Katesgrove Lib Dems

True Grit

Each year winter sneaks up and catches up catches everyone unawares. I mean who ever would have thought that during the coldest season of the year that it might geta bit chilly and snow.

February's response was pretty poor but we would be forgiven for thinking that that was as bad as it could ever get. How wrong we were!

Icy pavements kept eldery people trapped in their houses, roads became treacherous - I helped push a car up Mount Pleasant, buses were off the roads and it took two hours to get to Caversham Bridge.

This is not the lot of a town that likes to behaves as though it was a city.

We will be calling for a review of winter weather planning as it would appear to the unitiated that RBC has been taking advantage of a run of exceptonally mild winters to run down provision to a dangerously low level. If the Royal Berks Hospital could cross charge for treatment of broken limbs maybe that would concentrate a few minds?

My colleague Daisy Benson has blogged on the subject and it is well worth a read,

Council meeting on residents' parking

This Tuesday - 15 September, 6.30pm, Civic Offices
 
Some of you will be aware that the Council has been reviewing residents' parking policies in two ways: the rules for allocating permits in permit zones, and the way in which the Council manages the process.
 
A meeting of the Environment Scrutiny Panel this Tuesday (15 September) at 6.30pm will give these issues their first hearing.  It is a meeting which allows a semi-informal way for residents to raise their views (it is always better to inform the Chair of the meeting first).
 
On the rules for allocating permits, the problems caused by lack of parking space in Katesgrove (particularly in the Southampton Street/Pell Street/Elgar Road areas) are the worst in the whole borough.  Serious thinking is required about finding solutions to difficult problems.

Gareth and I have been highly critical of the way both parking permits and parking enforcement are administered.  While the Council reports make out that all is well, we have seen the independent report that is one of the background papers, and that is more critical of an approach that lacks customer focus, is highly bureaucratic and often ends up in a 'computer says no' answer that drives residents up the wall.
 
We will be arguing on Tuesday for radical change to the system.  Given that we know a lot of you feel very strongly about this, we wanted to invite you to attend the meeting.  If you wish to speak, please let us know or the Chair, Cllr Ricky Duveen, direct at ricky.duveen@reading.gov.uk.

You can read the meeting papers and find out more at:
http://www.reading.gov.uk/councilanddemocracy/committee/committeelist/meeting.asp?id=SX9452-A783FB23&committee=19265
 
We hope to see you there - if Katesgrove residents are there to put Katesgrove's case at the meeting, that should have a significant effect.

Pot Holing

Good news for one street in Katesgrove when it comes to resurfacing:

Short Street Reading - The works will be undertaken under a road closure on Monday to Friday between 8:30 and 18:00 for an anticipated 2 days. Access to residents as far as reasonably practical will be maintained at all times.

Now what about the rest of them!

Advance Warning

Reading Borough Council intends to make an order in accordance with Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to close to pedestrian traffic the south footway on Crown Street from its junction with Newark Street to its junction with Southampton Street.

The duration of the Order is from 8.00am to 1.00pm on Sunday 19th July 2009 or until the works are completed whichever is sooner. The purpose of the closure is to allow air conditioning units to be placed onto Regents Gate Roof using a crane.

The alternative route for pedestrian traffic is to cross the road using pedestrian facilities at the London Street and Southampton Street junctions to use the footway on the opposite side.

Let's hope Tesco aren't blocking the north side pavements with their delivery vehicles that day!

Driving Us Crazy

Prompted by a number of residents who have reported that because of over-subscription of permits to parking spaces in their street they are being forced to park in the next street along, I asked a question to council to see if I could get some help for residents who find themselves through no fault of ther own forced to park outside their own parking zone.

Normally it's not a problem as most people do this generally have to because they have got home late, but as they leave for work before 8am the next morning there is no inconvenience to anyone. However, traffic wardens have now started ticketing at 5am meaning that people with valid permits yet unable to park in their own street because of over-subscription are being fined for parking in empty bays in the next street down.

I tried to get the Labour council to soften their stance and be more sympathetic to those through no fault of their own caught out by the council's deliberate policy of over-subscription, but it looks like they can't help themselves. Rules is Rules. What puzzled me was the support given to Labour by the Tories for doing this. Most bizarre.

This is the list of parking zones in Katesgrove and their current subscription levels:

Street	Zone	Spaces	Permits	Subscription
HENRY STREET AREA	Y1	77	114	148%
MILMAN ROAD	H3	48	62	129%
SHERMAN ROAD AREA	UC	202	258	128%
ELGAR ROAD	H2	370	458	124%
ESSEX STREET	H1	32	37	116%
HIGHGROVE STREET	G2	98	112	114%
LINCOLN ROAD	H4	130	121	93%
MOUNT PLEASANT AREA	G3	70	64	91%
LONDON ROAD	S2	7	6	86%
BASINGSTOKE ROAD AREA	G4	23	17	74%
KATESGROVE LANE AREA	Y2	50	31	62%
GLEBE ROAD	G1	22	11	50%

Seeing double

We are currently working with residents of Collis Street to see if we can resolve a problem with freshly painted double yellow lines at the junction with Mount Street.

These lines have been put in for a purpose, which is to allow access to utility and emergency vehicles to access the Whitley Street estate. There have been a number of incidents of missed bin collections because of cars blocking access which obviously is not good for the residents of the estate.

On the other hand, the practical application of this has reduced the number of available spaces to residents in Collis Street. I've measured the lines and they appear to be a standard length of just over 10 metres which in the context of the problem being "solved" appears to be slightly excessive.

Gareth and I have asked Highways for a site visit so that we can discuss the situation and see if we can come up with a practical solution that will keep both sidea happy... or failing that at least happier.

Potholes

One of the common complaints we get as councillors is the shocking state of some of the roads and cycle paths in Katesgrove. It's rare to see whole streets being resurfaced and with this year's cutbacks even less likely. And even when they are, that is not always the end of the matter. Surrey, Lincoln and Winchester Roads were resurfaced last year and in less than a week had been dug up by the water board!

I recently asked for the number of road repairs in Reading and there have been 8219 repairs since April. The cold weather has also led to an increase in poor road surfaces. However, the council does have a duty to fix potholes that are classed as dangerous and I've managed to get a few particularly bad ones filled in Highgrove Street so I can vouch for the fact that it is being done.

If anyone knows of any they'd like to have inspected, then you can contact the council direct (Tel: 0800 626 540) or drop either Gareth or me a line and we'll take it up for you.

Parking Matters

The A327 corridor study is still a little way off when it comes to making improvements to the Whitley Street layout, but I'm pleased to say that the car park across the road from the shops is about to have its parking restrictions changed.

Obviously with its location, the worry is that it will be used as a parking overflow area for the Oracle, but equally a 30 minute time limit is way too short for visiting the opticians, the dentist, fitness centre, three restaurants or the sun tan centre.

It's something I suggested before I became a councillor, so I'm very pleased to see it going ahead in the next few weeks.

Now. if only I could do something about the fact that when you leave the car park you have to go down to the Oracle roundabaout... we'll see!