Park Avenue Update

As you have no doubt seen in the Visiter, the cabinet member for Technical Services DID NOT approve Park Avenue for resurfacing this year.  I was bitterly disappointed at this decision and did what I could to argue the case for the need for action to be taken sooner rather than later.  I would also like to thank Mary Pointon from Park Avenue for adding her voice to this debate.  Mary has a long and detailed correspondence on this issue and was able to add a great deal of historical data.

The following are the agreed outcomes:

1. all pot holes will be filled asap
2. a section of Park Avenue will be included in the micro surfacing schedule this year - this section is 150m from the junction with Park Crescent.  This was a concession given as a result of the lack of grit provided by the council.
3. the criteria for deciding which roads to resurface will be reviewed with additional weight given to those roads which are subject to heavy traffic flows.
4. Park Avenue will be reconsidered as a priority for inclusion in the maintenance program for 2011/2012

The actual highway maintenance program for 2010/2011 will be agreed at the Southport Area Committee on the 31st March.  You can see the roads listed by following this link and clicking on the Highways Maintenance report  http://modgov.sefton.gov.uk/moderngov/ieAgenda.Asp?A=4757.

I will be visiting some of these roads before the meeting next week to see if I can argue the case that Park Avenue is in a worse state - I'll let you know how I get on.

Road Policy Changed After Council Rejects Resident's Complaints

Your Lib Dem Team are pleased to report that they have forced a review of council policy after residents of Park Avenue were left furious when their longstanding complaints - backed by nearly a hundred signatures - were 'effectively ignored' in a recent review.

Cllr McGuire has met with Park Avenue residents on several occasions to discuss their concerns over what she calls "a shocking, even dangerous road surface". In some places on the street, the original cobble road is now clearly visible, with the effects of several developments having rendered the surface 'dangerously uneven' according to the local Lib Dem.

The council promised to look into the matter, and subsequently issued a report which describes the road as having 'a range of defects', being 'badly crazed', and containing 'a number of potholes' - and yet which then concludes that no action should be taken. As the Cllr put it:

"The council agreed that the road is in a terrible state, agreed that a resurfacing would be of benefit, but said they wouldn't be doing anything as other roads are even worse. Agreeing with residents complaints, but ducking responsibility to take action simply because other roads in the borough are also appalling simply isn't a solution".

Cllr McGuire put this argument to council officers at a meeting to discuss the report on Wednesday, and they have now agreed to renew the policy procedures that led to the decision.

"Having ducked this issue for too long already, it's unacceptable to admit that there's a problem but refuse to come up with a workable solution. Roads that have been designated an HGV route, or are subject to heavy traffic, simply cannot be considered under the same criteria as normal domestic streets not subject to the same wear and tear."

"Put simply, Park Avenue is a disgrace, and the council are now belatedly admitting that without taking action it will deteriorate still further. Any policy concluding that nothing should be done in such circumstances clearly isn't working, and I'm glad the council are now waking up to that fact."

Pothole pothole wherefore art thou pothole !

If only the above were true. You know there is an issue when the subject of potholes makes it onto the Today programme on Radio 4 which indeed it did today.  So it is with joy in our hearts that your lib dem team confirm that the pothole nightmare on Park Avenue moves one step closer to being sorted out following a visit today from the Highways Team from Sefton Council.  During their visit the team marked out a large number of pot holes along the length of the road and this is normally taken as a sign that they will be filled shortly.


Councillor Sue McGuire inspects a series of pot holes on Garstang Road - these holes have now been filled in following action by your LIb Dem Team.

If you have concerns about potholes in your road then please pass on the details to your Lib Dem team.

The case of the missing grit !

Remember this - Park Avenue in the snow in the days before Christmas last year. Whilst it looks picturesque, your Lib Dem team can confirm that there were huge problems with a lack of gritting on this road. In fact, your Lib Dem team asked a number of times during the freezing weather why the ice was still on Park Avenue when it was visibly cleared from Park Road and Roe Lane. We were continually told that the road had been gritted and it was just the lack of traffic (!) or the weather which was causing the ice to remain.

Having a Sherlock Holmes moment - councillor Sue McGuire went through the Winter Service Policy with a fine tooth comb to see if she could find any other reason for this obvious lack of gritting, only to discover that yes indeed Park Avenue was included in the list of roads to be gritted however it was NOT included in the actual list of roads and map which is given to each of the drivers fo the gritting vehciles. Which meant that in reality Park Avenue DID NOT GET GRITTED. Following this piece of effective detective work by your LIb Dem Councillors Sefton Council have now confirmed that Park Avenue will in future be included as part of the gritting route.

