Action in Great Pulteney Street

Well l cannot claim that my drawing attention to the state of the road surface in Great Pulteney Street has led directly to what l chanced upon in today’s rain – but workmen are out and digging up that particular rough patch of tarmac l showed you earlier in the week.

I feel sorry for them – having to be out in today’s rotten weather – but it is good to see B&NES at least remaking this crater-lined patch.

A patch is what it is though. Far better for the whole road to be re-surfaced.Out and about in the city yesterday – after my usual cycle ride into town along the towpath alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal.

You leave the towpath into Sydney Gardens – and then along Great Pulteney Street – and it is here where two wheels – rather than four – show up the dreadful state of this grand avenue.

As l said earlier in the week – while B&NES seem bent on wasting twelve million on an East of Bath park and ride – which will clear few vehicles from its congested roads – these grand Grade 1 listed Georgian houses look down on an obstacle course of tired and broken tarmac.

It’s not pleasant steering two wheels along this tired and broken road. Shock absorbers on bikes do not work as well as those under a car.

Wouldn’t this money be better spent maintaining existing  roads – this one after all is in the middle of our main tourist trail – and concentrating on sending lorries – maybe the bigger issue – elsewhere.

As it is, Council Tax seems likely to rise. The council has been ‘cash-strapped’ by a  government which won’t release it’s financial grip – even though it’s ditching its own austerity programme.

Why don’t B&NES wait until the Metro Mayor has been elected  in May and the three combined authorities can get down to planning a joint transport strategy. Rushing it through before eh?

I also had a chance to pop down Manvers Street and take in the full implications of adding the heading ‘Bath Library’ to the other services already squeezed into Lewis House.

Handy for Southgate shoppers, or train users,  l suppose but a bit out of the way for everyone else.

Better make sure the lifts are working too for all the elderly and mums with pushchairs.

Bath history section moves to the Guildhall but what of all the students who use the existing library for study? Where will they be accommodated?

The existing facilities also had exhibition space which will now be sacrificed.

And we wait to hear how many staff are going to lose their jobs?

Also, does it mean John Lewis take over The Podium or will displaced council employees – making rooms for books – have to swop places and move into the old library space?

I was hoping to hear that B&NES would be exploring new options to help balance the books. No pun intended.

I, for one, don’t mind paying a little extra to help keep Social Services on track but wanted to hear that the council were exploring  other options like congestion charges to try and cut down on traffic volume and also introducing a tourist tax.

We pay a little bit extra when we go to places like Venice – Europe’s other city with World Heritage status – so why not here?

In this current political and environmental world full of negatives l am hoping the coming together of a West of England combined authority – lead by a Metro Mayor – might be a positive way of speeding up some real action to deal with long-standing issues that have been pushed and prodded but never really faced.

Just my opinion, and l welcome yours.