Radyr and Morganstown Community Council, along with our excellent County Councillor, Rod McKerlich, have been working with Cardiff Council to develop a number of ideas with regard to road safety and highway improvements across our community. Indeed, Cllr McKerlich has been working hard on many of these ideas for many years with considerable success.
This work has resulted in the proposals to build three new zebra crossings along our main road; the closure of Golf Club Lane to traffic; proposals to install a section of pavement on Windsor Road - and, of course, Cardiff Council has recently consulted on its proposal to introduce a 20mph speed limit throughout Radyr and Morganstown (apart from Parc Radur, which will be included in a separate scheme, in due course). We have also discussed, with Cardiff, possible improvements to the Station Road area. To this end, we have agreed to present Cardiff with ideas which could improve road safety at this location, whilst also improving Station Road's role as one of our community hubs. In doing so, we are mindful of the fact that changes to the area would depend on Cardiff Council having funds available to undertake the work. Those funds could come from Plasdwr Section 106 money, or from other sources - but nothing can be guaranteed at this stage. Even so, we see our role as presenting Cardiff Council with a vision for Station Road. It will be for Cardiff to decide whether or not to implement it. We have today, therefore, invited residents and businesses located on, or near, Station Road, Windsor Crescent, King's Road and King's Avenue to respond to a number of ideas developed by the Community Council. These relate mainly to those roads - as well as the approach to Radyr Station. The proposals deal with parking, possible one-way systems, the use of Station Road by the community - and pedestrian safety near Radyr Station. Our initial survey has been sent only to residents and businesses directly affected by the proposal. Depending on the outcome of the initial survey (which closes at the end of February), we will then consider arranging a wider survey for Radyr and Morganstown residents. NB: If you live on any of the relevant streets, but haven't received a letter from us, please contact our office. As always, we will keep you posted. Update (3 March): the survey is now closed.
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Following several comments on local social media and on Wales Online about a loud bang heard across north Cardiff yesterday afternoon (30 January), we have received this from Cemex, the operators of the Taffs Well Quarry:
"Just keeping you updated after a number of complaints and reports of unusual effects from blasting at Taffs Well Quarry reported within the press. We have responded to the press and the individuals who have raised their concerns. We are undertaking a thorough examination of the circumstances. It goes without saying that we take extremely seriously any concerns from the local community in relation to our activities. We do our best to be a good neighbour and will continue to do so. Without wishing to prejudice the ongoing investigation into these recent events, it appears that the weather conditions prevailing may have contributed to the effects experienced. Low cloud can result in ‘air over pressure’ where the blast can be reflected. The examination of the meteorological conditions will obviously form part of our detailed investigation and we will endeavour to report back to all our stakeholders in due course". We will keep you posted. Our survey seeking views about Cardiff Council's proposal to create a 20mph zone throughout Radyr and Morganstown (apart from Parc Radur) has now closed. We received 454 responses - and here are the main results: The majority of those who responded support the introduction of the speed limit. The survey showed that 286 people agreed - and 164 people disagreed: Comments about the zone included:
An even greater majority of those who responded support the introduction of a 20mph speed limit on the road where they live. The survey showed that 325 people agreed - and 122 people disagreed. This may suggest that people agree that lower speed limits can be justified - and can bring benefits to residents - although they may be keener to see those limits introduced outside their homes than outside other people's homes. In other words, the principle that lower speed limits can be beneficial seems to be accepted by 72% of respondents. Most respondents believe that none of the roads in Radyr and Morganstown should be exempt from the speed limit. The survey showed that 235 people think that no road should be exempt - as opposed to 134 people who think that some roads should be exempt. Comments about possible exemptions included:
Continuing with the same theme, most respondents believe that the entire length of the main road should be subject to a 20mph speed limit. The survey showed that 286 people agreed with this view - as opposed to 164 who disagreed. Comments about this included:
When also asked a series of questions:
Here is the age breakdown of respondents: The lowest support for a 20mph zone was amongst 25 to 34 year olds. Support is fairly constant between the ages of 35 and 64. It falls away slightly between 65 and 74 - and increases significantly at age 75 and over. Here's the gender breakdown of respondents: Not only were the number of respondents split almost equally between male and female - there was hardly any difference of opinion between the genders with regard to the proposed 20mph zone. [NB: Following a claim on local social media that multiple responses from individual computers were possible, the results were analysed - and revealed that one respondent had submitted multiple identical responses at 2.00am on 15 January. All but one response from that respondent were removed - and steps taken to ensure that only one response per device could be submitted]. [NB: With regard to pollution, Cardiff Council has installed air pollution monitors along the main road - and initial readings suggest that pollution levels are around 50% of the maximum permitted levels. If the 20mph zone is introduced, monitoring will continue - and could inform future action with regard to traffic management and pollution. In addition, the UK Government is considering bringing its 2040 ban on the sale of all new conventionally powered petrol and diesel cars forward to 2035. As such, we may well see the proportion of electric and hybrid cars on our roads increasing in the intervening period. This, along with the promised park-and-ride facilities on the outskirts of Cardiff; proposed restrictions on HGV vehicles - and an improved rail service, could help reduce air pollution levels. On the other hand, of course, Plasdwr may lead to more traffic passing through Radyr and Morganstown]. [NB: Parc Radur may be included in a future 20mph zone proposal].
