Frampton End Road clean up this Saturday

In November we reported that local resident Alan Bracey (pictured left with his bike) was looking for volunteers to help keep Frampton End Road clean and tidy for all to enjoy. The first clean up event will take place this Saturday 14th March. If you would like to join in, the volunteers are meeting at 9.30am outside Frampton End Road. Shovels and brooms will be provided. If you have any queries, please contact Alan on 01454 772837 or email him at: aljenbracey@blueyonder.co.uk

Frampton End Road to be deep cleaned

Next Wednesday (10th December) Frampton End Road is scheduled to get a "deep clean". A digger will be used to get mud off the road, the vegetation will be cut back with a flail and there will be highways and cleansing teams on hand to do other tasks.

Don't forget that local resident Alan Bracey is looking for volunteers to help keep the road clean and tidy for all to enjoy. If you can help, please contact Alan on 01454 772837 or email him at: aljenbracey@blueyonder.co.uk

Volunteers wanted for ‘Frampton End Road tlc Team’

Since Frampton End Road was closed to through traffic earlier this year walkers, cyclists and horse riders are able to enjoy safe use of this narrow, bendy picturesque country lane in the Frome Valley.

Children are able to learn to ride their bikes in safety, much to the delight of their parents. Walkers from Frampton Cotterell, Coalpit Heath, Iron Acton and further afield using the delightful Frome Valley Walkway can now enjoy circular leisure walks including Frampton End Road.

Coalpit Heath resident and ‘veteran cyclist’ Alan Bracey is hoping to form a group of local volunteers to help keep Frampton End Road clean and tidy for all to enjoy. Alan reported “I cycled through Frampton End Road this morning and for the second day running Streetcare are cutting back the hedges and making a very good job of it. I look forward to being part of a regular team to keep it clean. Believe me, this road is now a real pleasure to ride”.

If you would like to be part of the ‘Frampton End Road tlc Team’, please contact Alan on 01454 772837 or email him at: aljenbracey@blueyonder.co.uk

Your Focus Team is thrilled that local parents are now to be able to teach their children to ride their bikes in safety on Frampton End Road.

Frampton End Road closure agreed

The long campaign to close Frampton End Road to motorised traffic ended in success last night when the Frome Vale Area Forum approved the Traffic Regulation Order to close the road to motorised traffic and introduce a 20mph speed limit.

CampaignerNick Carver said, "It has been a long journey but we have finally achieved what we set out to do. I would like to thank everyone involved for their help and support.".

The lanes will now be closed near The Barn, Iron Acton, near Chestnut Farm, Mayshill and near the sharp bends at the Frampton Cotterell end. Details of how the closure points will be secured and access given to those who need it, such as the emergency services and utilities, will be finalised by officers.

Frampton End Road - formal advertisment

The formal notice for the Traffic Regulation Order for the closure of Frampton End Road and the road to Mayshill has been published. You can find the details on the council's website.

Campaigners win funding for Frampton End Road scheme

At the recent Frome Vale Area Forum councillors awarded funding for a scheme to close Frampton End Road/Mayshill at three points and introduce a 20mph speed limit on the lanes.

Lead petitioner Nick Carver said, "After many years of campaigning for the closure of Frampton End Road by a dedicated team of people, it was fantastic that the members of the Frome Vale Area Committee approved the funding for the closure of the road to motor vehicles. This will now enable many local people to more safely enjoy the area for recreational purposes".

Marilyn Wright from Algars Mill on the Frome Valley Walkway at Frampton End Road, Iron Acton said, “So many users of this road have supported it's closure for many years and I'm delighted that the Frome Vale Area Committee gave their full backing for completion of the scheme. Algars Mill, a Grade II listed building, has been damaged by a heavy goods vehicle and many residents of the road have endured continual damage to their properties and dry-stone walls. Several users of the road have reported terrifying 'near misses' and there have been many accidents and numerous deaths of pets, including a horse. The road will be able to be used much more safely for the benefit of walkers, horse-riders and cyclists.”

Gary Weeks, Frampton Cotterell, said, "I am delighted and relieved that this project is now coming to a successful conclusion after seeing an increase in traffic and lorries using this lane due to sat-nav directions. I was pleased to discover that after personally consulting with local residents at the Frampton Cotterell end of Frampton End Road, 74% were in favor of the road closure. We will all be able to enjoy this rural area whilst the traffic remains on the main roads."

Alan Bracey from Coalpit Heath, representing the cycling fraternity said, “This is a huge step forward in making these roads very much safer to cycle. Over the years it has become increasingly dangerous while riding a bike only to be met by large and sometimes speeding vehicles whose only thought has been to get to their destination as quickly as possible with little regard for other road users. I particularly pay tribute to Nick Carver, Marylin Wright and Gary Weeks for their efforts in organising the 760 name petition to begin the process of closing these roads to motorised traffic. This is an example of well organised local people striving to improve their local area.”

Putting the necessary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in place involves a fairly lengthy formal process. Work will start on this in the new financial year. We'll keep you informed on progress.

