1Right. Next on the agenda we have traffic and highways.
2Councillor Thornton.
3Thank you.
4Well, we now have the results of the survey carried out last month
5about traffic and road transport in the town.
6People were generally satisfied with the state of the roads.
7There were one or two complaints about potholes which will be addressed,
8but a significant number of people complained about the increasing number of heavy vehicles
9using our local roads to avoid traffic elsewhere.
10We'd expected more complaints by commuters
11about the reduction in the train service,
12but it doesn't seem to have affected people too much.
13The cycle path that runs alongside the river
14is very well used by both cyclists and pedestrians
15since the surface was improved last year,
16but overtaking can be a problem
17so we're going to add a bit on the side to make it wider.
18At some stage, we'd like to extend the path so that it goes all the way through the town,
19but that won't be happening in the immediate future.
20The plans to have a pedestrian crossing next to the Post Office
21have unfortunately had to be put on hold for the time being.
22We'd budgeted for this to be done this financial year,
23but then there were rumours that the Post Office was going to move,
24which would have meant there wasn't really a need for a crossing.
25Now they've confirmed that they're staying where they are,
26but the Highways Department have told us that it would be dangerous to have a pedestrian crossing
27where we'd originally planned it as there's a bend in the road there.
28So that'll need some more thought.
29On Station Road near the station and level crossing,
30drivers can face quite long waits if the level crossing's closed,
31and we've now got signs up requesting them not to leave their engines running at that time.
32This means pedestrians waiting on the pavement to cross the railway line
33don't have to breathe in car fumes.
34We've had some problems with cyclists leaving their bikes chained to the railings outside the ticket office,
35but the station has agreed to provide bike racks there.
36So next on the agenda is 'Proposals for improvements to the recreation ground'.
37Councillor Thornton again.
38Well, since we managed to extend the recreation ground,
39we've spent some time talking to local people
40about how it could be made a more attractive and useful space.
41If you have a look at the map up on the screen,
42you can see the river up in the north,
43and the Community Hall near the entrance from the road.
44At present, cars can park between the Community Hall and that line of trees to the east,
45but this is quite dangerous for pedestrians
46so we're suggesting a new car park on the opposite side of the Community Hall,
47right next to it.
48We also have a new location for the cricket pitch.
49As we've now purchased additional space to the east of the recreation ground,
50beyond the trees,
51we plan to move it away from its current location,
52which is rather near the road, into this new area beyond the line of trees.
53This means there's less danger of stray balls hitting cars or pedestrians.
54We've got plans for a children's playground
55which will be accessible by a footpath from the Community Hall
56and will be alongside the river.
57We'd originally thought of having it close to the road,
58but we think this will be a more attractive location.
59The skateboard ramp is very popular with both younger and older children -
60we had considered moving this up towards the river,
61but in the end we decided to have it in the southeast corner near the road.
62The pavilion is very well used at present by both football players and cricketers.
63It will stay where it is now -
64to the left of the line of trees and near to the river -
65handy for both the football and cricket pitches.
66And finally, we'll be getting a new notice board for local information,
67and that will be directly on people's right
68as they go from the road into the recreation ground.