Road safety wins at Area Forum

A number of local road safety schemes got the go ahead at last night's Frome Vale Area Forum. After listening to the concerns of residents, councillors chose schemes including:

• Introducing a crossing point on Wotton Road, Iron Acton, outside the primary school
• A red surface treatment to highlight the existing crossing points in Rangeworthy
• Processing a Traffic Regulation Order to reinforce the existing `No Stopping’ marking outside Frampton Cotterell C of E Primary School

Local people also came along to talk about the schemes they would like the council to investigate in preparation for carrying them out in the future. The Forum could choose three from a long list. Two of the chosen ones were in our area - investigating a 20mph limit on Ram Hill and a 7.5T weight limit on Dodington Road. Thank you to those who came along to speak in support.

Earlier in the meeting we had heard about the work Network Rail plan to do on the bridge, which local people are concerned will reduce visibility. The forum members also asked for their concerns on this and the need for the completion of the pavement to be raised with the Chair of the Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Committee.

What can be done about the lorries?

 Angry Action Group members representing the residents of Rangeworthy and Cromhall had a meeting with South Gloucestershire’s Cabinet Member responsible for Transport along with the Officer advising him. Although accepting his apology they remain dissatisfied with the explanation of why he decided to respond to the Latteridge Road Action Group’s petition by removing the long standing requirement for lorries associated with the Morrison’s Depot to use Latteridge Road and why no consultation had taken place.

Local Councillor Howard Gawler joined them and has also apologised for not ensuring that consultation was taking place before any decision was made. South Gloucestershire Officers had been carrying out surveys on Wotton Road, Bristol Road and Badminton Road while Latteridge Road was closed. Comparing the routes taken then with those from earlier surveys, the recommendation had been that there would be so few extra lorries choosing to use Wotton Road that it wouldn’t make any difference. Local residents strongly disagree with this. They are now awaiting the outcome of the Cabinet Member’s promised reconsideration of his decision.

The only real way to alleviate the problems caused by these enormous lorries which travel between Yate and the motorways is to locate the distribution warehouses where there are more suitable access roads. Howard along with Pat Hockey, the Councillor representing residents living along Latteridge Road as well as part of Wotton Road and Bristol Road, last week won the backing of other South Gloucestershire Councillors to request officers to investigate the possibilities of preventing further use of premises in Yate as distribution centres when they are vacated. This would help achieve the aim to improve the number and mix of jobs for people living in Yate.