A group of residents in south Bradley Stoke say they are outraged that their request for a pedestrian crossing facility on a busy section of Brook Way has been deleted from a list of projects under consideration by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).
Members of the Lakeside Residents’ Association have been campaigning for three years for the Council to install a central pedestrian refuge or zebra crossing to help pedestrians safely cross Brook Way to access the bus stop near the junction with Elm Close.
The issue was first placed on the Council’s ‘Local Transport Task Register’ in November 2010 and the request was bolstered by support from the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Community Group in 2011.
Frustration has now turned to anger with the discovery that the project was scratched from the SGC task register in November 2011, on the advice of a Stoke Gifford District Councillor.
Cllr Keith Cranney (Con) recommended to a meeting of the Southern Brooks Area Forum on 29th November 2011 that the proposed Brook Way crossing be deleted from the task register and replaced by a scheme to improve road safety on Braydon Avenue, Little Stoke.
The Bradley Stoke residents are now urging everyone concerned about road safety on Brook Way to attend this Tuesday’s meeting of the Area Forum at the Jubilee Centre (7pm start), where local transport schemes are once again on the agenda.
The campaigners say it is particularly difficult to cross Brook Way at this point because of the speed of traffic and the presence of a “blind bend” midway between the roundabouts at the junctions with Braydon Avenue and Baileys Court Road. A steep slope on the grass verge on the Little Stoke side of the road is an additional hazard, they note.
They also point out that there are plenty of mid-carriageway pedestrian refuges installed on other sections of Brook Way.
Fred Hillberg of the Lakeside Residents’ Association told The Journal:
“It’s wrong that Councillors from other areas should be voting on road safety schemes for Bradley Stoke. It should be solely between Highways officers and Councillors representing Bradley Stoke.”
“The decision to axe our scheme was made last November but we only found out a month ago.”
Fellow campaigner Peter Kite added:
“I want to know why our scheme was rejected out of hand. It’s a damned disgrace to delete it without letting us know.”
Mr Hillberg was also critical of the two District Councillors for Bradley Stoke South, Cllrs John Ashe and Robert Jones (both Con), who he says have failed to attend Safer and Stronger meetings and support the Brook Way scheme at Area Forum meetings.
Photo: Brook Way pedestrian crossing campaigners Fred Hillberg (left) and Peter Kite.
Cllr Ben Walker (UKIP, Bradley Stoke North), who helped form the Lakeside Residents’ association when he represented the Lakeside ward on Bradley Stoke Town Council, said:
“This has been a requirement from the community for over three years and strongly campaigned for in local Safer and Stronger meetings by residents. To simply dismiss it without thought, discussion or consideration is another example of the serious lack of representation residents have to suffer from their local councillors. I will do all I can to assist the residents and ensure that their requests are heard and considered; as after all, this is the era of localism.”
There may still be hope for the Brook Way campaigners as SGC says it is aiming to change the current task register process and is currently developing a system of evaluating all requests with the objective of developing a robust methodology to ‘assess and decide’ which measures should be implemented using clearly defined, consistent criteria.
Another topic of interest on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is the allocation of £60,000 for highway maintenance schemes within the Southern Brooks area, which covers Bradley Stoke, Filton, Frenchay, Stoke Park, Patchway, Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne. However, of the 22 schemes listed and prioritised, none lie within the boundaries of Bradley Stoke.
More info: Agenda for Tuesday’s Areas Forum Meeting (SGC)
Photo: Notice displayed on the Elm Close bus stop shelter on Brook Way.
So what is Cllr Cranney’s justification for this decision, and why should this one guy be solely responsible for deciding road safety!.
The road is an accident waiting to happen – and sadly it will happen. You only have to walk past this stretch of road during rush-hour to see near misses.
Does this stretch of road lie within Stoke Gifford or Bradley Stoke Council? I would have thought it fell within Stoke Gifford/Little Stoke, which may be why Cllr Cranney had a hand in the scrapping of the scheme?
It is incorrect to say Stoke Gifford Councillors voted against this scheme as Keith Cranney is a Bradley Stoke Councillor, I also believe that Cllr Ben Walker (then a Con) voted to redesignate the scheme along with other Bradley Stoke Councillors in Nov 2011.
Seems that Councillor Walker has a convenient memory – he was at that meeting and did not vote against this proposal and he was in fact still a conservative councillor at the time. I wonder if the residents were aware of that when Cllr Walker arranged the photo shoot?He is now stirring up trouble for his own political benefit. This type of action reminds me of his predecessor who held Bradley Stoke North and the electorate got rid of him !!
Yeah that’s just what we need, more road furniture to slow down the traffic even further!!
The road is no more than 200 metres long, there is no need for a crossing point whatsoever.
