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.”

The eleven new vehicles, each of which has been named by primary school children from the district, replaced the council’s ageing gritting fleet last autumn. The vehicles are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the winter months, to keep schools open, businesses running and emergency services on the road.

South Gloucestershire has one of the highest-performing gritting services in the region and recently won an Association of Public Service Excellence award in recognition of its efficient operation.

The winter maintenance team treat approximately 14,000 miles of South Gloucestershire’s roads each year, and the new vehicles use state-of-the-art technology to ensure fast and effective gritting coupled with lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions, and more effective use of road salt.

More than 6,000 tonnes of salt – enough for an entire winter’s gritting in South Gloucestershire and sufficient to cover more than 40,000 miles of roads – are currently held in storage and the winter maintenance team uses a sophisticated forecasting system to anticipate weather conditions and plan salt runs.

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

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.”

Cllr Brian Allinson (Con, Stoke Gifford), Conservative Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport at South Gloucestershire Council, which is a sponsor authority of the SCRP, added:

“I’m delighted that these figures highlight the increasing use of our local train services because, as a council, we have regular discussions with the rail industry about how we can work together to make travelling by train as attractive as possible.”

“This has included successfully lobbying for extra carriages, which were added at the end of last year to help ease overcrowding on a number of local services.”

“And we have already worked with First Great Western to fund a Sunday rail service to and from Severn Beach for the last couple of years.”

Related link more: SCRP 2011 Annual Report [PDF, 466kB]

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.

South Gloucestershire’s new fleet of eleven winter gritting vehicles was officially launched last week – with a little help from the district’s primary school pupils.

Dozens of youngsters from Reception class to Year 3 had entered the council’s ‘name your gritter’ competition as part of a campaign to highlight the importance of winter road safety and the vital role of the winter gritting fleet.

The winning entries were announced at a special ceremony at Cherry Garden Primary School, Bitton by council Chair Mike Drew and Executive Member for Communities James Hunt.

Winning names included ‘SS Great Gritter’, chosen by children at Oldbury-on-Severn CEVC Primary School and ‘Rocky’, which was suggested by children at The Manor Church of England Primary School in Coalpit Heath.

Children at Cherry Garden School were singled out for special praise after two of their entries – Comet and Crystal — were selected by the judges.

Councillor Hunt said:

“Well done to all the children who took part in this competition. We had some really imaginative entries and it has been a great way to get young people thinking about the important work of our gritting fleet during the winter months.”

Cherry Garden Primary School headteacher Phil Winterburn said:

“Our Year 3 children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the competition, with the help of our deputy head Shirley Allingham. Shirley is retiring this Christmas so seeing two Year 3 winning entries to the competition is a lovely way to celebrate the end of her teaching career.”

The eleven new vehicles replace the council’s ageing gritting fleet and will now be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the winter months, helping to keep schools open, businesses running and emergency services on the road.

South Gloucestershire has one of the highest-performing gritting services in the region and recently won an Association of Public Service Excellence award in recognition of its efficient operation.

The gritters treat approximately 14,000 miles of South Gloucestershire’s roads each year and the new vehicles use state-of-the-art technology to ensure fast and effective gritting coupled with lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions and more effective use of road salt.

More than 6,000 tonnes of salt are currently held in storage for this winter and the winter maintenance team uses a sophisticated forecasting system to anticipate weather conditions and plan salt runs.

Winning entries by school and operating area:

• Severn Beach/Aust: ‘SS Greater Gritter’, chosen by Oldbury-on-Severn CEVC Primary School
• Thornbury: ‘Xenia’, chosen by Manorbrook Primary, Thornbury
• Tortworth: ‘Shuvool’, chosen Tortworth VC Primary School, Tortworth
• Bradley Stoke: ‘Snowball’, chosen by Baileys Court School, Bradley Stoke
• Ring Road/Wick: ‘Salty Sam’, chosen by St. Andrews CEVC Primary School, Cromhall
• Coalpit Heath: ‘Rocky’, chosen by The Manor CE Primary, Coalpit Heath
• Yate: ‘Gertrude’, chosen by St. Paul’s RCVA, Yate
• Hawkesbury: ‘Gritster’, chosen by Hawkesbury CEVC Primary School, Hawkesbury
• Bitton: ‘Comet’, chosen by Cherry Garden Primary School Bitton
• Kingswood South: ‘Crystal’, chosen by Cherry Garden Primary School Bitton
• Kingswood/Hanham: ‘Snowy’, chosen by Olveston Church of England Primary School

Photo: South Gloucestershire Council Chair Mike Drew, Councillor James Hunt and staff and pupils from Cherry Garden Primary School in Bitton.

