Changes to the bus network

This Sunday will see changes to the bus network as National Express Dundee has revised a number of its services across the city. 

The headline news is the reintroduction of the outer circle service after an absence of around four years.  This will be operated on a commercial basis during the daytime (Monday to Saturday) with evening and Sunday operations being subsidised by Dundee City Council.  The consequence of the outer circle reintroduction is that Service 26 will be withdrawn and Service 14 will be scaled back to a peak time service only (Monday to Friday).

In Broughty Ferry the outer circle service 9, 11 will travel clockwise (downhill) around the Barnhill loop and service 10, 12 will travel anti-clockwise (uphill). 

The frequency of Service 5 is being reduced from 8 buses per hour (every 7-8 minutes) to 6 buses per hour (every 10 minutes).  Half the Service 5 buses will travel on to Ninewells Hospital while half will terminate in the city centre.  Combined with the outer circle, there will be 5 buses per hour, more or less direct, from Barnhill to Ninewells.

The reintroduction of the outer circle will be welcomed by many, particularly those older people in Barnhill and Forthill who, following earlier changes to the bus network, lost a direct route to their medical practices and dental surgeries in the Stobswell area. The outer circle travelling in both directions around the Barnhill loop will also be well received.

A copy of the new bus network map is being distributed to every household in Dundee. The new timetables can be viewed on-line at the National Express Dundee website.

Temporary traffic orders

I have been advised of another couple of temporary traffic orders. These are:

1.    Due to carriageway surface dressing, traffic will be prohibited on Dundee Road (from Stannergate roundabout to Ralston Road) on Saturday 29 June 2013 for 2 days. The weekends of 6/7 July and 13/14 July may be used if the works are delayed due to weather conditions. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are via Craigie Place / Craigie Avenue / Strathern Road / Fairfield Road.

2.    Traffic will be temporarily prohibited on Claypotts Road from Strathern Road to West Queen Street for the purpose of facilitating carriageway resurfacing works.  The Order is expected to be in force for ten days from 15 July 2013. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. An alternative route will be available via Victoria Road, Dundee Road and West Queen Street.

Biomass: council decision

It was agreed at last night’s meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee that the council should object to the proposed biomass plant at Dundee Port.

The effect of the decision is that a public inquiry must now be held which will be able to consider all aspects of the application.

The report considered by the committee had recommended that the council’s position should be that it doesn’t object to it subject to the imposition of conditions and mitigation measures. I put forward the following amendment for consideration by the committee:

‘Dundee City Council objects to the application on the grounds that emissions resulting from the development will exacerbate air quality standards in the city resulting in an adverse impact on public health and the development, by reason of its height, scale and massing, would adversely impact on the visual amenity of the city and would form a discordant feature on the waterfront.’

Cllr. McCready from the Labour Group submitted an identical amendment and during a brief adjournment we agreed that he would move the amendment and I would second him.

When I spoke in support of the amendment amongst other arguments I said that Dundee already has issues with air quality standards and the evidence presented to committee suggested this was likely to be exacerbated should the biomass go ahead.

I also expressed concern about the impact the three large buildings and the main stack would have on the appearance of the city, particularly in such close proximity to the waterfront project. The regeneration of the waterfront is forecast to generate many thousands of jobs for the local economy and V&A Dundee is expected to provide a magnet for business and tourism. I didn’t think it was worth taking the risk of putting any of this at jeopardy.

Consideration of the item took nearly four hours and at the end of the debate the amendment that the council should object was carried by 20 votes to 6.

 

Bailie Ian Borthwick

I was pleased to be invited to a civic reception last night to recognise Bailie Ian Borthwick’s 50 years as a councillor.  Ian is dedicated and well respected and his record of public service in Dundee is never likely to be repeated. The fact that he was first elected as a councillor before I was even born is amazing. 

In the time I have shared with Ian on Dundee City Council  I have always been impressed by his desire to stand up for what he considers to be fair and reasonable. Despite having different political beliefs Ian has always been generous to me with his advice. I would like to congratulate him on reaching this remarkable milestone.

Temporary traffic orders

I have been sent details of two upcoming temporary traffic orders for Broughty Ferry. The first will prohibit the driving of any vehicles in an eastbound direction in Davidson Street (from Seafield Road to Cedar Road) due to footway resurfacing works. This notice comes into effect on Monday 1 July 2013 for 5 working days. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained and access to residents will be maintained where possible. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Traill Street / Cedar Road.

The second will prohibit the driving of any vehicle in Gray Street (from Queen Street to Brook Street) due to Network Rail maintenance works being carried out. This notice comes into effect on Monday 22 July 2013 at 11pm until Wednesday 24 July at 6am. Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained. Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Brook Street / St Vincent Street / Queen Street.

Development Management Committee

Four of the six planning applications decided by the council’s Development Management Committee this evening came from Broughty Ferry. These were two applications to form new driveways in Archer Street, an application to change the use of an area of open space to private garden ground for a property on Arbroath Road and an application for the erection of a modular building at Forthill Primary School to be used by the out of school club. All four applications were unanimously approved by the committee.

The site for the modular unit at Forthill Primary School is in the western corner of the school campus behind the existing school building. It adjoins the playground and is currently an area of unkempt grass land.

Update

Further to the post on 15 June regarding the reinstatement of the grass verge on Arbroath Road, I have been advised that this will be done in the next few weeks, after the spring bulbs die back.  

Grassed area needs to be reinstated

A number of residents have mentioned to me the condition of the grassed areas on Arbroath Road where trenches were dug earlier this year for the SSE cable renewal works. The ground has been left rough and no grass is growing there. It really needs to be raked over and re-seeded.