I wonder if they would still want a crossing if they had to pay for it themselves?
I suppose some people would have no crossings at all and prefer a free for all!
TELL THAT TO THE ELDERLY,PEOPLE WITH WALKING PROBLEMS AND MUMS WITH YOUNG CHILDREN.AND THE CROSS SECTION OF PEOPLE WHO USE THE BUS STOPS.
Incidentially, we do pay for for everything via our Tax,s and Council Tax.
Keith Cranney lives in Braydon Ave and that is the scheme he voted for.Councilors who Represent Bradley Stoke should live in Bradley Stoke to avoid a conflict of interest.
That is the only fair and Democratic way. This was a political decision and not one of merit.This is what we pay the experts at South Glos Highways for.
Is that the first recorded instance of the use of the word “experts” and “South Glos Highways” in the same sentence?
The very same experts who have done little to reduce the traffic chaos our area is blighted with. Oh and have allowed the road surface in this very same section of the road to deteriorate to such a degree that major resurfacing is now required.
Right! Who is going to give up a couple of kids, or a baby in a pushchair, or a granny or grandad to be mown down. Just a couple in the right spot and we will get our crossing.
I wont get off the 73 from the centre at this point. I prefer to use the stop before, on the straight section in Orpheus Avenue as its much easier and much safer.
A comment from Cllr John Ashe (Con, Bradley Stoke South), following last night’s meeting of the Southern Brooks Area Forum:
“It beggars belief that Cllr Walker can suddenly claim to be in support of Lakeside residents when he was at the original meeting and agreed to the deletion of this scheme in the first place.”
“Unfortunately I wasn’t at last year’s meeting where this decision was taken, but I was able to get agreement from last night’s area forum that a wider review of pedestrian movements can be carried out so we can get to the bottom of where crossing points are needed.”
Minutes of the November 2011 meeting are here:
http://council.southglos.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=26323
Top of p.15 refers to the scheme deletion.
How can anyone trust Cllr Ben Walker? First he stands as a Conservative and dupes us into voting for him. Then he shows his true ‘UKIP’ tendencies and defects letting down Bradley Stoke residents. Next he kicks up a stink about a decision that he actually rubber stamped! Maybe he should also consider a change not just in his political allegiance but also his name – I’d suggest Walter Mitty would be a great new name for this guy. What else is lurking in the background Walter???
A group attended the meeting on Tuesday, and the Councillors were asked why they had voted for the Brook Way scheme to be rejected in favour of fellow Councillior Keith Cranney’s in Braydon Ave (where he lives).
90% of the Councillors do not live in Bradley Stoke, have no interest in Bradley Stoke and have their own agenda. They could not give an answer! (they probably did not even know the area in question). It was all down to Conservative Cronies. There is no other logical reason.
This forum is not Democratic by any strech of the imagination and Bradley Stoke issues do not stand a hope in hell’s chance. South Glos should investigate how our tax payers money is spent; this is why we employ them and expect decisions to be made on fairness and merit. Bradley Stoke Residents contribute a great deal of money to the South Glos coffers and deserve their fair share of expenditure.
Hmm, sorry I don’t think the site of this suggested crossing is safe, the road is on a curve, there are two bus stops, 2 sets of traffic pillows and a road exit, on one short stretch of road, if the crossing goes in, to me, it would be an accident waiting to happen. Someone will come round see a bus parked, try to get round not see someone on the crossing….
Cllr Ben Walker has has done far more to help solve the problems experience over several years, by the Lakeside Area, and Bradley Stoke in general than any other sitting Councillor. Fact! We do not care about the colour of his politics.
Action speaks louder than words and because of this Ben has the biggest profile of any other Councillior and this is resented.
Ben had his loyalty to the people of Bradley Stoke continually undermined by the Conservative Party Leadership and did the honourable thing by resigning.
Too many politicians even in the small pond but aside any ethics and honesty in favour of ambition and lining their own pockets.
Has anyone seen or heard of Jack Lopresti by the way!
The Labour Party of Bristol were very keen to join the new Mayors Cabinet in the interest of the people of Bristol but they were shot down by their political masters at Central Office.
Who are the losers. THE PEOPLE OF BRISTOL
SILVER FOX.
ALL THE MORE REASON WHY WE NEED A CROSSING!
YOU HAVE POINTED OUT THE DANGERS YOURSELF.
Thanks Fred, with respect what I am saying is I don’t think that is a safe place to cross the road, with or without a crossing, I apperciate your view, but don’t agree. May be you need to turn you caps lock off, Best Regards with your fight for a crossing
Pedestrian crossing is fine. But this issue is politicised by the Cllr guy in the picture, who is trying to take advantage for himself by stirring the situation. Don’t know when people with him realise his true colours?