Update on A46 roadworks

Last week we reported that the Highways Agency were planning weekend road closures on the A46 in South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset. A resident reported that the closures didn't happen this weekend and Claire Young made enquiries with the Highways Agency. They have responded:

A46 Cold Ashton

Thank you for your communication to the Highways Agency Information Line in respect of closures of the A46 and reported in the local press.

There are a number of maintenance and improvement schemes that are programmed for the A46 in the Cold Ashton area.

Night time drainage works are scheduled for the road just north of Cold Ashton, due to start on the 4^th February for 6-7 weeks and will not involve any road closures.

There are however two night time (2000 hrs -0600 hrs) closures for short lengths of resurfacing that are programmed for the 21^st March on the A46 near to Nimlet.

A further drainage scheme south of Cold Ashton towards Bath is scheduled for early in 2014 and the ‘expansion’ scheme referred to by the Bath Chronicle, an improvement to the Cold Ashton roundabout, will also not now proceed until 2014. The design and programming of both of these schemes is not yet in place but they do involve some weekend road closures the dates of which are to be established.   

STOP PRESS - Application for Woodlands Farm

Barratt Homes have submitted an application for 380 homes on land at Woodlands Farm. Officers have verified the application but at the time writing none of the plans have been uploaded to the South Glos website. When they are, you will be able to view them at:

http://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/centralDistribution.do?caseType=Application&keyVal=MG3L4TOK02I00

Watch this space for more news.

Join the BIG Spring Clean 2013

Would you or a group you belong to like to help clean up our local area this spring? The South Gloucestershire BIG Spring Clean 2013 runs from 1 March – 30 April and is once again part of the national Love Where You Live campaign.

Free gloves, refuse sacks, litter pickers and hoops are on offer to groups who organise a community BIG Spring Clean event. The council will also arrange to collect all the litter you pick up as long as it is bagged and pick up locations are agreed in advance. Unfortunately skips can no longer be provided.

You can find out more and register for your supplies online - the deadline for registration is 22nd February. You might also like to register your event on the Love Where You Live website, where you can also access useful resources.

Westerleigh traffic calming latest

The Statutory advertising of both the ‘Proposed 30mph Speed limit’ and the ‘Proposed Speed Table’ closed on the 20th December 2012. There were no objections to the speed limit changes, but two to the speed table.

The comments madewere:

• Noise – There will be a constant noise from vehicles going over the speed humps and this will be especially loud during the night. 
• Pollution – Vehicles will slow down and change gear when approaching the humps and this will increase exhaust emissions 
• Damage – Our car has recently had to have the front struts replaced and the garage indicated that this has been caused by speed humps. They have been in touch with the car manufacturers who are concerned about the number of cars with damage in the UK and this has been put down to traffic calming measures. 
• Repairs to road – Surely the money would be put to better use repairing the road into Westerleigh from Yate which is in a very poor state, rather than spending it needlessly on speed humps. 
• Speed – The speed of the traffic through the village has been considerably reduced in the last few years. The problem is now volume of traffic. When we moved into the village over 30 years ago there was on average a crash once a month on the bend by the village green. There are now very few accidents there. 

Taking into account the turn round in the committee proceedings to take an objection report to the PTSE Committee, officers have decided to carry over monies for the speed table and give way priority / road narrowing measures into the next financial year, as they cannot do one element of the traffic calming without the other. They are going to go ahead with the works to introduce the 30mph speed limit at the locations as originally planned and are now working to implement that.

A46 closure

There are expected to be weekend road closures (between 8pm Fridays and 6am Mondays) of the A46 between the Cold Ashton Roundabout and the A46/A4 London Road junction, Bath between 11 January and 14 March 2013. The northbound entry slip road at the London Road junction will also be closed, along with the layby adjacent to the A46 southbound to the south of its junction with Blacksmith Lane, and there will be a 40mph speed limit in operation between the entrance to Four Winds Farm and the London Road junction.

Consultation on informal crossing facility on Westerleigh Road

Funding has been secured through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund to deliver elements of the Yate Spur cycle path. When complete, the route will connect the Bristol to Bath Railway path with Yate.

The proposed road crossing will provide an informal crossing facility at Westerleigh Road for cyclists, walkers and horse riders using the Yate Spur Cycle Path and Fishing Lakes Link.

Details of the proposals can be found online. The deadline for comments is 13th January.

Park Lane closed

Park Lane Winterbourne has been closed for safety reasons due to flooding under the Railway Bridge and an extremely large pot hole hidden under the water. It is anticipated that the road will remain closed for at least a week.