This year has been a busy year for these services and the issues they have thrown up in 2015.
National Grid – Acorn Road -Noisy and at times more than annoying for residents!
The largest number of complaints I have received are about issues in this order –
- Top of the complaints people have made this year places complaints about the National Grid and the noise and mess they have made whilst replacing Gas infrastructure on Ashmore Park. Also up there is the complaints I have received about Highway Safety on Griffith Drive – These were the top two issues residents complained to me about during 2015 when it comes to this section.
- The second most numerous complaints’ I have received relate to Highway maintenance issues and Potholes in particular! – Alongside those issues sit Car Parking, and grass verges and the two are often linked together!
- Public transport also features but low down in the list for popular complaints, yet alongside people’s complaints about trees. Interestingly most people contact me when talking about trees to either have them lopped or felled! Though I have had one case this year where residents have requested a tree!
- Other complaints in this sector but just the single types of complaint were about travellers accessing land across highways, Overgrown Cemetery, Removal of Bonfire residue, Abandoned vehicles, fly tipping, bikes,
I also received complaints about low hanging branches on trees in Ashmore /Acorn Ave, I got the matter addressed, and during the course of the year there were many similar issues about trees which were planted in the Highways. Also in the same month I had complaints about the new LED lights placed in Orchard Road for ‘flickering’. Wolverhampton Highways Chiefs told me that “Our Electrician has been out to Orchard Road today and changed several Cell’s after checking nearly all 20 lighting columns, hopefully this will have eliminated the problem of the flickering lights.”
- During January Councillors were informed that Chris Barker would be leaving Highways and the City Council. Chris has always been a very responsive Officer, and I personally was sad to hear this news. I sent Chris a message wishing him well in his new career outside the City Council. I was also informed by Highways that the minor carriageway works that I had requested for the Linthouse Estate had now been carried out in -Janine Avenue – carriageway -Jayne Close – carriageway -Measham Way – footway -Prestwood Avenue – kerbing -Roderick Drive – footway and carriageway -Springhill Road – footway -Sudbury Close – kerbing -Thomas Mason Close – kerbing – Whitehouse Avenue – footway- Linthouse Lane – footway – Brailsford Close – footway and carriageway -Ridge Lane – reactive works to carriageway and nu-phalt works to carriageway.
I was requested to help with the removal of an abandoned vehicle in Kitchen Lane.
I raised the issue of Griffith Drive and its safety record following a car chase and damage to a wall. I also wrote about the access way into the Park in Russell close because of its dangerous surface to pedestrians.
There were also complaints in February about damaged grass verges in Linthouse Lane. with Government austerity measures biting and following Government cuts in funding the Public realm team wrote back “The Public Realm team, who maintain grass verges, have advised that they are not prepared to undertake repairs to damaged verges where the underlying problem still exists because any repairs will be destroyed almost immediately. Verges are not regarded as places where people are expected to walk so they are not required to be maintained to the same standard as footways in terms f trip hazards, potholes, etc. We are keeping a schedule of problem locations for consideration if/when any funding becomes available in the future, and I will ensure that this location gets added to that schedule.”
I arranged street lighting in Hodson Close, where bungalows had been subjected to burglary and other nuisances riding bikes and motorcycles on a pedestrian footway.. I also had complaints about cars parking on footpaths, all of which was reported to the Local Police.
March –High winds started the month and blew a tree down in Johnsons Ave which I reported. I also reported the boundary fence being down between Walsall and Wolverhampton in Simmons Road.
More Pot holes reported this time in the Park Way public highway on Ashmore Park.
I requested the Authority, to introduce some dropped kerb to the pavements taking people with disabilities into the Ashmore Park because it is difficult for those with wheelchairs or motorised buggies to access. Currently they find it difficult to access the footpath and have to mix in with cars It’s not good, and it is a health and safety issue. there was a Lot of concerns still about parking around Woodened Primary school and the school gates, and on the grass verge. Complaints came in about Woodend school and parents parking which was highlighted. Not only is this dangerous for other road users it is also churning up grass verges. Is there a chance that we can get the grass verge protected or re-established? In March there were two further accidents on Griffith drive, one a car hit a public highways sign and smashed a tree out of the ground. The second was a minor accident hitting and damaging a car then fleeing.
Complaints about the High St in Wednesfield constantly come up in Public Meetings during this year. Where the Highway regulations are ignored by many motorists. Residents feel this issue is also an important safety issue. All the Wednesfield Councillors are in conversation with Highway Chiefs about this issue.
