typical white van man, famous for their courtesy and helpful advice to other road users! Ps. If anyone does get stuck going north on Edgar St it's always much quicker to shoot down Blackfriars, down Widemarsh Road and round to the left onto Newton to join again by Pizza Hut. Much much quicker. Cutting through Merton Meadow even quicker again! Not that I do that.

Back to the valid point you made at the heart of your little ribbing Biomech, I think goodwill would work in a city environment. It does work in cities where it lights have been removed. I the problem with having a system like we currently have in Hereford, which is a mixture of lights like Steels Roundabout and uncontrolled junctions, like the Barrs Ct onto Aylestone Hill,is that we accept that lights control our movements and while we waiting fuming for our red light to go green we're very reluctant to let other vehicles join the queue because (a) we've become bloody spiteful in the 3 mins we've been completely stationary (b) if we let someone out we're worried we may miss our chance to go while the lights are green. No lights, I think, would remove this artificial stop and go control, would make us more relaxed, kinder to fellow travellers and even more accepting of jams when they did occur because we would know the lights didn't cause the congestion. Hamilton-Baillie said there is still congestion on busy roads/junctions when lights are removed but vehicles tend to keep moving at slow speeds rather than stop and start. And the waiting times in traffic are reduced in peak congestion times because traffic takes longer to back up and disperses quicker. A lot of this is if and buts and varied personal opinion. What we need is some experts (traffic engineers outside of the Highways Agency) to look at it with the Council's blessing to see if it would work. The HA is willing to look, our MP is willing to look, the City Council is willing to look... we just need to get Herefordshire Council to say, 'o.k. let the experts have a look, what can we do to help?'.

Ha ha, fair one Biomech, not a city boy but as a Kingstone boy who works for Fedex I do have to sit in traffic every afternoon on Edgar st on my way back to Worcester (home of the HUGE traffic jams according to some esteemed cllrs). Yes I noticed the Maylords Lights Out working wonderfully well. Frustrating that the council doesn't feel inclined to try more of the same elsewhere. It would seem if it's not their idea or serving a particular purpose they have an interest in it difficult for them to explore alternatives to issues like road congestions. It may simply be they all want and believe in a bypass (something I'm not personally against) and don't want anything solving the problem before a bypass does (if it does, if it's built and if the thousands of extra houses Bloor want in exchange for funding a Western route doesn't block it up immediately with more traffic).

I completely agree with the school of thought that the fairly recent issue of northbound congestion at the top of Edgar St and Newton Rd is likely to be caused by traffic being held on the Steels/Tesco roundabout until a 'wave' is released at once, not unlike the first corner on any Formula One track, causing the bottleneck which seems to begin alongside the Courtyard Theatre. Cllr Chappell, with respect, goodwill as a principle of road use does work. That is why we manage to pull over, flash, wave, wink and smile to other drivers as we let them by and vice versa on country lanes and other roads which have no traffic controls. This very same principle works wonderfully well in the urban environs of Poynton and Portishead in the UK and Bohmte and Drachten on the continent are testament to the principle of unregulated roads working superbly well in practice, with a reduction in congestion and an enormous reduction in accidents (the issue of accidents being something, you explained to me in person, prevented you from supporting the idea of a lights out trails. Once again, with respect, I don't think you know what you're talking about Councillor. I don't know what I'm talking about either but Colin and I and many others (this idea is not unique or something we take individual credit for) are prepared to look at and evaluate the professional opinion of people who are more qualified than us to consider this issue. Keith Firth of SKM Transport believes removing lights from the A49 Central Corridor would work but he needs to complete a micro simulation first to gauge the risks and potential for success. The Highways Agency are prepared to look at it and have even tentatively suggested they will fund the micro simulation which may or may not be followed up with a real live trial. Jesse Norman supports the idea of a trial. The IOC supports the idea of a trial. The list goes on. The only people who seem to oppose the idea are certain councillors like yourself who believe your public service grants you the right to make sweeping, definitive statements about subjects you obviously haven't researched fully. And further believe you view is paramount. I'm afraid it is not. Once again, neither is mine. So lets look to the actual professionals, give them the input we Hereford road users have as daily users of our wretched city roads and see what we can achieve. First micro simulation (as used at Poynton) and then a trial. Lets give it a go. It costs Herefordshire Council absolutely zilch to agree to begin the process. I am surprised at the lack of enthusiasm generally for this idea from councillors. Do they not have eyes and ears? Do they not know how much traffic dominates our lives and affects the way the city works. Rather than telling us we're so lucky we're not in Worcester or Birmingham were the traffic jams are worse, pull your fingers out and look for solutions for your constituents! Right better go, traffic is moving again on Edgar St!