Rail campaigners in South Gloucestershire have welcomed assurances by the industry that local services will improve.

It follows concerns raised by South Gloucestershire Council’s transport chief about disruption that has been occurring on local rail services, particularly cancellations affecting passengers on key commuter services on the Severn Beach line and the Gloucester-Yate-Bristol Parkway-Bristol Temple Meads line.

On various occasions, there have been cancellations or curtailments to morning peak trains which have been attributed to shortage of crew, trains late from depot and train breakdowns.

On the Severn Beach Line, the main casualty has been the 07.18 from Severn Beach which has been either cancelled in entirety or curtailed to start at Avonmouth – stranding passengers at Severn Beach.

In addition, cancellations have also been occurring on other lines, including:

• The 6:26am train from Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads and destinations beyond (this is the first train of the day in that direction from Bristol Parkway and used by passengers with onward connections at Temple Meads)
• Local services on the Gloucester – Yate – Bristol Parkway – Bristol Temple Meads line
• Local services on the Cardiff – Newport – Patchway – Bristol Temple Meads line

South Gloucestershire Council’s transport chief, Cllr Brian Allinson (Con, Stoke Gifford), had previously raised the issue of overcrowding on some local services, which helped lead to a commitment to add a number of extra carriages to services from next month.

This time he wrote to First Great Western (FGW) to express concerns on behalf of commuters about reliability and FGW’s Managing Director Mark Hopwood has written back to provide assurances that these issues are being resolved quickly and that he “will be keeping a close eye on things” from now on.

Cllr Allinson said:

“We have regular discussions with the rail industry about how we can work together to make travelling by train as attractive as possible.”

“I am encouraged by the reassuring response from First Great Western that they are committed to resolving these concerns about reliability, particularly before the extra carriages arrive shortly to ease overcrowding on a number of local services.”

Local rail campaigner and Conservative councillor for Pilning & Severn Beach, Robert Griffin, added:

“If we are trying to encourage people to leave their cars at home, then public transport has to be reliable.”

“Left unchallenged, the recent disruption on the Severn Beach line would have served only to jeopardise confidence in our local rail service, which so many people have worked hard to improve over a number of years.”

“We will be closely monitoring First Great Western’s efforts to improve the situation.”

More info: FGW’s letter of reply to Cllr Allinson

Young people are being offered the chance to learn what it takes to become competent drivers through a course aimed at the 16-year-olds.

Would-be young drivers will learn road safety and have the chance to get behind the wheel on a private road network. During these practical sessions, they will learn basic car handling skills in a safe environment, on this special course which is run in partnership with North Avon Driving Instructors’ Association and South Gloucestershire Council.

The Junior Drivers course targets young people before they reach their 17th Birthday, to help raise awareness about the responsibilities involved in becoming a driver and to stress how important the right attitude is in keeping them safe. Those attending the course will be offered practical advice on applying for their provisional licence, taking a theory test, basic car maintenance and the Highway Code essentials. The course also teaches youngsters about the possible consequences of road traffic accidents, highlighting the high crash statistics involving young drivers, in an attempt to make them think twice about taking any unnecessary risks behind the wheel.

Alan Hale, senior road safety officer, said:

“This course is invaluable for young people looking to gain the confidence and skills required to become a competent driver. Nationally, one in five newly qualified drivers will have a crash within six months of passing their test. And with 17 to 25 year old drivers representing just 7% of licensed drivers, it is alarming to see that they are involved in 13% of all injury accidents.”

“The benefits of this course are that students are given the basic car control skills in a safe environment teaching accurate and controlled steering, clutch control and changing through the lower gears, so I would urge parents to enrol their child. There are plenty of courses coming up so perhaps this could be the best birthday or Christmas present you can give to your son or daughter.”

The next course starts on 3rd November 2011 and runs for six weeks. It costs £96, which includes six theory sessions and six 1-hour practical sessions on the road with a qualified instructor.

Further course dates are planned for next year starting on the following dates:

• 5th January 2012
• 23rd February 2012
• 19th April 2012
• 14th June 2012
• 6th September 2012
• 1st November 2012

Call 01454 260011 to book a place.

