Topic ID 3615
Last year a set of bollards were put up at the entrance of Bircherley Green to prevent cars parking in the pedestrianised area. However, the removable locking bollards have never been installed and now one of the fixed bollards has been damaged and removed. The project is therefore entirely useless. What is the point in the District Council implementing something without actually finishing the job before it becomes damaged and then left unrepaired. It's very sad that the council can find money for a folly such as this yet cannot see the value in having a Town Centre Manager. [img]../images/forum/bircherley_bollards.jpg[/img]
Reply ID 52794
or old fashioned Park Keepers to patrol Hartham
Reply ID 52795
I couldn't see the point in them anyway as they were placed so far back the taxi's still sit all over the pavement during the day.
Reply ID 52796
What we actually need is some effective traffic and parking policing in Hertford - not the current revenue generation system that only patrols the car parks during working hours issuing penalties for minor infringements, but nowhere to be seen when it comes to the bigger problems.
Reply ID 52797
I'm not entirely clear on what is so terrible about parking on this area anyway, out of shopping hours. Seems an ideal nightime use for it.
Reply ID 52798
quote:Have you seen the state of the paving? It wasn't designed for traffic. [:)] And like Sarah, I thought the point was to prevent the taxi drivers using the pedestrianised area as a taxi rank.
Originally posted by shunt
I'm not entirely clear on what is so terrible about parking on this area anyway, out of shopping hours. Seems an ideal nightime use for it.
Reply ID 52811
I have a feeling that the bollards are where they are due to the number of vehicles/lorries that need to deliver to all the shops in the pedestrianised area. The only other alternative is to block the traffic while getting hold of the shopkeeper, digging out the legendary 'bollard key' and being let in. The taxis still cause problems for deliveries as far as I can tell, particularly as it is a loading area and not a taxi rank!
Reply ID 52812
The taxis are just plain dangerous more of the time. On several occasions I have nearly been mown down by them reversing on the pavement. Would it not make more sense to move the taxi rank round to the bus station where there is more room for them to park up?
Reply ID 52814
Thought I’d respond to this thread before it gets out of hand and because it illustrates why many people would not get out of bed to be Town Centre Manager. Just seen Buzz's comments on new thread - some info here as well. Placing bollards at the top end of Bircherley Green was my initiative somewhere back in 2005 and put before the Hertford Transport Forum. It had the backing of the meeting which included several local councillors and was taken on as a project by Highways which involved them and me in several site visits and consultations. The reasons were many. To stop taxis ranking up there, to stop heavy lorries turning there, to stop it being used as a car park but mostly because I got fed up with at least once a week someone moaning at me about the paved surface which had become a trip hazard for the able bodied as well as the elderly. Many people had tripped and never got compensation (none of them actually – despite many incidents being witnessed and treated by shopkeepers); the market traders were concerned about the level of insurance if someone tripped on a cracked paving within their stall area which was not their fault. Some traders actually repaired the faults themselves. I logged every fault on the Highways report line; it was circled in white paint and then someone would come down, remove the brick(s), fill it in with a bit of tarmac and make it worse. The final insult was when Morrisons on behalf of EDF and Highways dug a trench to the utter horror of traders and which was totally unnecessary because all that was needed was an extra power switch in the existing lamp columns - and that took me two years to get repaired as part of last years Christmas lights project after someone knocked one down early one Saturday morning. Highways, the Market Beadle and myself had organised this so as to get power for lighting to the market and for other events – xmas perhaps. But the real reason for all this was to eventually get the area resurfaced and for pedestrians only. Since then the budgets have been slashed further and what there is has to go on major routes – M25, M1, A1 and A10 – otherwise if trunk road repair is curtailed at the expense of side roads then the budget is cut further by central government. I thought that if I could protect Bircherley Green then at some time the area could be resurfaced if funds could be diverted or bid for under other sources of funding which is how the system works and why someone’s pet project is suddenly put on the back burner (the safe town walk between two stations for example). It was some time before the bollards were put in as the ones we wanted – drop down into a slot rather than removable - were out of stock. Keys as far as I know have been given to those who require one in both Railway Street and Bircherley Green and the market – I gave Highways a list but by then as I had no further professional interest I haven’t got one. However no one bothers to put the bollards up, or down or lock them or chase to get the broken ones repaired because there is no one in town to chase up these sorts of things. My good lady tells me that yesterday a couple drove through Bircherley Green, did a three point turn by the lifts and then exited. A bit less daring than the chap who many years ago tried a daring stunt by the stairs at Waitrose. Unfortunately he misjudged the distance to speed ratio and got stuck on the steps. The licensed taxi drivers have been told in no uncertain terms and have been issued fines and given a written warning about where and for how long they can legally rank. The problem is that to disperse the night time economy the town needs them more than they need us. Once you get a license you can ply for hire at any time of the day. And yes, it has been discussed about restricting licenses to day or night time use. No can do. It has also been discussed about moving the rank along with using the one way part of Fore Street at night time. Various people thought it would be a good idea if the Town Centre Manager led on this. The drivers do not want to move – there is no footfall at the Bus Station, nor enough room, ditto Fore Street (but fine at night) as most of the trade comes from the town centre. Ditto the Woolpack. The reason given by Highways as to why taxis can’t use Fore Street is that they are indistinguishable from ordinary cars. I did point out that taxis have a big illuminated sign on the roof saying ‘taxi’. No difference. As the drivers maintained from the first weekend of the Taxi Marshalling Scheme a fare from say the Blackbirds is £2.00 more on Fridays because from the taxi rank the driver has to go around the town and not through Fore Street. In short (rather than this post) the situation is not going to change, get better, be sorted because there is no one out there who can change, improve or sort it.
Reply ID 52832
Needless to say, my opening post was not aimed at you, Sloop. It was aimed at those who were unable to achieve what was intended. If you are going to spend public money, it should be clear what the purpose is and you should ensure that the purpose is acheived. From this point of view, those who are responsible for this project have failed those who funded it - ie, the Council Tax payers of The Town and District. Having said that, the way local government is funded no doubt plays a part in the mismanagement of highways maintenance and its' accountability.
Reply ID 52904
We're in the Herald - when do we get our pay cheques? [xx(]