Thanks Aylestone Voice, interesting development.

I like Gridknocker's idea for a hotel too actually. I often wished I had the moolah to turn the Blackfriars Street buildings into a boutique hotel of some sort. Lovely Edwardian complex which could be tarted up nicely.

Ah, sorry dippy, my last post is not really on topic! With regard to the Blackfriars Building and the Working Boys Home they are both assets the Council should have handled better. The Working Boys Home should be put on the open market if the Council has no use for it anymore. Maximum return could be achieved for Council coffers and developers can revive it for residential use whilst protecting the facade and any interiors of importance.

On a different but sort of related subject (as in Herefordshire Council and their arm's length organizations muddled thinking) has anyone else read the article in the Hereford Times by Fiona Phillips espousing Sir Ben Gill's (chairman of Visit Herefordshire) views on the need for tens of thousands of new homes in the county, less nimbyism and a need to increase the county pop to 250000? I am not saying there is no merit in these views just that I find it a bit incongruous that he's in charge of promoting tourism in Herefordshire and he's banging on about the need to build build build! Is it me or is it just Monday morning? I'd copy and paste the link but I don't know how!

Put 'what colour is the boat house in Hereford into Youtube' megilleland to see Biomech's reference.

At least Stellan Skarsgard can pronounce Hereford properly, even if Bobby (De Niro, not 47) can't. N.B. Colin, I can't paste the link from Youtube? What am I doing wrong!

Thank you Glenda. And thank god for people with your integrity. I wonder what would happen if I asked Herefordshire Council for some free land to develop. My mad uncle actually secured a loan off a investment bank, in principle, on the basis he would buy some property off HC at above the price they were asking from 'preferred bidders' which he would then develop himself. The investment bank he approached in London effectively said, that the land was chronically undervalued and that they would happily lend him the money in the knowledge that his profits would be huge and guaranteed. HC declined to discuss it with him. The Tesco bags and old coat may have put them off. I did tell him to wear a suit. He only wanted to prove a point. I believe the old tax office in Broad St was similarly sold to a 'preferred bidder' at approx. £400000 (Wye Valley Recycling family or consortium I believe). Now revamped, with a German bank in part of the building, a new block of flats on the car park at the back and more flats above the bank, I should imagine the value is roughly ten times the cost of buying the land, doing the refurb and building the block of flats. Nice work if you can get it. If any party promises to forensically examine all HC land transactions come a new cabinet in 2015 I would give them my vote and my last refresher!

