Did you know that Bexley council has an ambitious transport policy!
In our financial belt tightening world Bexley council is still giving increases in salaries and bonuses to deserving staff. And now its largesse is being extended by giving £4,000,000 yes, £4,000,000 to the international engineering consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff to deliver a transport strategy for the London Borough of Bexley over a four year period. One assumes all the cash previously invested to solve our transport problems has not worked.
The new consultants say they will help the Borough reduce congestion and collision ‘hot-spots’; improve safety for the travelling public and local communities; and encourage use of public transport across the region. It will also assist the Borough in working with Transport for London to deliver the eight priority areas of the Mayor for London’s Transport Strategy (MTS).
Delivering the strategy is also an important element of regional regeneration plans, which aim to position the Borough as an attractive location for inward business investment and highlight the benefits of living and working in Sidcup, Bexleyheath, Erith and their surrounding areas.
Commenting on the award, Bob Bird, technical director of infrastructure at Parsons Brinckerhoff, said: “Our aim is to help the London Borough of Bexley to deliver a safer and more efficient road transport infrastructure for both the travelling public and local communities. To achieve this we will work closely with all stakeholders including the Borough engineers at a strategic level and existing traffic and road safety staff at a local level.
Under the contracts, Parsons Brinckerhoff will undertake a programme of transportation and traffic surveys and safety audits. It will develop a range of ‘area’ and ‘corridor’ based transportation management schemes across the Borough.
But the council deny ever issuing a statement about the value of the consultancy. They say “In specifying a value for the contract the consultant has chosen to take an optimistic view of future budgets and the amount of design work that they will be asked to undertake.
“We have always made use of consultants for particular projects to keep costs down and, exactly in line with previous contracts over the last 20 years, the company is paid when they do work and not paid when they don’t. There are no retainers and no minimum guarantee of work.”
“The full decision can be read here
The Local Implementation Plan is available online. We are currently reviewing our policies in the light of the Mayor’s new Transport Strategy published in May this year.”
Doves
Recently we noticed six homing pigeons feeding with our doves so we had to take the hard decision and stop feeding them with scattered corn. The only way to get rid of pigeons is simply to cut off their supply of food. It has worked and the doves are still congregating in the dovecote with more young on the way. Fortunately we haven’t lost one this year.
Christmas Lights
You will have read elsewhere in this issue that Linda Bailey the Cabinet Member for Regeneration has refused to finance Christmas lights in Bexley’s towns centres except for Bexleyheath. Is it right that the council, with vested business interests in The Mall, retain some Christmas cheer for shoppers and traders in Bexleyheath at the expense of other town centres like Crayford, Erith and Sidcup.
St.John’s Road, Sidcup
It seems the Johovahs Witnesses have considerably more pull with the council than shoppers who wish to park in St. John’s Road. They are building a new hall and asked the council if they could buy a whole lot of parking bays reserved for an hours free parking. The council jumped at the idea of selling free spaces without of course worrying where shoppers would park. Amazing how a few bob concentrates the council’s mind.