New residents’ parking permit scheme in Kingsholm to go live on 10th July

Gloucestershire County Council has said that the new residents’ parking permit scheme for Kingsholm should be active and go live on the 10th of July.

Lib Dem councillor for Kingsholm, Cllr. Jeremy Hilton has said that the process to get here has been long and drawn out, but there has been rigorous consultation with residents.

Cllr. Hilton said: “The traffic regulation order is due to be made on the 18th of May and it will be advertised in the local paper. Everyone who responded to the consultation will be notified.

“The purpose of the new parking regulations is to give priority to residents and to relieve the area of parking congestion. Over the years I have had many requests to do something about the parking congestion problems in Kingsholm. Hopefully the new scheme, which has been subject to thorough design and consultation processes will improve the situation.”

Letters are then due to be sent to residents just before 5th June 2023 outlining the start of the installation works. This will also contain details directing residents on how to purchase parking permits.

Residents will be entitled to two permits per household. The cost of the first permit is £63.65 and the second car £127.60. There is a reduced charge for Eco cars (vehicle excise duty band A). Residents can also purchase 50 visitor vouchers a year.

SECOND HALF OF HORTON ROAD TO BE RESURFACED – from 26th Jan

The state of the second section of Horton Road to be resurfaced

A few months ago Gloucestershire County Council resurfaced Horton Road from its junction of London Road to the Aspen Centre.

Jeremy Hilton points to the section of road resurfaced in October 2020

A great job was done says local Lib Dem councillor Jeremy Hilton (Kingsholm & Wotton).

Now the county council is to complete the work, which Cllr. Hilton previously requested. This will be a section from the Aspen Medical Centre to the junction with Great Western Road.

The planned start of the work is from the 26th of January to 1st of February, with the roadworks taking place between 7pm to 7am, excluding weekends.

Section of Horton Road closed to traffic during resurfacing work

Cllr. Hilton said: “I’m really pleased that this work is now taking place. The dates are subject to weather conditions. I ask those that need to use Horton Road to be patient. The contractors are very efficient. Once the new surface is down the road marking will be repainted. The current ones are badly faded to the extent drivers may be breaking traffic regulations without knowing it.”

Part of Horton Road to be resurfaced at last

Map of Horton Road to be closed for resurfacing

Part of Horton Road in Gloucester is shortly to be resurfaced. This is after a concerted campaign by the local county councillor, Jeremy Hilton.

The planned work is to be carried out at night between the 2nd and the 12th of October. The road will be closed between 7pm to 7am during the weekdays. It will not be closed on weekends.

This photo a few years ago, but it shows the persistent problem of the surface breaking up on Horton Road.

Cllr. Jeremy Hilton (Kingsholm & Wotton) said:

“I have been pressing the county council to resurface Horton Road for a long time. I am disappointed that only the stretch from London Road to the exit of the Aspen Medical Centre is to be resurfaced. The stretch from here to Great Western Road also needs doing. 

“There has been patching work, but Horton Road has needed a complete resurface.

“This road is used by a lot of traffic and it’s breaking up in many places. The previous resurfacing wasn’t good enough. I am hoping this time the work will include strengthening the foundations.”

Chaos at the roundabout

The original drawing of the Estcourt Road/Cheltenham Road roundabout.
The scheme is being revised.

Loads of people are complaining about the changes to the Cheltenham Road and Estcourt Road roundabout. And rightly so. It is part of the new London Road cycle route, which in principle I support. I did walk the route with the cabinet member and engineers ahead of design work. However, we started from Denmark Road and walked towards the city centre. We didn’t visit the roundabout, which is a pity. As I would NOT have recommended it laid out as they suggested.

I only got the published plans 40 minutes after a press release was issued. Despite my request 8 days before asking for the final plans. I was not happy. It’s when I got these plans that it became obvious the roundabout had been added to the scheme.

This project has been rushed through by the county council cabinet. The leader of the county council lives on Estcourt Road. Neighbouring Longlevens councillor Kathy Williams also serves in the cabinet.