Cheers Dippy, will have a look now. I had a good Xmas ta, Xmas Eve with some Polish friends (declined the carp though in favour of herring) and Xmas day with an alcoholic old family friend, who despite his problems (of which there are many) is actually a very good cook. We got to use what remained of his family's silver service, although I was told off for overfilling the silver cream jug (by overfilling I mean 3/4 full). This apparently, is incredibly common. Leaving your dentures in plain view by the sink of the tiny cottage kitchen we lunched in and farting every time you had to get up from the table apparently is not (as long as you mutter nonchalantly and almost inaudibly 'beg pardon' as you do it). He invited a pensioner along too, a virtual stranger whom he nods to on the bus (which he has to use thanks to a drink driving ban), as she had no family to go to, so it was quite an interesting day. Turns out she does have two adult kids but they were otherwise disposed this year. Spent most of the lunch trying to work out why she should have been discarded so at Xmas as she seemed fairly pleasant and quite humorous. I narrowed it down to two things. Firstly, as her late husband was a hop farmer from Kent originally, he insisted they took Christmas Day as his big day out (his only day off in the year apparently, although I would have thought there were a fair few days the hops could have got on with things themselves, especially after harvest). So they used to pack the kids into their car and drive round the countryside (Kent to Warwick Castle on one occasion), enjoying the lack of traffic and their packed sandwiches whilst gazing at the ruins of long lost castles in the drizzle and snow. I should imagine this practice has either filled the kids with such considerable bitterness, re-triggered every Xmas, that they avoid their mother during the season or they simply grew up thinking Xmas was no big deal themselves (and maybe spend their own 25th Dec trying to find free and open National Trust sites). The second issue is, as she insistently kept repeating to me in hushed tones whenever Robert left us and the table in another cloud of gas to arrange the next course, was that she is convinced someone has keys to her house and goes into the cottage when she's out on the bus shopping and 'moves things around' (some tradesman in the summer, a nurse who visited her, the people who put in her alarm bell were all blamed). With that in mind she needed to be home by 3 to batten down the hatches whilst their was still daylight. I came away very grateful for my own, relatively straight forward problems!

Glenda, do you know if there is any truth in the rumour that Herefordshire Council or Herefordshire Housing (depending on who actually owned the land the properties are/will be built on) have actually 'given' the land to the developers to ensure the redevelopment?

Ragwert, you couldn't get a photo from about another 10 feet back along the face of the Debenhams' Building like this one could you. The only place I think planning outlines/regs have been breached is where the curved wall part is (that faces out to where the old cider press used to be,/ie the eastern walls just after the end of loading bay and almost exactly where the lights are positioned at the end of Edgar St). Would be very intrigued to see that particular point. It was here that the HA designer said he was hamstrung for space. Thanks.

Yes, that's what I was thinking Two Wheels. I think this is meant for investors' and retailers' purposes and not for our enlightenment.

Any reason Tesco's car parking spaces are included in the master scheme? Are Tesco allowing pay and display parking come the Spring, or is parking still restricted to their customers?

Thank you Jim, you have done as proud. Your efforts are noted and much appreciated! Cllr Preece, look forward to us bunch of Herefordians from all walks of life coming together to present our case before you and the City Council. Thank you.

Hi Bobby, I'm not offended by your right to reply and I don't feel you're attacking me. I see your point and you've a right to express it. I think I am just slightly (over) defensive on criticism of immigrants because very often people fail to mention how much they actually contribute to the economy. Farmers I deliver to around Hereford say to me the East Europeans were a god send and that they would and could not be as successful and prosperous if it wasn't for them.And we all came from somewhere at some time. As the descendant of a Mick docker I'm concious of that! Still, I accept that a completely open door is problematic when more people want to come in the go out. I think I got the wrong vibe from your language and didn't look at what you were actually saying. Peace n love Bobster!

I don't read it like that ragwert. I think he seems to be saying that the traffic system is Hereford needs to be sorted out sensibly and innovatively first, dragging ourselves into the 21st Century before we allow huge house building outfits to carve up Grade 1 farming land in exchange for a Western bypass. Building a bypass in return for allowing 16,500 homes into the city or it's boundaries does not make sense. Surely the effect of such a surge of house building will negate any benefits of a by pass. I personally think we should trial a Lights Out system in Hereford, first along the A49 corridor and then possibly other sites in the city if successful. If that fails to improve things I think I'd be inclined towards an Eastern by pass like most Herefordians are (including our MP). Except those of course who sit in the Cabinet.

