Patchway residents are being invited to have their say on a raft of proposed highway improvement measures that would affect a wide area of the town that includes the full length of Coniston Road and many of the road leading off it.
South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is running a public consultation on the proposals, which have come out of a review of the “remaining traffic issues” in the Patchway area, following its decision, last October, to keep Highwood Road permanently closed to general traffic.
The aim of the proposals would be targeted at reducing traffic speeds (in those locations currently without 20 mph restrictions or traffic calming), improving vehicular access and improving road safety at junctions. There are also proposals to introduce limited waiting parking on Rodway Road, to improve access to shops and the medical centre.
The schemes are due to be implemented within the current financial year (2014/15), and are subject to sufficient support from local business and residents, and comments received at a future formal consultation on the necessary traffic regulation orders.
Drawings showing the proposals are available online on a dedicated consultation page on the SGC website. They can also be viewed at the Patchway Town Council offices in Rodway Road or at Patchway Library during normal opening hours.
Patchway’s Labour councillors unsuccessfully campaigned for Highwood Road to be re-opened to general traffic following an 18-month “experimental closure” that began in October 2012. They are encouraging local people to continue their ongoing battle for traffic improvements in Patchway by taking part in the consultation on proposals for the Coniston Road area, which they say has become a rat-run following the closure of Highwood Road.
Patchway Labour councillors Eve Orpen, Sam Scott and Keith Walker said:
“When we forced the vote asking for South Gloucestershire Council to re-open Highwood Road last October, hundreds of Patchway people turned up and dozens gave first-hand testimony of the impact this closure is having on residential streets around Coniston Road.”
“We were angry when our bid to re-open the road was voted down by Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors, but we were promised a review of our traffic problems. We now have a set of proposals to consider and we urge residents to submit their responses. We want the most appropriate measures introduced, and local residents are best placed to say what and where these should be.”
The current consultation runs until 30th September 2014.
I still can’t believe this crazy decision. I have personally seen 5 accidents/near misses on the crossing by Gorse Covert. Let alone the cars that just don’t stop for you, which would incidcate that the speed limit is a good idea. However with volumes of traffic that now use this road I cannot help feel that this would be impractical. Each time I walk or drive at the top end of Highwood Lane seeing the bus lane part isolated I still feel angered. With all the cars parked on Coniston, buses trying to get through it is like an obstacle course, let alone the narrow roads inside; endangering pedestrians and car users. Hideous to say the least at 20 or 30 mph
I would gladly support the proposed road calming measures for Coniston Road. The speeds at which some drivers travel are horrendous. I would also like to see a Pelican Crossing at the Gorse Covert. Its very dark there, which makes it difficult to see people stepping out from the Curb.
I was told that Bovis had given SGC £250,000 towards the measures due to the increased traffic through Patchway following the closure of Highwood Road.
Who knows maybe the drivers which use Patchway as a rat run will get fed up and use Hayes Way as they should. Which will in turn become congested and Highwood Road will be reopened.
The problem of parking has been a problem since long before Highwood Road was closed, but the increase in traffic through the smaller roads as exasperated the situation. One reason is that although properties have rear access, many with hard standing/garages, there has been an increase in the number of younger people living at the parental home for longer. This can lead to two or three car drivers residing at one property. The cars have to go somewhere. This leads to (illegal) parking on pavements, half on pavements or in close proximity to corners or on bends (contrary to Highway Code). This has lead to the situation becoming even more constricting since the closure of Highwood Road almost two years ago and the use of the smaller roads as ‘rat runs’.
Many people have quite legally had dropped kerbed installed to enable them to park a vehicle off road – unfortunately the space taken up by one dropped kerb reduces the amount of kerbside spaces by approximately two vehicles.
I welcome the use of yellow lines and designated parking spaces proposed on Bradley Road, amongst other locations, as parking on the bend here is at times downright dangerous – to think that we used to have twelve double-decker buses an hour through here until a few years ago.
A lot of what you have said Canary135 makes a lot of sence
A lot of people are to lazy to park their cars at the back of their homes or in garges so cause a lot of the problems in and around Patchway and as for parking on corners it’s just an Accident waiting to happen ,yellow lines on most of Coniston would be great .
I my self have had a dropped Kerb put in due to my large family and having two cars to the Family home and another son just passed so that is going to be 3 cars soon I couldn’t have them parking out the front of my neighbours house it wouldn’t be fair ,we also had many inconsiderate neighbours parking their works vans all in the road
Have you seen the number of speed humps proposed?. Experience in Little Stoke Lane shows buses have to crawl over them at 5mph while cars can zip over them at 30 mph. In fact it is more comfortable to go at 30 than 10. Maybe First Bus on the 75 will say to South Glos council we will take the buses away and run them down Highwood Road instead. Speed humps damage the buses and are uncomfortable to passengers. The buses make a lot more money within Bristol City boundary. It is no good asking Patchway Town council to mount a legal challenge regarding Highwood Road closure as Lucy Hamid said it not feasible, only her word. Besides they don’t want to spend their tea money. Old farts.
Thanks Rebecca,
In my opinion the removal of the 75 when the much vaulted BRT will run from Henbury to Cribbs via Bristol centre every 10 minutes seems a very likely thing when it happens, as far as a legal challenge against Highwood road, I have taken my complaint as far as I can. (All the way to the ombudsman), I have been informed that they see very little prospect of me/ us winning an appeal against SGC, as SGC and both the Tory and Lib Dems parties have informed Chris Jenner and myself that they do not have party whips and councillors are free to vote as they wish. this countered a lot of the complaint and to take it to a High Court review would have required PTC to spend a lot of residents council tax.
With the splitting of Patchway next year into two councils, ie Patchway Council and Stoke Lodge and the Common Parish Council, Patchway will loose around 20% of its income and we can’t in all honesty see anyway of funding a legal challenge.
Perhaps the new Parish of Stoke Lodge would like to fund a challenge, oh sorry both Stoke Lodge SGC councillors voted to close Highwood the first time around and then didn’t show up at the school meeting so they didn’t have to vote against their party whip!!! Sorry again they don’t have a party whip. LOL
who would believe the ins and outs of local government, I know I didn’t 3 and a half years ago.
sorry chris as a Council tax payer I as many of my Friends do not want our money spent on this issue
yes Chris 20% of income will go but so will spending any money on the other Parish council
You’re not alone Happy.
I lived in patchway until 1984. Grew up there. Everyone used to park their cars at the back using the lanes to access their garage and hard standing.
maybe some money should be spent on repairing these lanes and making them useable again so people can get to the back of their properties. Yellow lines down the road, traffic wardens doing the rounds and problem solved.
If im right its up to the home owners with the back lanes to keep them in working order not the Council
but K your idea sounds good
Quite a few of the garages at the rear of properties that do have them were built many years ago and cars fitted in them (Ford Cortinas etc). However car design with the required in built safety features means that in general cars are propotionally longer and, more significantly, wider these days due to SIPS (side inpatct protection systems). This, accompanied by expensive wing mirrors, makes it more difficult to fit cars into garages, let alone the driver get out of them due to doors being that much ‘thicker’.
Then knock them down and put a hard standing in its place its not Rocket Science
@ Happy – but most people’s garages in Patchway double up as a barricade against the criminal element using the dark back lanes to break into their properties via their back gardens.
Gates