Visit to the seat of power

This photo will be removed on request - I was ticked off for taking it by the Labour front bench and Chair, Cllr Clare, stooping forward - lower right. Enjoy it while you can before I am made to remove it!

I attended the County Council Chamber on Wednesday only to witness what the Westmorland Gazette describes as a Farce.

I saw full grown adults behaving worse than the small children I used to teach. Going through nonsensical manoeuvres of registered voting, adjournments, sniping and refusal to enable work to be done.

This lasted a full four hours whilst in the region of 30 top level officers were made to stand by getting nothing done. This was disgraceful behaviour which brings into discredit the democratic system. With a bit of self control the business of the day could have been completed before lunch and those that had work to do could have done it and left the children to play batting party balloons across this lovely dramatic hall!

Boy Racer in Ulverston

Youngster gets threatened deservedly because of dangerous driving. He gives lip back with smart arse remarks!


Told off by me - he mumbles sorry!

Whose kid is this?

Market Street Survey

Safe on Market Street?

Comments from people interviewed:

One person was cautious about the uneven cobbles with the push chair. The cobbles can turn the wheel over.

A woman with two toddlers had a problem with cars coming down New Market St towards the junction with Market Street. In Market Street the buggy was difficult to manage with the narrow pavements


Another member of the public stated that cars come quickly down New Market Street to this junction. This was found to be intimidating. Double parking on New Market Street gives problems with the wheel- chair also the narrow pavement means going into the road with the wheel chair

A couple visiting Ulverston were walking down Market Street with a dog. They were from Oxfordshire. They were held up every time they met a pushchair because the pavement was too narrow. They waited to avoid the dog having to walk in the road.

A woman with a toddler stated that there was a problem with cars down New Market St. swerving and going too fast. With the buggy she found the narrow pavements to be a problem

Petitions

The following petitions are circulating in Ulverston and will be presented to the County Council at their meeting in Kendal on September 25th. Contact Geoff Dellow at gd at tygh.co.uk (written this way to avoid SPAM). Alternatively at the Rose and Crown at 11:00 any Saturday when Geoff looks forward to meeting proactive people!

Repair of Cobbles in Market St, Ulverston
We urge the County Council to review their duty to make contractors accountable for shoddy workmanship resulting in dangerous road conditions after work to install their services. We request an undertaking to repair the length of the street by March 2009 otherwise we will pursue legal action against the county.

Repainting the Road Markings in Ulverston
The situation has got so bad that over 50% of the white markings in the town including Halt, Roundabout and in particular the Zebra Crossing at the top of Brewery Street are extremely faint. We request that the County deal with this problem within the next few weeks as it can be dangerous in some cases.

Need for a Roundabout at A590 / North Lonsdale Junction .
It has become obvious that the present solution is both dangerous and restrictive to the flow of traffic at an important junction that will have increasing demands placed on it as both industrial use increases because commercial sites are developed and as the number of residents of South Ulverston having cars increases. We request that drastic measures such as compulsory land purchase are pursued with the Highways Agency as soon as possible.

20 mph Speed limit for North Lonsdale Road
To reduce the speed limit of heavy industrial vehicles and workers’ cars along this straight narrow road as they move through a residential area of some 600 adults and children.

Reducing the risk of Flooding of South Ulverston.
To have work done on the bed of the river so that Dragley Beck is less likely to burst its banks. We recommend work at Low Mill Bridge

Double yellow lines in the region of Kennedy Street/North Lonsdale Road
To increase visibility by preventing parking close to dangerous intersections. This will greatly reduce the risk of serious accidents between vehicles and pedestrians as they emerge from the likes of Kennedy Street and the speeding vehicles along North Lonsdale Road.

I'm off to Kendal to make a fuss

This isn't Kendal of course - far grander - but it gives you the idea!


One of the reasons I decided to have a go at this politics lark was because of the way that the County Council treats Ulverston.

I heard them say at the Town Council Meeting that they couldn't do a thing about the way the County ignored their requests for road repairs and thought "How dare they be so defeatist!"

So I'm off to the County to tell them what I think about how they have been behaving.

I've chosen to speak to the local area committee of County Councillors on 25th September as a resident of Cumbria - something anyone can do, and because I get five minutes per petition I will have at least six - that will give me a full half hour ! !( I can't see them allowing this if they can avoid it - after all they have important business to plough through! - it may provide them with a change however- you never know until you've tried)

How does this work you may ask - here's a scan of the leaflet that I received from the county office. - I trust that you can read it!

Anyone else want to join in?

A Calmer Dragley Beck next morning

Low Mill Bridge 10:30 Saturday Sept 6 2008

Raging Dragley Beck threatens South Ulverston

Taken at 18:30 to 19:00 Friday Sept 5 2008

Before Fitz Bridge



The Rope 'Walk' from Fitz Bridge


At Low Mill - the cause of the problem. Here film shows the view looking downstream towards Low Mill Bridge. The water is so high that the arch of the bridge can be scarcely seen. The water is being prevented by the small opening of the bridge from escaping. The solution is to dig out the river bed to the level it was many years ago when locals talk about being able to walk under this bridge and when river maintenance was good.


Before Fitz Bridge at the back of Park Estate

10mph Home Zones

Examples of where these are operating

R a i n - Global warning

Ulverston September 2nd 2008

Close up . . . . .stair rods.

When will we wake up that our world is coming to an end . . . . if we do nothing?

There is no issue more important to the human race.

And yet we carry on as though life will continue as normal.

The problem is that we have all been educated and trained . . . .

not to think or ask questions.

So we don't . . . think . . . ask.

The government knows best so if it tells not to worry - we don't.

It's not a good political strategy ... to tell people to worry.

We don't want people to panic.

So tell them that everything will be allright - just go to sleep.

When you wake up . . . .

the nightmare will be real.

Don't worry .... it will all work out . . . . the human race will be succeeded by some very nice and

attractive . . . .beetles.

It's all happened before . . . . and look . . . we're still here . . . . .

doh.

Picking up litter

I'm hoping to encourage some of us to show Ulverston how it's done!

Any takers?

Or shall we just continue to do our own thing discreetly ?

I was very impressed to see a prominent ranting Ulverstonian who has more than a passing interest in your local "For Sale" notice!

He just stooped down as he was passing a discarded beer can and took it off to the nearest used beer can deposit bag. No fuss.

Wouldn't it be great if we all did this?

The unions might object - no litter pickeruppers required!

I noticed this article with people at work in Kendal!

Do they need to be tarted up to pick up a few bits of paper, I ask myself?

Or is this "Notice me, notice me" ?


I'll be guided by your comments!