One consequence of this lack of grit however has been the creation of some very large pot holes especially at the roundabout junction with Park Crescent and Albert Road. Your Lib Dem team are asking for action to be taken as a matter of urgency since Park Avenue is part of the designated HGV route in this area of Southport.

Frost Pothole Legacy

The recent very cold weather has left a legacy of potholes throughout our area which your Lib Dem team are trying to get repaired as quickly as possible. Councillors Sue McGuire and Carmel Preston are joining MP John Pugh in calling on the council to take emergency action before potholes opened up by the ice and snow damage residents cars.
As Sue explains “We need a highway rapid response team as the recent damage caused by the bad weather cannot wait for routine maintenance. Emergency repairs are called for in many places before anymore damage is done to cars. These are exceptional times and we need an exceptional response.”

It may be that in some of the worst places there is a history of poor maintenance but some surfaces are so poor now, the problem needs to be sorted in days not weeks. The effect on traffic is not only damaging but potentially dangerous.

Water penetrates the cracks/crazing evident in any aged carriageway and then freezes under sub zero temperatures. The expanded ice formation then places significant pressure on the adjacent bituminous surface, which then starts to break up, with potholes forming. Further freeze/thaw patterns then exacerbate the problem at individual locations.

Potholes have been reported on Park Avenue, Knowsley Road, Leicester Street, Manchester Road, Queens Road, Marshside Road, Park Road West, Roe Lane and Garstang Road
If you are aware of any potholes which need repairing please let us know or alternatively your can report the site on-line at www.fixmystreet.com

Update on Park Avenue

Following on from our a previous blog post, your Liberal Democrat councillors would like to thank everyone who has contacted us regarding the ongoing issues. A number of other matters have also been raised including the state of the pavements along Park Avenue and road safety at the junctions of both Preston and Rawlinson Roads - we will investigate both of these issues further and report back to you.

A site visit has been arranged for the 28th August and we are pleased to report that two Council Officers will be visiting Park Avenue to meet with your councillors and residents to review the current issuses. Your Lib Dem Councillors have also asked the local Police Inspector, Inspector Neil Moss, to attend to give guidance on what the police and community support officers can do to counter both HGV and speeding traffic along Park Avenue.

Following requests from your Lib Dem Councillors, Inspector Neil Moss has also indicated that a police speedwatch operation has been undertaken on Park Avenue on Friday 21st August.

Your Lib Dem team will provide a more detailed update to the blog following the planned site visit to Park Avenue later this month.

Update on Park Avenue

The Liberal Democrat Team have been working hard on behalf of Park Avenue residents since 2004 to tackle a number of on-going problems and we are pleased to report that a number of issues have now been resolved:

1. New Street lights - installed and painted
2. Pot holes filled
3. Missing Weight Restriction sign installed
4. Overhanging trees cut back
5. Action to tackle pavement weeds with a special targeted spray
6. Improved street cleaning
7. Missing junction markings added

There are however 2 recurring issues which are proving more difficult to rectify - an on-going request for Park Avenue to be fully resurfaced and the on-going problem of speeding traffic.

The letter on the reverse side details the current situation regarding resurfacing Park Avenue and is in response to a request made by Councillor Sue McGuire at the beginning of 2008. The Carriageway Resurfacing scheduled for 2009/10 has now been released and does not include Park Avenue. However your Lib Dem team are working hard to get Park Avenue included in the prospective programme for 2010/11 or 2011/12. We are making the case that Park Avenue is a recognised traffic route and as part of the HGV Traffic Management Plan is subject to a very heavy traffic flow including a large number of HGV vehicles which all have a detrimental effect on the carriageway and as a result Park Avenue should be resurfaced as a matter of urgency.

Speeding traffic is an increasing problem across Southport and no more so than in Park Avenue which as a wide straight road with few parked cars seems to encourage motorists to put their foot down. The police have undertaken a number of operations to catch speeding motorists as a direct result of requests by your Lib Dem Councillors, in fact a new request for action was made to the police this week. As Cllr Sue McGuire explained “I know from personal experience just how dangerous speeding traffic is. There needs to be a change in peoples behaviour so that everyone recognises that speeding is not acceptable however this may take sometime so in the meantime your Lib Dem team are asking Sefton Council what traffic calming options,if any, are available that would be suitable for use on Park Avenue.”

Police working in our area

Sue is pictured with police officers using

the speed camera on Park Crescent

Following a large number of complaints from residents in our area, Councillors Sue McGuire and Carmel Preston have asked the police to undertake a number of speed checks in our area. So far speed checks have been undertaken on Park Avenue, Cambridge Road, Marshside Road and Leyland Road. Other roads are set to be targeted shortly.

If you believe your road should be included please e-mail Sue or Carmel.