I am also currently backing residents on London Road who have lost their on-street parking spaces outside their homes with very short notice. I’m also unhappy with the removal of the pedestrian refuge outside Tesco. I’m OK with two new pedestrian crossings and the reworking of the England’s Glory crossing. The reworking of the buildout outside Healey Mews looks OK, but I await feedback from the residents who live there. I’m hoping the removal of the speed camera doesn’t see an increase in traffic speeds.

Projects like this one need to be carefully considered, fully consulted on and professionally implemented. This hasn’t been done. I am told the roundabout scheme, which has only partly been implemented is under review and being revised. When I get the drawings I will post them on this website.

Sandhurst Lane – speeding motorists are a menace

Isabel Brazil & Jeremy Hilton on Sandhurst Lane near to the traffic survey point

Speeding motorists travelling on along Sandhurst Lane in Kingsholm and Wotton are a menace say local Lib Dem councillors, Jeremy Hilton and Isabel Brazil.

A survey carried out between the 16th and 22nd July by Gloucestershire County Council found that 80% of southbound motorists were speeding as they approached St. Oswald’s Road. 

The survey was requested by county councillor Jeremy Hilton. It was taken at the midway point between Rivermead Close and Greville Close along the built-up section of Sandhurst Lane.

Cllr. Jeremy Hilton said: “The results confirm what many of us already knew that far too many motorists are speeding along Sandhurst Lane. They are breaking the 30mph speed limit and risking the lives of pedestrians walking on the narrow footways. 

“There is a clear road safety issue here that the county council must resolve. I have asked the county traffic manager to propose a solution that will help reduce traffic speeds to below the 30mph limit.

“Even though the results suggest northbound vehicles are not breaking the limit have seen motorists accelerate aggressively as they pass by Rivermead Close.”

Cllr. Isabel Brazil agreed and said: “Speeding vehicles are a menace, particularly on a lane with narrow or non-existent footways. The county council must do something.”

Over the seven days of the survey the volume of traffic averaged out at 2,047 vehicles per day.

Southbound survey results

The survey found that 80% of southbound drivers were travelling at a speed greater than the 30mph limit. The average speed was 39mph with 85% of vehicles travelling at speeds of 47mph or less.

Northbound survey results

Only 2.5% of northbound vehicles were travelling above the 30mph speed limit. The northbound, traffic kept within the speed limits with an average speed of 21mph and with 85% of vehicles travelling at speeds of 25mph or less.

Air Pollution report published

Tackling air pollution in Gloucestershire from vehicle emissions is set to be an important priority for Gloucestershire County Council. Today the report of the air pollution task group, chaired by Cllr. Jeremy Hilton (Lib Dem Kingsholm & Wotton), is published.

According to Public Health England, poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, and the Royal College of Physicians has estimated that poor air quality is responsible for 40,000 premature deaths in the UK annually.

Exposure to air pollution can affect health by contributing to the development of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases, and can limit an individual’s quality of life.

Cllr. Jeremy Hilton said: “Public bodies in Gloucestershire need to do much more to reduce vehicle air pollution. We have a number of poor air quality hot spots in the county. Nitrogen Dioxides and particulate matter from vehicle emissions is a hazard to everyone’s health in the county. We have to take action to reduce these pollutants.

“I shall be taking the report of the air pollution task group to the Environment & Community Scrutiny Committee next week, where I hope it is approved, before it is sent on to the county cabinet on the 6th of June.”

The report has a dozen recommendations that include the establishment of a Gloucestershire Air Quality Partnership to oversee future work. This will be helped by better air quality monitoring with a focus on particulate matter. Changes to planning policies are suggested. Highway interventions are recommended to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.

The task group wishes to encourage the greater use of electric vehicles and also to set stronger targets to increase journeys by bicycle, on foot and public transport. It wants to see the use low emissions buses etc.

Cllr Hilton concluded: “This report is just a start. I would like to that everyone who came along to the workshop we held in January and to the members of the air pollution task group that helped draft the report.”

