Taxi Cab Parked Irresponsibly on Approach to Central Broughty Ferry

Residents have complained to me about the irresponsible long term parking of a black taxi cab right up to the junction of Dundee Road and West Queen Street in Broughty Ferry. 

They are concerned about the obstruction to sight lines for folk driving east from Dundee into The Ferry. As they turn off the main road over the railway bridge, towards Brook Street and central Broughty Ferry, their view of the road is obstructed.

Driving from the Ferry over the railway bridge towards the junction, the Cab appears to be turning the corner ahead rather than being parked.

Another source of complaint is that the cab is parked in a row of vehicles which might appear to be all parked in this prominent position to display their advertisements. As these advertisement on wheels are apparently 'mobile', they apparently evade the controls which apply to advertisements that might appear on a fixed site such as a billboard. But these advertisements on wheels are, for many folk, an unwelcome intrusion.

I have passed on my constituents' concerns to the Licensing Department of the City Council and asked them to use their powers and influence to get the vehicle shifted from its current location. I have also asked the City Development Department to sparingly insert double yellow lines to make it easier to keep this corner clear in future.

Community Opposition to Planning Permission for Grove Offices

Monday evening's Development Quality Committee (15 March 2010) of the City Council considered the 'Grove House' Office development. On a vote, the Council granted itself planning permission for this substantial office development. This will see more than 350 council staff relocated to converted offices in the buildings formerly used by Grove Academy on the south side of Camperdown Street. These premises were vacated by the school when they moved to their new buildings on the opposite side of Camperdown Street in November last year. The relocated staff, chiefly from Education and Social Work are concerned with staff training and quality improvement in schools and social work services. It follows that many of the staff based at Grove House will be coming and going to establishments all over Dundee in their day to day work.

The Committee heard from two deputation of objectors and had before them over a dozen written representations from residents opposed to the development. Objectors were chiefly those living in the vicinity of the new offices and anticipating more competition for on street parking. There were also serious concerns expressed about road safety, especially for the 1000+ pupils attending Grove Academy.

Much of the debate turned on whether measures to reduce journeys by private car proposed in two reports by external consultants were feasible and practicable. A flaw in the consultants' reports was they omitted to consider the considerable number of journeys generated to and from these premises by staff (other than those based at Grove House) attending training events and meetings. The plans clearly indicate the provision of space for training and meeting rooms.

I was disappointed in the undue haste of the Council as developer and planning authority wanting to push this planning application through. Had the developer (The Council) come forward with more thoroughly developed proposals, backed up with resources, to reduce the negative impacts of this development on environmental quality and road safety, I would have been prepared to support the motion of the Development Quality Convener, Rod Wallace. While councillors on the Development Quality Committee are meant to come to the meeting and make up their minds individually on the balance of all of the evidence presented, I did notice that Leader of the Administration, Ken Guild (also a Ferry Councillor) and all of his SNP group of councillors voted unanimously to support the proposal.

I assure my constituents that I shall continue to represent their views about road safety and parking at the working group that will be established to monitor progress introducing travel plan measures connected with this development. While I appreciate the wider community benefits for the shops and services in Broughty Ferry from more potential customers working in the area and the retention of the Centenary Sport Hall as a recreational facility, I hope this will not need to be at the undue expense of the residents living in the streets close to the Grove Offices. Primarily, I hope these changes will not need to be at the cost of a decline in the road safety of our young people attending Grove Academy.

Parking Initiative Extended to Barnhill and Forthill Primary Schools

I am delighted that the parking and dropping off at primary schools initiative that I introduced in my time as Education Convener is now being extended to all the primary schools in the city. In an email from the Director of Education, it has been provisionally agreed that this scheme will be introduced at Barnhill and Forthill Primary schools during the summer term. Eastern Primary school was one of the two school's involved in the pilot programme last year. This showed that a coordinated approach, involving, Parents, Pupils, School Staff, Police and the Parking Team, can bring some order to the sometimes chaotic and inconsiderate parking at our school gates in the morning. I know that the Parent Council in Barnhill and Forthill regularly discuss safety issues arising from car parking and dropping off children outside the school gates. I am sure that these active and engaged parents will want to be involved in the planning and launch of this initiative to help make it a success and thereby improve the safety of children at their schools.

