Herts Highways took a comprehensive political beating last night at the local Highways Joint Member Panel, meeting in the chamber of the District Council.
Members were virtually united in condemning both plans and performance. In particular a Lib Dem motion expressing concern at the highways repairs programme over the next five years was passed – in effect rejecting entirely the official proposals for road and pavement repairs.
Councillors felt that the much vaunted ‘asset management’ system had provided perverse results. South West Harpenden had a third more road repair schemes than central St Albans and an amazing four times as many as the Sandridge division (comprising Sandridge village and Marshalswick North).
Chris White said: ‘I cannot support this programme. Not only are the proposals at odds with what the public sees on the ground but the timescales for the work are simply unacceptable. In my division, roads already turning to gravel are scheduled for repair in 2012 – or even 2015.’
He added that some roads clearly buckling or subsiding were scheduled merely for ‘thin surface dressing’ – despite repeated representations made by local councillors.
In addition members:
– criticised the county’s safety engineers for botching the Milehouse junction
– condemned the county council for ignoring its own policy in relation to pavement repairs in the conservation area: the Panel demanded that the pavements in the Hart Road area be restored to their original condition
– criticised officer proposals for Everlasting Lane
– rejected the proposals for the location of salt bins on the grounds that representations from at least three councillors had been totally ignored.
Chris White also gave notice that unless he was given a date for the resurfacing of Lemsford Road within seven days he would make a formal complaint about the breach of faith by Herts Highways (who had more than once given a categorical assurance to elected members and the pubic that the road would be fully repaired).
Chris commented: ‘It is unprecedented for a Highways Panel to reject a works programme and there now have to be urgent talks between council officials and local political leaders to sort out the mess that Herts Highways have made of running highways in St Albans. The blame lies fully at the door of the Conservative portfolioholder for highways who – as ever – was entirely absent from the proceedings. It is quite clear that Stuart Pile is presiding over a shambles and that he couldn’t care less.’