The closures take place between 8pm and 6am and form part of work to increase road capacity and improve traffic flow prior to completion of the showcase bus corridor scheme in Spring 2012.

On the M32 junction 1, the northbound slip road from the ring road onto junction 1 of the M32 will be closed on 8th, 9th, 10th, 22nd, 23rd and 24th September for resurfacing works. Temporary diversion routes will be clearly signed.

Coldharbour Lane will also be closed on 5th, 6th and 7th September for resurfacing works, again with clear temporary diversions. On 19th, 20th and 21st September there will be lane closures at Coldharbour Lane but the road will still be accessible to traffic.

Road diversions for M32 junction 1:

• Traffic will be diverted down the M32 to Junction 2 (Muller Road), and then northbound onto the M32 towards Hambrook.

Road diversion for Coldharbour Lane:

• Ring road traffic travelling eastbound approaching Coldharbour Lane will not be allowed to turn right into Coldharbour Lane. They will be sent down to the Hambrook Junction to turn right into the B4058 (Frenchay Park Road) then directed right into Stoke Lane and up to the UWE roundabout which will remain open.
• Ring Road Traffic travelling westbound approaching Coldharbour Lane will not be allowed to turn left into Coldharbour Lane they will be sent straight over along to the Abbeywood roundabout to turn around and then follow the eastbound diversion detailed above.
• Traffic exiting UWE will be directed south down Coldharbour Lane and back along Frenchay Park road up to the Hambrook Junction then left to the M32 Junction.

South Gloucestershire commuters can ‘dial and park’ for a special discount price at the new park & ride facility off Hunts Ground Road in Stoke Gifford (close to Bristol Parkway Station).

During September, all commuters who use their mobile phone to pay for parking will be charged just £2 per day, plus normal text charges – a saving of £3 on the normal daily rate.

The facility is the first of its kind in South Gloucestershire and gives residents the opportunity to leave their car behind before transferring to a train or local bus for onward journeys into Bristol and other parts of South Gloucestershire.

The park and ride is also on the route of the proposed North Fringe to Hengrove rapid transit network, which the council hopes to gain funding for from the Department for Transport later this year. If the bid for funding is successful, it would provide links to Cribbs Causeway, Aztec West, UWE and Emersons Green, and to Bristol city centre and on to Hengrove.

The CCTV-equipped facility has 200 parking spaces. Charges are normally £5 per day during the week and £3 per day over the weekend, with payment possible by both mobile phone and on site.

Related story: A Freedom of Information request by BBC Bristol has revealed that just 139 drivers used the Stoke Gifford park & ride facility in the first three months of its operation.

Approved by South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet on Monday (25th July), the North Fringe to Hengrove Package rapid transit scheme includes the ‘Stoke Gifford Transport Link’ – also known locally as the Stoke Gifford bypass.

The bypass had been due to open over ten years ago in order to deal with the huge congestion in the North Fringe of Bristol created by the development of 8,000 homes at Bradley Stoke and other nearby developments. It was cancelled when South Gloucestershire Council was run by the Liberal Democrats. A long campaign has been fought by local Conservatives to revive plans for the new road.

Speaking at Monday’s Cabinet meeting, Stoke Gifford Conservative councillor Keith Cranney said:

“I welcome the North Fringe to Hengrove Package rapid transit scheme and feel that the Stoke Gifford Transport Link is the most important element of it.”

Many local people will remember that this link was planned as part of the development that saw nearly 10,000 new homes built at Bradley Stoke and other nearby locations in order to ensure that there was new infrastructure put in place to cope with all these extra commuters.

But – in a moment of madness – the link road was cancelled, thus ensuring that this huge volume of extra traffic has had to negotiate the tiny and dangerous route under Parkway railway bridge.

This has brought misery not just to Stoke Gifford residents but everyone who has to sit in the jams and it has put a risk the large number of pedestrians, particularly Abbeywood school children, who walk under the bridge to get to school.

All these years later, I’m delighted to see that this transport link is back on the agenda because another route across the railway at this location is the only way to ensure that a rapid transit really is rapid.”

Cllr Cranney added:

“This element of the North Fringe to Hengrove Package is desperately needed to cope with the development we have already seen in the area, let alone the additional development as set out in the Council’s Core Strategy.”

“It should never have been cancelled by the LibDems but we look forward to it being delivered as part of rapid transit.”

Related link: Map of the proposed bypass route (Bradley Stoke Journal)