I'm glad you clarified your point a bit with that last post Bobby because I did think on first reading your initial post that it was a bit xenophobic, which I instinctively thought was most unlike you. I put it down to a rough morning after a late night; Hurley and Warne up and down your drainpipe like squirrels most of the night and then just when they've finally buggered off and you've sat down to check teletext with a cup of cocoa, the sloshed Bulgarians start singing about the moonlight on the banks of the Struma River. I, like Colin and no doubt quite a few of us, have a couple of really good friends who are Polish and Bulgarian etc (the Bulgarian is of Turkish origin just to add more to the mix). They work exceptionally hard, they are intelligent, their kids are Herefordian born and bred and they have absolutely no money to send home to their folks in the east (much to their shame). They pay their national taxes out of their wages from which universal healthcare entitlement is derived and they pay the same VAT as everyone else as the cruise round Tesco, fighting me for the yellow stickered goods in the reduced cabinet (well actually, they leave me with obvious pity to scrabble around the chiller cabinet on my own). Council tax pays for local planning, transport, highways, police, fire, libraries, leisure and recreation, rubbish collection and disposal, environmental health and trading standards. It does not pay for education or healthcare. That is paid for out of the wages of the almost exclusively employed East Europeans. As far as I know (but I must admit I'm not entirely sure) social housing does not comes out of Council Tax either. Your point though, I think, is that Hereford suffers from being underpaid by central government to cover education, healthcare and social housing because our migrants (and a lot of them, especially the Poles consider themselves immigrants not migrants) are unrecorded because a correct audit is not being made on the number of workers in the county. I can see the logic of that and I agree with your criticism of local agencies who don't have the will to enforce registration and health and safety issues regarding overcrowding. In my mind though, it's the landlords and the Council who are failing to do their job (which you pointed out yourself). Now, that extra central funding wouldn't necessarily go to the Eastern Europeans in any case because they tend to be in employment and renting rather than using social housing (Council stats bear this out I am told) but I do see your point. If you consider what Council Tax does pay for though; planning, transport, highways, police, fire, libraries, leisure and recreation, rubbish collection and disposal, environmental health and trading standards, we can strike most of that from the argument straight away. Our planners, transport, and highways are not likely to perform any better than they already are, even with an extra dose of dosh. Our Libraries the Council are trying to effectively abolish and the East Europeans do not regularly use them (although they did hog the computers in the Hereford Library until smartphones became the norm). Leisure and recreation I'm not sure about to be honest but I think you have a point when it comes to refuse, police and fire services. They are all services that are hard pressed and a proper audit of people living in the county would no doubt help increase Council Tax Revenue by restricting overcrowding and forcing more people to pay more Council Tax. Although I'm not sure you mean our boys in blue (or green for the dustbin men) when you say, "I simply want to know how many people are here and who's paying what for our prized and much cherished public services" . If you mean education and the NHS then the answer, as I already mentioned, is the working East Europeans are paying for it themselves...but as you say, we may not be getting that allocation back into the county if the Council is not recording exactly who is in the county. And I do sympathise with you on the garden picnic front. I know a few of my Polish friends have often wished themselves that the weekend vodka fuelled singing, laughing, occasional fisticuffs was moderated but they say this is a by product of a lot of people living in one house generally. According to West Mercia Police themselves (who are funded by Council Tax) the Eastern Europeans commit considerably less crimes than the average equal head of population, especially when you consider that they are normally in the demographic (young and male) that is more likely to cause anti-social and indulge in criminal behaviour (apart from drink driving)! I suggest a phone call to the Council noise abatement team would be a good idea when the party carries on too long Bobby. They have actually now, after 30 years, got a team that works after 5pm weekdays and on the weekends (believe or not they only worked office hours Mon-Friday until about 3 years ago!! I love your posts, don't think I'm being critical of your views, I think I just read it wrong first time round.

I am up for that too.

Ok, keep cinema only, Debenhams will rue the day they failed to honour their faulty toaster warrantee. We need Debenhams to be the library for the new university in any case. Has any read that Hereford was very nearly made a university before Cambridge and Oxford but the city fathers decided against it? I am sure I read this somewhere once but can't google the info now!

Hereford Reunited, No Lights Equal Rights. That is pretty good. (I presume you meant Hereford Reunited not United Amanda...otherwise you could have added no shining lights, no light on the horizon etc etc).

Now you are just being cruel.

Well said Jim.