Grove Academy Road Safety & Parking Issues - Disappointing Response from Councillor Guild

Ferry Councillor, Laurie BidweIl said:
"In statement published in the Courier on Monday 22 June 2009,
http://lauriebidwell.blogspot.com/2009/06/potential-road-safety-dangers-and.html
I called for reassurance by Mike Galloway, Director of Transport & Planning, that the traffic planning for the new Grove Academy and its recreational facilities for the wider public is not undertaken in isolation from the traffic and transport planning for the 300 plus Council staff being relocated to converted offices in the Old Grove six months later. I continue to think that the public want to know that the necessary road safety measures will be in place before the new school site becomes operational. It’s absolutely crucial that we don’t wait for a serious injury to one of our pupils at the school to trigger traffic management changes that can surely be anticipated.

Ken Guild's, response published in the Courier on Wednesday 24 June 2009 proposed two measures:
1. Extending the 20 mph zone for the school and
2. Individual travel plans for the 300 plus Social Work and Education staff being transferred to the offices in the Old Grove building.

This is deeply disappointing and ignores the essence of what I requested. In fact his response illustrates for me the limited and isolated road safety and traffic planning which is being conducted for these two side by side major developments and which he seems prepared to go along with. Why, for example, is the individual traffic planning for the 300 plus social work and education staff moving into the offices in the Old Grove not being extended to the all of the staff of Grove Academy? The latter details should be part of an elaborated Travel Plan for the new school. Furthermore, is extending the 20 mph zone for the school the only specific road safety measure he thinks is necessary? I was expecting a more considered road safety and traffic management optional appraisal to be undertaken covering both of these important developments on the Grove campus."

Potential Road Safety Dangers and Traffic Chaos When New Grove Academy and Council Offices Open

Saturday 20 June 2009

Claypotts Road could be grid locked and an accident black spot when the new Grove Academy is complete at the turn of the year and 300+ council staff move into converted offices in the old Grove buildings.

Ferry Councillor Laurie Bidwell warns,
“The new main entrance to Grove Academy, with access to the new school car park, will move into Claypotts Road adjacent to the junctions with Davidson Street and Ballinard Gardens. In addition to drop offs and teachers and visitors coming and going, these same parking spaces will be in demand by the public using the swimming pool and sports halls in the evenings and at weekends. With restricted sight lines because of the bend in Claypotts Road and fast flowing traffic, many manoeuvres in and out of the school car park, especially right turns, will be potentially hazardous.

The number of road traffic movements in the street will also be increased very significantly by the 300 plus City Council staff being moved into the converted offices in the Old Grove buildings. At peak times, especially at the beginning of the school and working day, there may be gridlock in Claypotts Road as school and council staff as well as pupils and their parents try to navigate the Claypotts Road bottle neck between Queen Street and Strathern Road.

Given the shortage of parking places in the Old Grove car park and only two thirds planned provision of car parking spaces for staff at the new Grove Academy, residents anticipating some relief when the building work finishes will doubtless find more parking connected with the school and the council offices spilling over into their surrounding streets. “

Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:
“Ferry residents need to be reassured by a statement from Mike Galloway, Director of Transport and Planning, that the traffic planning for the new school and its recreational facilities for the wider public is not undertaken in isolation from the traffic and transport planning for the 300 plus Council staff being relocated in the Old Grove six months later. Furthermore, I think the public want to know that the necessary road safety measures will be in place before the new school site becomes operational. It’s absolutely crucial that we don’t wait for a serious injury to one of our pupils at the school to trigger traffic management changes that can surely be anticipated.”