Frampton End Road & Mayshill road closure supported

This afternoon the Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment committee gave cross-party support to the option of closing the roads at three points and introducing a 20mph speed limit, as recommended by officers and supported by a majority of the people who responded to last autumn's consultation.

Members of the committee heard from both supporters and objectors, as well as local members Claire Young and Pat & Dave Hockey.

This is an important stage in the process but not the final one. The closure scheme will now go on to the list of road schemes for the Frome Vale Area Forum to consider for funding at their meeting on 7th March. If it gets funding, there would then have to be another formal consultation as part of the legal process of closing the roads and changing the speed limits.

Decision day for Frampton End Road and Mayshill

Tomorrow (Wednesday 30th January) is decision day for Frampton End Road and Mayshill.

Following consultation with local residents and road users last autumn, South Gloucestershire Council's Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee will decide whether and how to make Frampton End Road, Mayshill and Station Road safer for all road users, including walkers, cyclists and horse riders. On the basis of the comments received, the officers are recommending Option 1 to the committee (closure with three closure points). You can read the officer’s report here:

http://council.southglos.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?XXR=0&Year=2013&CId=399&

If the committee decides the road should be closed, it will be added to the list of schemes to be considered for funding at the Frome Vale Area Forum. Closing a road requires a Traffic Regulation Order, so if the scheme did get funding there would be a formal legal process to go through including a further consultation.

Have your say on Frampton End Road

Over 750 local people signed a petition to improve the safety of Frampton End Road, especially for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. You can now have your say on options for closing Frampton End Road to through traffic and a 20mph speed limit. You can view the details and make comments on the South Glos consultation website.

Letters about the consultation have been sent to everyone living on Frampton End Road, Mays Hill and Station Road, Iron Acton. Black/yellow information signs have been put up at the junctions of Church Road/Frampton End Road, Badminton Road/Mays Hill (on both spurs) and Station Road/Bristol Road to notify people who use the roads but don't live on them. The feedback from the consultation will be considered by the council's Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee at its meeting at 3pm on 30th January in Kingswood Civic Centre. Members of the public can attend and speak.

Consultation on plans for 20mph speed limits on other roads in the area (including Nibley Lane) will now take place separately at a later date so that officers can discuss the proposals with the Parish Councils first.

Improving safety on our roads

At the recent Frome Vale Area Forum, your Focus Team won funding for several road safety schemes in our area.

A large number of people turned out from Iron Acton, Frampton Cotterell, Mayshill and Coalpit Heath to give their views on how best to improve road safety on Frampton End Road. The committee awarded £12,500 so that officers can investigate a number of different options, including lower speed limits and closing the road. There will then be a public consultation so all residents affected by the officers' proposals can have their say. Any scheme that comes out of that consultation will only be implemented when further funding is provided.

Money was also awarded for schemes to make it safer for children walking to school. Children cross Park Lane from Clyde Road to Rectory Road beside the Live & Let Live en route for Cof E and Winterbourne International. £10,000 was allocated for "wigwag lights" here,which are required for a school crossing patrol, and a further £5000 was allocated to investigate road safety issues highlighted in the Frampton Cotterell C of E School travel plan.

Councillors and officials experience Frampton End Road dangers

Frampton End Road was
built for people and
horses...

South Gloucestershire’s Cabinet Member and Director responsible for Transport and a Senior Highways Officer walked the entire length of Frampton End Road on a cold morning in February to experience it for themselves.

Local councillor Dave Hockey and residents joined them to discuss the hazards on this winding, narrow road and to talk about the accidents that have taken place on it involving horses, walkers, cyclists, vehicles and property.

...not for motor cars, vans and
lorries

Council Officers will now collect data on the traffic using the road. Your Focus Team will keep you informed on the proposals they bring forward to make it safer for those using it to enjoy the countryside.

Frampton End Road petition presented

More than 650 people from Iron Acton, Frampton Cotterell, Coalpit Heath and further afield signed the petition to get something done to improve the safety of Frampton End Road for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and drivers.

Marilyn Wright with the petition at Algars Mill on Frampton End Road with other members of the organising team

Nick Carver, seen in the photograph with his dog, presented the petition to South Gloucestershire Council at their meeting on 15 December. The Executive Member for Planning & Transportation agreed to arrange to walk Frampton End Road with Senior Highways Officers to consider what actions can be taken to improve the safety for all users of this very narrow, windy lane.

Campaign to make Frampton End Road safer

Local residents are campaigning for Frampton End Road to be closed to through traffic.

The single track road between Frampton Cotterell and Iron Acton, which forms part of the Frome Valley Walkway, has numerous blind bends and in many places has no verges for people to escape to if a vehicle comes speeding along. A number of animals have been killed or injured in accidents and residents think it is only a matter of time before a human life is lost. Ramblers, horse riders and cyclists are backing the campaign.

You can read more, including a link to an electronic version of the petition, on the Gazette website.