Long running saga of unadopted roads at St Oswald’s Park – continues

Jeremy Hilton at Longhorn Avenue, St Oswald’s Park

The long running saga of the adoption of the roads and footpaths on the residential development at St Oswald’s Park continues.

At the county council meeting in June, local Cllr. Jeremy Hilton (Lib Dem – Kingsholm & Wotton) asked the cabinet member what was causing the delay in the adoptions.

The council said the failure of the developers to enter a section 38 highways adoption agreement when construction took place, was a cause.

The cabinet member Nigel Moor said there were several significant issues that would require resolution before the roads could be adopted.

He said: “Issues needing resolution are the adoption of the intervening private streets, submission of a vesting certificate for the sewers, submission of a stage 3 road safety audit and designers response report, submission of the health & safety file and resolution of on-street parking that is causing an obstruction.

“Until the developer decides to address these issues it would not be in the public interest for the council to adopt roads.”

Jeremy Hilton said: “The housing development is now complete and the roads and footpaths need to be formally adopted by the county council. There are issues with inappropriate parking in places that cannot properly be dealt with until to roads are adopted.

“I have written to Persimmon to seek their comments on the cabinet member’s response. They have asked that I call a meeting with key stakeholders. I have written to Persimmon, Hammerson and the county council to invite them to a meeting to get this process moving forward.”

 

Lib Dems challenge to city council clean up Gloucester

Liberal Democrat councillors have put down a challenge to the Tories who run the city council to clean up Gloucester. On 20th July the city council will debate a motion by the Liberal Democrats calling for street cleaning to be improved. The Lib Dems are demanding details of the cleaning schedules for every street in the city so that weaknesses in the contract with Amey can be identified.

The move is coming from Kingsholm & Wotton councillors who are fed up with the council’s failure to keep the streets clean. They say that no one knows how often each street should be cleaned and litter removed.

Isabel Brazil said: “We are not at all happy with the street cleaning in Kingsholm and it is no better in other neighbourhoods near to city centre. We must know exactly how often the Amey contract says a street, footpath or open space should be cleared of litter.”

Ward colleague Jeremy Hilton agreed: “There is a distinct difference in the cleaning regime from the city centre to those areas close to the city centre. I’m fed up with seeing litter around Kingsholm and other areas in Gloucester. The Tories and their contractors are letting us down. We are demanding that the cabinet puts forward a improvement plan and lets councillors know how often each street in their ward is contracted to be cleaned.”

Ends…

Motion by Jeremy Hilton seconded by Isabel Brazil

“This council agrees that the level of street cleaning could be much better than it is and that the level of cleanliness in Gloucester is not up to the standard we would expect for an historic city.

This council calls on the Cabinet Member to provide each city councillor with full details of the cleaning regime in their wards, with details of how often each street, open space and public footpath is cleaned.

This council calls on the cabinet member to provide a report on how he intends to improve street cleaning in Gloucester, looking at three zones; the city centre, edge of the city centre and the suburbs.

Lib Dem success – Hyde Lane is made safe as road is resurfaced

Jeremy Hilton celebrates the resurfacing of Hyde Lane with Kingsholm resident Sue Tomlins

It has taken a long time, but at last Hyde Lane has been resurfaced, thanks to the single-minded determination of Lib Dem county councillor, Jeremy Hilton (Kingsholm & Wotton). His persistence has paid off.

The top end of Hyde Lane is currently a private road, but it is also a signposted pedestrian route to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Following the resurfacing, the road will be adopted by the county council.

Jeremy Hilton said: “I finally secured funding from the county council for the road to be repaired last year. The road was resurfaced the week of 6th March.

“Hyde Lane was full of potholes and unsafe for pedestrians to use. In particular, for elderly or disabled patents using this route to get to a hospital appointment.

“We must remember that besides residents of Kingsholm using this way to get to the hospital, people arriving on the No. 10 or No. 94 bus do so as well.

“I am pleased that after such a long time I finally got the lane resurfaced.”