Hermitage Road traffic survey

I was contacted about the speed that some vehicles appear to travel at in Hermitage Road. I raised the issue with the council’s transportation section and it arranged for a traffic survey to be carried out.

The survey information was recently sent to me and it shows that the average speed is 21 mph. Based on this outcome the council has concluded that no action is required at this time.

While I was in Hermitage Road I noticed that the street name plate was badly faded so I have asked for this to be replaced.

Garden waste bags

It was brought to my attention that Riverside Recycling Centre has no receptacle for plastic bags. Residents in the east of the city who now have to travel across Dundee to dispose of their garden waste discovered that they were unable to discard the bags they carried it in.  I raised the matter with the council’s environment department and I have been advised by the waste services manager that a facility for disposing of plastic bags will be progressed.

Better Together campaign

I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon canvassing in Broughty Ferry with a team of volunteers for the Better Together campaign. The weather was wonderful; just right for chatting to people on their doorstep. I was encouraged by the response we received to our message that Scotland’s future is best served by remaining in the United Kingdom. Many concerns about separation were raised including what currency an independent Scotland would use and the security of pensions.

Traffic order Fintry Place

I have posted below a copy of the Notice of Proposal relating to a Traffic Order that includes the section of Fintry Place to the east of Forthill Road, which leads to Forthill Primary School and Forthill Sports Club.

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL (ST MARY’S LANE, LOCHEE AND FINTRY PLACE, BROUGHTY FERRY, DUNDEE) (PART TIME PROHIBITION OF DRIVING) ORDER 2013

Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.  Due to high traffic volumes and parking issues during school pick up and drop off times at Forthill PS and St. Mary’s RCPS, it is necessary to prohibit vehicular access to both Fintry Place and St. Mary’s Lane to stop the potential for conflict between vehicular traffic and school children.

Full details of the proposals are contained in the draft Order, which together with a Statement of the Council’s reasons for proposing to make the Order may be examined during normal office hours and without payment of fee at Dundee City Council offices, Reception, 18 City Square, Dundee by any person, during a period of 21 days from 26/4/13.  A copy of the plans can also be viewed by searching for "Traffic Regulation Orders (In Progress)" in the A to Z section of our website.

Any person may within 21 days from 26/4/13 object to the proposed Order by notice in writing to the Head of Democratic and Legal Services, Dundee City Council, 21 City Square, Dundee.  Objections should state the name and address of the objector, the matters to which they relate and the grounds on which they are made.

ROGER MENNIE, Head of Democratic and Legal Services

Plans for a currency union do not add up

The UK Government yesterday published its second Scotland Analysis paper on the consequences of separation.

The 113 page document on currency and monetary policy questions the SNP’s assertions that under separation a currency union could be set up with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Scottish Conservative Finance spokesman Gavin Brown MSP said: “What is clear, despite the mutterings of the SNP, is that there has been little or no meaningful contact with the Treasury or the Bank of England about their preferred currency option under separation. With just under a year and a half to the referendum vote, it is quite staggering that the SNP has not bothered to ask how this could work in practice. We also need to know if the Scottish Government’s independent Fiscal Commission has had any meaningful discussions with either the Treasury or Bank of England before publishing their economic paper.

Today’s paper states the economic case for the rest of the UK entering into a currency union with a separate Scotland is not clear cut. While it may be the Scottish Government’s preferred option, it’s only realistic if both sides want it. It does not matter how often the SNP say they want such an arrangement, if the other side does not want to deal then it will not happen. The Treasury paper also makes clear that if the rest of the UK does agree to a currency union, there would need to be mechanisms for controlling and reviewing the tax and spending policies of a so-called independent Scotland.

Alex Salmond has clearly not thought through the implications of this, yet is prepared to gamble away Scotland’s financial stability in his vain pursuit of breaking up the UK.”

Fence at Campfield Square shops

I have received complaints from residents about the gap in the fence on Nursery Road at the Campfield Square shops.

It has been like this for some time and is becoming a bit of an eyesore due to the build up of all the rubbish, as can be seen from the photograph.

 I have asked the environment department if this area can be tidied up. I also intend to contact the owner of the land to ask if it would be possible to have the fence repaired.

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Pothole repairs

I can’t believe the number of potholes there are in Broughty Ferry at the moment! There are also a lot of sections of carriageway in dire need of repair.

I spent most of last weekend checking on locations I have previously reported to ensure that action had been taken and noting new locations that are in need of some attention.

