The South Glos Post

South Gloucestershire Council’s state-of-the-art fleet of new snow ploughs are being readied for the first serious snowfall of the winter.

With weather forecasts showing an increased likelihood of snow through Saturday night and Sunday morning, the council’s winter maintenance team are preparing for all-night operation on Saturday night to grit the district’s roads and plough where snow settles.

Head of Street Care Mark King will be among the team behind the wheel of a snowplough on Saturday night. He said:

“The vehicles have already been out regularly this winter to salt South Gloucestershire’s roads and keep our highways safe and clear of ice.”

“However this will be the first time we have used the vehicles to deal with snow and the winter maintenance team have been working hard to ready the ploughs for a busy weekend.”

“The procedure we follow is to pre-salt roads as soon as icy conditions are forecast, and then return to plough if the snow begins to settle. At the same time, we re-salt the roads to make sure that they remain safe.”

More: New gritters named by local school children »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

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South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) and the Highways Authority will discuss the future use of the Tormarton rest area on the A46 this Wednesday (18th January).

The rest area is an important facility for both drivers on the A46, and long-distance hikers on the Cotswold Way.

The Highways Agency has proposed to remove the toilet facilities, and to leave the limited ‘park & share’ site as it is, rather than expand.

Cllr Sue Hope (Liberal Democrat, Cotswold Edge) said:

“We’ve were promised an expansion of the land available for Park and Share many years ago and nothing’s ever been done – it would reduce congestion, reduce pollution, remove parking from the surrounding verges; if we can bite the bullet now, and spend a small amount of money, it would be a win for everybody involved.”

“It’s a popular, well-used site, and we have the ability to expand to meet demand. Together with Tormarton Parish Council, we are going to push hard to have this done.”

“The toilet facilities in the same area are crucial to comfort and convenience – this isn’t just a car park, it’s a stop on the beautiful Cotswold Way, where hikers can refresh themselves.”

The toilet facilities have been closed for some time, and we are looking at rebuilding a proper facility in the most cost-effective way. It’s ludicrously unrealistic to tell hikers they can go to Bath to use a toilet. Anything other than a proper block will be unsanitary and unpleasant.”

Related link: Agenda for the meeting of SGC’s Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Select Committee on Wednesday

Source: Liberal Democrat Group on South Gloucestershire Council

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Rail campaigners have welcomed new figures showing dramatic increases in the use of local train services, particularly from Severn Beach station

Figures published as part of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership’s (SCRP’s) 2011 Annual Report from the weekday passenger count carried out in November show that passenger numbers have increased from 135 to 201 – or by 49 per cent – at Severn Beach station between 2009 and 2011.

The same count found increases at other South Gloucestershire stations over the same 2 year period:

• Filton Abbey Wood has seen a 12 per cent increase – from 3,102 to 3,461
• Patchway has seen a 26 per cent increase – from 234 up to 295
• Yate has seen a 5 per cent increase – from 931 up to 974

Cllr Robert Griffin (Con, Pilning & Severn Beach) said:

“The Severnside Community Rail Partnership does a tremendous amount of good work and this whopping 49 per cent in passenger numbers is testament to these marvellous efforts.”

“All we can do is encourage people to leave their cars at home and use public transport and it’s great to see this being done in ever increasing numbers on the Severn Beach line.”

“And there’s always more we can do to keep this trend heading in the right direction, particularly improving reliability.”

More: Council transport chief is "delighted" with figures »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

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South Gloucestershire Council has welcomed the announcement from the Department for Transport that funding has been secured for the North Fringe to Hengrove rapid transit package, worth £102m.

Commenting on the announcement, Cllr Brian Allinson, executive member responsible for transport and chair of the Joint Transport Executive Committee, said:

“We are delighted that the bid has been successful. This is exceptionally good news for South Gloucestershire’s economy and for transport as a whole across the region.”

“The North Fringe to Hengrove rapid transit scheme, along with the recent announcements about the schemes in Ashton Vale and the South Bristol link, coupled with the electrification of the Great Western Main Line rail line clearly demonstrate the benefits which can be achieved when the four West of England councils work together in partnership.”

“Securing this significant investment in the West’s transport system is further recognition of the importance central Government places on this region and the scheme will lead to more jobs being created and improved links made with communities in the north and east fringe when work starts on the scheme in two years time.”

The West of England councils have secured funding for all five of their major transport schemes. More information on the schemes is available at www.westofengland.org.

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

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