The Bradley Stoke Journal

Work to install a new raised table pedestrian crossing on Brook Way, close to the mini-roundabout at the junction with Wheatfield Drive, is set to commence on Monday (20th June).

The work to install a 75mm high raised table across the full width of the road and widen the island and footway approaches to the crossing could last until Friday 1st July, according to information published in South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) weekly Road Report.

A pair of ‘children going to school’ warning signs will also be installed on Brook Way (near Brackendene and Dewfalls Drive) as part of the scheme.

The Council warns that temporary two-way traffic signals will be used during the installation work.

The crossing upgrade was first proposed following a a campaign by parents of children at Wheatfield Primary School, who had complained of the difficulty of crossing Brook Way at peak hours.

In December 2009, the Southern Brooks Area Forum agreed to meet the £20,000 cost of the work and a public consultation on the proposals followed in October 2010.

Local politicians later squabbled over who should take credit for winning funding for the project, with the Liberal Democrats’ Jon Williams claiming the Tories were trying to “re-write history”, countered by Brian Allinson saying that Cllr Williams’ “pram [was] increasingly lacking toys”.

Read on for details of how objections have delayed the project »

Bradley Stoke Police say they arrested three adult males following a robbery in Brook Way on Friday 20th August.

Two males are said to have grabbed a female’s handbag as she passed them walking in the opposite direction.

The victim was pushed over when she resisted. No weapons were used and she sustained no injuries. One male left in a green Volvo car whilst the other walked off, dropping the victim’s bag.

Beat Manager PC Steven Palmer  says he wishes to assure  local residents that this is an unusual offence for Bradley Stoke and that there haven’t been any other robberies in the town since his arrival two years ago^*.

Of the three males arrested, police say one is currently on bail and will be charged with robbery on his return; the other two are to be released without charge.

Related story: Mobile phone not good enough for Bowsland Way robbers

Related link: Police in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

^* Statistics published on the Local Crime Mapping website show that there were, in fact, two robberies in the last twelve months within the Bradley Stoke Beat area.

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Jon Williams has slammed the Conservatives for, he says, wrongly claiming credit over the approval of a new pedestrian crossing on Brook Way.

The row follows a campaign by parents of children at Wheatfield Primary School, who said they found it dangerous  getting to the school from Saxon Way and other roads on the west side of Brook Way.

The issue was first raised at a meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Group in February, where concerned parents complained of the difficulty of crossing Brook Way near the mini-roundabout junction with Wheatfield Drive.

Parents also pointed out that the central refuge at existing crossings were too narrow to accommodate pushchairs and that there were no school warning signs on Brook Way.

Cllr Mark Forsyth (Conservative) shocked the meeting when he suggested that the parents might like to “buy some fluorescent jackets and act as lollipop persons”.

A more constructive response came from Cllr Williams, who offered to work with the parents to see if the school’s Travel Plan could be updated with a view to attracting funding for a new crossing.

Cllr Williams says he subsequently spoke to the school, attended the school’s Travel Plan Committee, arranged for a Highways officer to attend, and encouraged the school to resubmit its Travel Plan.

Plans for a new ‘raised table’ crossing were then put forward to the Southern Brooks Area Forum meeting earlier this month, where the parents and Cllr Williams were succesful in obtaining approval for the estimated £20,000 cost.

But a press release put out after the meeting by South Gloucestershire Conservatives – subtitled “Councillors welcome moves to encourage safer route to school” – has angered Cllr Williams, who says the Tories “do nothing and then claim the credit”.

Cllr Williams told The Journal:

“It appears that the Conservatives are rewriting history again. This time they are claiming credit for getting a new, safer, crossing across Brook Way between Courtlands and Wheatfield Drive. The truth is that it was parents at the school and the school’s Travel Plan Committee who should take the credit.”

“Not once did a Conservative councillor make contact with the school or the parents over this matter and the only thing they did to support the scheme was to vote in favour of Cllr Williams’ proposal to proceed with the scheme at last week’s Area Forum meeting.”

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A meeting of the Southern Brooks Area Forum this evening (Tuesday 1st December) is set to discuss a number of road safety schemes that have been proposed for the Bradley Stoke area.

Area forums, organised by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), give local people the opportunity to talk about issues and concerns that affect their neighbourhoods. They champion local needs and aspirations and gather the views of residents about specific community issues.

In the Southern Brooks Area, which covers Bradley Stoke, Filton, Frenchay, Stoke Park, Patchway, Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne, 20 small scale transport projects have been identified as candidates for the £50k funding made available to the forum.

One of the three schemes proposed for Bradley Stoke involves the construction of a new pedestrian crossing on Brook Way, between Courtlands and Wheatfield Drive. This scheme is believed to have been proposed by a local councillor in response to concerns raised at the February meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Group, where parents of children attending Wheatfield Primary School complained about the difficulty of crossing Brook Way at peak hours.

Council officers have identified that a “raised table” crossing would be an appropriate solution, at an estimated cost of £20k.

Other proposals for Bradley Stoke schemes involve additional speed bumps on Baileys Court Road and kerb works at a roundabout on Woodlands Lane.

Tonight’s meeting takes place at the Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road, Bradley Stoke (7pm start).

More info: Agenda (SGC)