You can help rid Radyr and Morganstown of litter. A community litter picking exercise will take place on Wednesday, 23 October. The session will begin at Radyr Library. You are invited to arrive there at 1.30pm - and the session should end by 3.00pm. Free refreshments will be provided - as well as litter picking equipment. All welcome! During our recent meeting with Cardiff Council, we were invited to develop (for consideration by Cardiff), proposals for improving Station Road and the surrounding area, to improve its role as a place for the community to meet, shop and socialise.
This could include introducing a one-way system, changes to parking, closure to traffic at specific times and more. This is all very exciting - and we will be consulting with residents about this in the near future. So please keep an eye out for more news about this! During our recent meeting with Cardiff Council we were informed that the nextbikes station will be located outside McColl's on Station Road.
The station will be installed in the very near future. The bike station will measure 7m by 2m (7m by 1 m without the bikes). If this location proves to be unsuitable, the station can be moved quite easily. Cardiff is also considering installing electric bikes at Radyr Station. Other locations may also be considered. What is a nextbike? This is a system which rents bicycles for anyone who has downloaded the nextbikes app onto hir, or her, mobile. You can rent a bike from any nextbike station - and leave it at any other station. You can read more about nextbikes here. This could be another useful resource for Radyr and Morganstown residents. For instance, you could go to town on the train - but fancy cycling home. Now you will be able to grab a nextbike and enjoy riding along the Taff Trail. We will have to see how the nextbikes look outside McColl's. Will they limit the room available for pedestrians? Let us know what you think after they are installed. Following its recent consultation about the future of Golf Club Lane, Cardiff Council has taken the decision to close it to traffic.
A traffic regulatory order is being prepared by the Council (which will be issued for consultation, in due course). Start of works is expected in summer 2020. Bollards will be placed at either end of the lane (which is not deemed suitable for emergency vehicles, even when the main road was blocked). Golf Club Lane will certainly be safer for walkers as a result of this move - which could also reduce the use of Bryn Derwen as a rat-run. More road safety measures are being considered, of course, including a 20mph zone for Radyr and Morganstown. You can read about all of the road safety ideas here. We reported some time ago about Cardiff Council's consultation with regard to three new zevra crossings along Heol Isaf and Ty Nant Road. These were:
Following a positive response to the consultation, the crossings are now at detailed design stage. The work will go out to tender in October, with start of works planned for January / February 2020. They will be funded with £300k of Section 106 money, released early by Redrow Homes. They will be simple zebra crossings (not pelican crossings) since these would enable pedestrians to cross more quickly, compared to waiting for pelican lights to change. We hope you agree that this is good news for Radyr and Morganstown. More road safety measures are being considered, of course, including a 20mph zone for Radyr and Morganstown. You can read about all of the road safety ideas here. We held another meeting with Cardiff Council's Head of Transportation on 10 September. It turned out to be a very positive meeting - and it was great to hear Cardiff officials saying how much they valued the close relationship they had developed with our community, through the work of Radyr and Morgantown Community Council - and its Road Safety Working group. Our thanks go, again, to Cllr Rod McKerlich (our County Councillor) for facilitating the meeting.
This is what we discussed:
Chair Radyr and Morganstown Community Council Some readers will be aware of the recent arson attack on a bird hide located in Forest Farm. Although this is not in Radyr and Morganstown, it is an area enjoyed by members of our community. It is a nice place for a walk, where residents can enjoy nature and wildlife in a semi-urban setting. It is a great pity that some people think that setting fire to a community resource is something that they should do. It is hard to understand their motivation - and difficult to believe that they have much respect for their community and neighbours. They must also have no concern about causing upset and distress to people they don't know, by burning to the ground a facility that many people enjoy - which was built by voluntary effort. They may also be unaware of the penalties they could face, if caught. These are set out in the Sentencing Council's Sentencing Guidelines. A fire such as this one, causing moderate damage to a public amenity, can result in a prison sentence ranging from 6 to 26 weeks. You can read the guidelines here. Similar sentences exist for criminal damage. The guidelines for this include community orders, which can include up to 300 hours of unpaid work - whilst being under supervision by the Probation Service for twelve months. More serious criminal damage (where the damage was to property worth more than £5,000) can also result in a prison sentence ranging from 6 to 26 weeks. You can read the criminal damage guidelines here. Any criminal record has to be disclosed to employers and potential employers - and some jobs, such as locksmith, lawyer and teacher, require a criminal record check. The ‘standard’ and ‘enhanced’ criminal record check will show an employer your past crimes, even if they’re spent. If you’re not suitable for a job because of a spent conviction or caution, the employer can withdraw a job offer. You can read more about this here. Anyone with any information about this incident should contact the police. What is a bird hide? A bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. |
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