Catching up

A recent blog was devoted to the Green Ring walking and cycling route around St Albans, part of it visiting Fleetville.  A more detailed plan of that part of the route between Woodstock Road South and Sutton Road – a tiny but very complicated section – has been published.

Work seems to have begun on the pedestrian crossing, which will accommodate cycles as well as pedestrians.  Rather less space than envisaged is allowed for the route on the south side, with only the bus shelter being moved back onto Morrison's land.  It appears that the footpath itself will remain the same width and will be shared with cycles.  Let's hope that works.  On the map (right) the 'blue river' is the shared path on the south side of Hatfield Road; Woodstock Road South junction is on the left; and Sutton Road is top right.

Then there's the question of road speed.  It is to be reduced from 30 to 20, which surely will not make any difference to actual speeds except in the middle of the night, given the obstacles almost always in the way.  It's not the speed of cars but the speed of cyclists which may concern pedestrians, so we'll see how that works out.  Let us hope the scheme functions as intended.

Following the blog recently about the non-yellow signage at Morrison's, this observation was picked up by the firm who sought an answer for us.  Their something-or-other department came back to state that the changeover from yellow to white – the only one of the stores with white lettering instead of yellow –  was part of a marketing experiment in 2011.   Clearly unsuccessful as no other stores have opened with the same white MORRISONS (without the apostrophe, of course) external signs.  The same department, it informs me, has clearly forgotten to restore brand yellow!

Last week's blog featured the concern of many that the embankment steps in Clarence Park might be closed permanently.  Following the Council's City Neighbourhoods Committee meeting this week we should be able to relax on that one.  The council has to include all possibilities, and the committee was quick to announce that option 1, closure of the Hatfield Road entrance, has been voted out, and a decision on the remaining four will be made later in the summer.  That just leaves the question of how the replacement will be paid for.

The question raised in the blog, of how the existing structure, only 12 years old, came to be made from such poorly-specified materials, has not yet been explained.

Many travellers along Hatfield Road at Oaklands have noticed the works proceeding just west of the Speckled Hen PH.  Now that permission has been granted, the work to swap the front playing field at Beaumont School with one behind Winches, the new school access road can proceed.  The new road cannot come soon enough for residents of Oakwood Drive, coach drivers and parents who feel the desirability of delivering their teenagers to school is more like essential.  The effect the new junction will have on Hatfield Road traffic is currently one of the district's unknowns.  But anything must be better than the risk of bulky fire engines not being able to access the existing school driveway.