Abandoned - The drain covers that no one wanted!

I heard a rumour that Northfield Road was due to be resurfaced (many months ago) until the contractor found that gas pipes and electricity cables were dangerously close to the road surface. Had the digger dragged up the pipes and cables, then there could have been a fair wiz and a bang!

This was obviously a case for abandoning the dangerously protruding drain covers near the junction with Sagecroft Road, risking damage to car suspension and tracking and toppling cyclists off their bikes, especially in the dark. This is the worst neglect of road safety I have witnessed in some years. 

What has happened to the supervision of road resufacing that allows this to happen?

                                      Northfield Road looking south with Sagecroft Road on the left.



Sharp edges from this drain cover.

   

View from the corner of Sagecroft Road

Raised drain left to catch someone out!

Keep Greenham Control Tower for Community Use!

This is our second visit to Greenham Common, inviting visitors to sign the petition to retain the control tower for community use. 

Just seconds before runners set off for the 5km timed 'Newbury Park Run', held at Greenham Common, I take the opportunity to address around 300 with the latest news, with the aid of a megaphone!! 

'Ladies and gentlemen, we are back......... to thank all those who have signed the petition to retain the control tower for community use. You will be interested to hear too that former USAF staff who worked at the base when it was fully operational, have been taking a very keen interest in the future of the control tower as well. I am pleased to tell you that since we last met, we now have over 1,000 signatures on the petition and if there is anyone who wishes to add their signature, we will be pleased to see you after the race'!

Cllr Roger Hunneman and me collecting yet more signatures for the petition, after runners recover from the 5km run.






........and later I got a call to say that the control tower was open for a quick visit!



From the top..what a view looking back towards the south west.............





the south east view........




skywards............



.......and finally inside where the controllers used to stand and talk to the landing aircraft!

Whitelands Park Primary School - Road Safety

I presented a 541 signature petition on behalf of parents to Council in December 2011, asking for an urgent package of road safety measures to be introduced outside Whitelands Park Primary School, following a near miss between a pupil and a car whilst crossing the road to the school. 

The petition demanded parking restrictions, a 20 mph speed limit and aCrossing Patrol Officer (CPO) or 'lollipop person' to assist children crossing the road to school. Nearly 18 months later West Berkshire Council have so far only managed to paint yellow parking restriction lines outside the school!

At entry and exit times, large numbers of parents with pushchairs and children in tow are confronted by lorries, buses, vans and cars as they try and cross the busy road outside the school. 

Parents are so concerned about the risk to their children crossing the road to the school, that they invited me to see the situation first hand. I am not able to show you the chaos outside the school but I can assure you that I held my breath every time a vehicle came towards the parents and children crossing the road. It is absolutely heart stopping. Parents continue to report near misses.

How long will it take West Berkshire Council to get these road safety measures implemented before someone is seriously injured or killed outside the school?  



Petition - Greenham Control Tower

I spent some very exciting times visiting the USAF Greenham Common Airforce Base during my time as Thatcham Town mayor in 1990 / 91. The United States Airforce held regular garden parties for dignitaries at the officers mess and this is where I met an RAF Flight Sergeant who held a pilots license. I was airborne again!

On my first mayor's engagement, I was chauffeured up to USAF Mildenhall to join twelve other dignitaries before being flown out for a tour of NATO bases in Germany. This included Ramstein and Templehoff and stayed at the American Embassy in Berlin. An amazing time! 

Our neighbour Jeff Smith, worked in the control tower for the USAF and when cargo planes came in early in the morning (4am onwards) I was able to join him and watch them land. 
This was made even more pleasurable by having a huge American style TV breakfast each morning!  

At the decommissioning ceremony for the airbase, we were introduced to former President Eisenhower's son and I had the pleasure of seeing the last cruse missile leave. 

Getting back to the petition. Jeff's wife, Jill Smith, has emailed me the following comment. 'As a former member of the United States Armed Forces, and also a history teacher, it surprises me that the Council's position on this historic icon of the Cold War would allow that piece of history to be sold, rather than allow the public to remember a time in their history that the world came knocking on their door. The control tower is the oldest structure on the former base, I believe, that is, if the barracks are no longer there. I love the idea of having a museum in the tower along with farmers' markets, and maybe a cafe. It lets the building and the area come full circle. The important thing to remember is, if history is not remembered then the chance of it being repeated is greatly increased.'

I am extremely grateful for these comments from Jill Smith.




Jill Smith visiting the site on 9 June 2013


   

Greenham Common Control Tower

If you would like to add your signature to the petition, to keep the control tower as a community asset, please use the address below.

http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/Greenham-Control-Tower

Is this the most dangerous junction in West Berkshire?

This is the view a driver gets waiting to turn right, to join the A34 north bound at West Ilsley.

In seconds, a vehicle came towards me from the A34, didn't indicate and fortunately took the road to my right. This must be the mother of all blind spots!

                              This is the view north bound from the A34 to West Ilsley.

                           



Demolished at Christmas - Replaced in June!

An electrician gets to work wiring up the new lamppost following the amazing 'driving skills' of a motorist who mounted the kerb and did a U turn on the grass. Fortunately no one was hurt in the accident that took place during the Christmas festivities!

                                                           Bowling Green Road

No it is not a bird table but I think the pigeons will enjoy sitting on top of the brand new LED eco style bright white light lamppost!

Lower Way - Shake,Rattle & Roll!

If you live in Lower Way, just down from the A4, then you are sure to have a surprise!
From 6am to 10pm the residents have to endure endless tanker 'Movements' coming in from other parts of the district, heading for the sewage processing plant in Lower Way. 


Sunken drain cover and temporary repair.

 These huge sewage tankers are hitting the sunken drain covers, potholes and poor temporary repairs and the noise and vibration is being transferred into the houses right next to the road. Residents are complaining that their ceilings and walls are cracking as a result.

The question now is - How much longer will the tankers be using Lower Way and when will West Berkshire Council bring the road surface up to the required high standard?