I raised the matter with the council’s head of transportation who has advised me that his network management team will take it up with SSE. Hopefully this will see the grass being reinstated to the way it was before the works commenced. The posted picture shows part of the line of the trench on the grassed area between Fairfield Road and the north pedestrian entrance to Dundee College.



Road repairs in Oakley Place

A resident recently contacted me about the condition of the carriageway and the badly worn yellow lines in Oakley Place.  I raised the matter with the roads maintenance partnership manager who agreed that the road surface in Oakley Place is deteriorating which is impacting on the ability to refresh the yellow lines.

Apparently the street didn’t meet the requirements to be included in the capital resurfacing programme for 2013/14; however I am advised that it is in a provisional programme to receive treatment in 2014/15. In the interim the channels are to be swept and some hot material placed there to allow the yellow lines to be refreshed. Any actionable defects on the carriageway will also be repaired.

On visiting a constituent nearby I noticed that this interim work has commenced.

The street will continue to be inspected and any actionable defects repaired until the formal works are undertaken next year.

Domestic waste collection strategy

Last night’s meeting of the council’s environment committee heard that the much anticipated review of domestic waste collection is underway.  A report by the director of environment and the head of environmental protection stated that an initial appraisal has been carried out which highlighted further development work is needed before a final decision can be taken on the future collection system.

A root and branch review of all collection operations is to be carried out and  will include  things like identifying ways to allow tenemental and flatted properties access to the full recycling range, looking at all of the collection routes, the frequency of collections, working patterns and vehicles. It is expected that this will take a further nine months to a year to complete.

A consultation will be carried out with residents and there will be an education and awareness campaign.

The main driver behind the way waste has to be collected is the challenging targets that have been set for recycling household waste by The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. These are 50% by 2013, 60% by 2020 and 70% by 2025.

A report will be brought back to committee for consideration prior to the implementation of any changes.

In Touch newsletter

I am in the process of delivering my Spring/Summer newsletter. It features, as usual, a number of articles on local issues but it also has an update on the Conservative Friends of the Union campaign and an article about when Broughty Ferry became part of Dundee. I try to distribute it as widely as possible across the Ferry and I’m grateful to the volunteers who help with this.

Feedback is always welcome, so if you have any comments then please get in touch with me. You can contact me by email, telephone or letter. If you prefer to write to me then there is a cut off slip on the back page of the newsletter which you can use if it would be more convenient for you.

Local policing plan

Police Scotland has produced a local policing plan for each multi member council ward in Scotland which focusses on local issues and concerns.

The priorities identified by the community for The Ferry ward are housebreaking and other theft, road safety, antisocial behaviour and vandalism and graffiti. The plan contains details of actions carried out to date and what measures are to be implemented in the coming months.

This is a really good development as the issues that people in Broughty Ferry are worried about might not necessarily always be the same as in other areas. At recent community meetings I have attended police representatives have given updates which clearly show that this focus on local concerns is making a difference.

You can view the plan and information about the local community policing team on the Police Scotland website which is www.scotland.police.uk.

Outstanding service and commitment awards

In May I was part of a judging panel for the council’s first outstanding service and commitment awards (OSCAs). We spent a day listening to the presentations and asking questions of the three finalists in each of the six categories which were: innovation and improvement, customer focus, outstanding service, environment and sustainability, achieving fairness and reducing inequalities and improving services through partnership working.

The judges were hugely impressed by the enthusiasm, innovation and commitment to public service of all the finalists.

The award ceremony took place last night at the West Park Centre and I was pleased to be asked to present the award for environment and sustainability. This award recognises contributions and improvements made by teams either to improve the council’s impact on the environment, or to support local communities to actively promote and implement green initiatives or to help create sustainable communities and sustainable development.

It was won by the Waste Disposal Capital Works Review Team for its focus on waste disposal by the construction division during its programme to replace heating, kitchens and bathrooms in council houses. Improvements identified amongst other things included better recovery of high value scrap metal and improved segregation of waste.

Ballinard Road trip hazard

I receive dozens of enquiries every week from constituents on a variety of issues but the most common complaint by far is the condition of our roads and pavements.

The most recent of these came in yesterday afternoon and I have posted a picture of it opposite. It shows damage to a service cover on the pavement in Ballinard Road. I have reported it to the roads maintenance partnership for attention.

Broughty Ferry Community Council meeting

I attended a meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council tonight in Broughty Ferry Library. A standing item on the agenda is councillors’ reports and in my contribution I mentioned:

• The ‘30mph speed limit in force’ signs that are to be installed on Monifieth Road to ensure that drivers are aware of the recently reduced speed limit.

• The legal process to reduce the speed limit on Dundee Road to 30mph should be concluded late summer.

• The council action plan for promoting bowling in the city.

• The feasibility study to be carried out with a view to developing a high quality tennis coaching facility at Dawson Park.

• The new street lighting being installed at various locations.

• The resurfacing of the badly worn and rutted carriageway in Claypotts Road

• The adopted and unadopted pavements being resurfaced in this financial year.

• The funding application made by the council to Sustrans with the intention of extending the cycle path from the recently completed Douglas Terrace coastal path into Lower Broughty Ferry Road.

• The periodic review of parking restrictions that is to be carried out in Broughty Ferry including consideration of waiting restrictions near to the Dundee Road railway bridge where a number of advertising vehicles are continuously parked.

The community council meets on the first Tuesday of the month. Its role is to help to make Dundee City Council and other public bodies aware of the opinions of the local community. A link to its web page is at the foot of this page.

Job Club at Broughty Ferry Library