The Roads Maintenance Partnership has recently advised me of the following works:

·         Claypotts Road between Queen Street and Strathern Road is to be resurfaced

·         Lower Broughty Ferry Road is to receive a proprietary thin surfacing as is Dunnottar Place

·         Dundee Road West between Ralston Road and Strips of Craigie is to get a surface dressing

·         Repairs will be carried out to the Bayfield Road carriageway using the Rhinopatch equipment for a more durable repair rather than repeatedly filling the many potholes

I was particularly pleased to learn about Claypotts Road. The section to be attended to is in a shocking sate of repair for a principal road through Broughty Ferry. The picture I have posted doesn’t really show the full extent of the problem. The only down side is that it will result in further temporary traffic management arrangements (which we never seem to see the end of what with one thing or another).

Friends of the Union

We had a team of volunteers out today delivering Friends of the Union leaflets in West Ferry and Barnhill. I managed to stop two of them, Donald and Liz, long enough to take their photograph.

The leaflet carries the message that Scotland’s future as a fair, prosperous and secure nation is best served by remaining an equal partner in the United Kingdom.

Garden waste

The SNP administration brought in changes to the operation of the recycling centres to generate a saving in the council’s revenue budget of £316K.  Previously, residents could take any bulky waste, garden waste, recyclate etc. to any of the council’s three sites, Marchbanks, Baldovie and Riverside. As part of the rationalisation of the service all green waste must now be taken to the Riverside recycling centre.

Since the change was implemented I have been contacted by a number of constituents about the inconvenience this is going to cause. Broughty Ferry has many mature gardens which in the growing season will generate a great deal of garden waste.

I am aware that those residents who have complained to the environment department about it have been advised that they can order additional garden waste bins but for those with large gardens a twice a month collection over the growing season is inadequate regardless of the number of brown bins they might have, particularly for bulkier items of garden waste. There is also concern that the longer car journey generated by the change will see an increase in carbon emissions, which doesn’t make a lot of environmental sense.

I have asked the director of the council's environment department if this decision might be reviewed and I would also call on the administration to rethink this measure and allow garden waste to be taken to Baldovie.

Margaret Thatcher

I was saddened by the passing of Lady Thatcher. She was a towering figure and changed the landscape of politics at home and around the world for the better.  The Evening Telegraph asked me to write a few words in response to some of the petty comments made by her detractors:

‘Margaret Thatcher and her vision for the country was the reason I joined the Conservative Party as a school boy in in 1979. I was proud to be elected to the former Dundee District Council in a by-election when she was Prime Minister; the last Conservative to be elected in Scotland under her premiership, just a month before she left office in 1990.

I think it is disgusting that some people are rejoicing in her death, especially those who were not even born when she was Prime Minister. It is tasteless and thoroughly inappropriate to behave in this manner. Hopefully all the reflections on her life will let these people see that Britain was in terminal decline in the 1970s and it needed a Prime Minister with the courage and fortitude of Mrs. Thatcher to turn the country around. She spoke for millions of ordinary people which is why she won three elections in a row with sizeable majorities each time.’

Good news on unadopted footways



Bughties Road

Five Broughty Ferry pavements feature in Dundee City Council's unadopted footways scheme for 2013/14. The footways on the west side of Abertay Street, the east side of Fairfield Road (north of Strathern Road), the south side of Bughties Road, Campfield Road and the south side of Albany Road (from Ralston Road to Fairfield Road) all scored highly enough in a priority ranking exercise to be included in a programme of works during the current financial year.

Over the years I have nominated Broughty Ferry pavements for inclusion in the scheme and I have made suggestions for improving their priority which has resulted in many of them being attended to.  I am pleased that these five footways are to be brought up to standard as they are in a poor state and I frequently receive complaints about them, however there are many pavements still to be done and I will continue to push for their inclusion as well."

Biomass

The controversial plan to build a biomass plant at Dundee Harbour is back on the agenda following the submission by Forth Energy of some new information concerning air quality in the form of an addendum to its earlier application.  

The Scottish Government will decide whether or not to allow the development but Dundee City Council is a statutory consultee and it considered the proposal in January 2011.

At committee I moved that the council should object to it. I mentioned that hundreds of Broughty Ferry residents had raised concerns about the possible impact that emissions associated with the plant would have on air quality and public health. I also pointed out that its height, scale and massing, would adversely impact on the visual amenity of the city and dominate the waterfront. The SNP administration moved that the council should defer its position on the plant pending more information on air quality. My motion was defeated by 14 votes to 13.

If you wish to make any comments on the addendum you can make these to the Scottish Government either in writing to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit, 4th Floor, 5 Atlantic Quay, 150 Broomielaw, Glasgow, G2 8LU or by email to dundeebiomass@scotland.gsi.gov.uk 

The closing date for representations is 16 May 2013.