DETAILS OF JUST SOME OF THE HIGHWAYS AND ROAD SAFETY WORK WE HAVE DONE SINCE MAY LAST YEAR
Last year, after listening to your priorities we found that fixing footpaths and roads and road safety were at the top of the list of your priorites. Over the last few months we have set about making the changes after years of neglect.
We have been successful in stopping proposed reductions in the Highways budget at the council, working cross-party to make sure the department gets the funding it deserves. I would like to see more investment in this area – the cost to the council in claims for trips is huge. I hope that with falling prices for materials this year, even more can be done.
After becoming councillors we found out that only a handful of roads and footpaths had been surveyed in our area. As a result we requested dozens of surveys to be carried out and are now waiting to see which work the County Council is going to prioritise in the general budget next year.
Work already done or booked in to be done in next few months, the majority of which was as a result of our requests and efforts:
Louisa Terrace – Witton Gilbert – Resurfacing of the dangerous bend where there had been many accidents and years of pressure from the Parish Council, Residents and ourselves – meeting our promises.
Bearpark Pinch Point – The removal of the dangerous pinch point in Bearpark, which was funded out of our Councillros Highways Budget – again as a result of years of accidents – meeting our promises.
Norburn Park and Hillside – Footpaths, untouched for decades and in some places too narrow to walk along have been cut back to their original width and have been resurfaced in a number of places, with more work still to be done to bring up to decent condition.
Cook Avenue – The infamous footpath with dozens of “temporary repairs” which were actually lumps of tarmac sticking up – Over 100 metres is booked in to be rebuilt in the coming weeks – meeting our promises.
Woodbine Road – Additional dropped kerbs to help local elderly residents were added to the existing proposals after pressure from Cllr Wilkes.
Potholes – hundreds of potholes surveyed by your councillors and filled in by the Council. If you have one near you please tell us and we’ll report it for repair.
Rose Lea, Abbey Road – Collapsed drains rebuilt after years of being broken.
Newton Drive, Framwellgate Moor – Dropped kerbs and broken pavement – Resurfacing and dropped kerbs booked in to be done near school and doctors.
Bearpark – Ritson/Kingston Av’s. – Proposal for raised platforms currently being considered for cross roads – will go to Highways Committee for final approval – for reducing speeding after numerous accidents and near misses.
Findon Avenue – Witton Gilbert – Dangerous footpath resurfaced around Bungalows after discussions at the new Witton Gilbert residents Association meeting.
Brookside, Cragside, Friarside, Glebeside – WittonGilbert – footpaths resurfaced.
Pity Me – Front Street traffic calming and access improvements – currently being finalised for completion in March – to reduce speed and make it easier to exit juncitons along the road, new slow markings, re shaping of junction markings and the driving path as well as new entrance signs for the entrance to Pity Me.
North Terrace – Remarking of no parking markings.
A167 Roundabout – as part of the work to resurface the A167, we have managed to secure the cutting back and resurfacing of footpaths/cyclepaths near the rounabout – one of which should ahve been over 1.5m wide but is currently barely visible.
Witton Station – Wallnook Lane – Cutting back of footpaths which was too narrow to walk on after many years of becoming overgrown.
Just some of the highways work which we have been working on. i will post more details as and when. Thanks must be given to excellent officers in the Highways department for all their hard work.
When we have copies of the surveys we have requested and details of the work for the coming year I will post them here.
