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| Collapse of the 'Vanity Road' |
Brent Council has admitted that the block paving road outside the Civic Centre on Enginereers Way cost £852k which was funded through Section 106 money. The cost of repairs to date is £2,777. In a response to Paul Lorber the Council said it did not keep records on the cost of officer time dealing with individual matters such as this. They confirmed that no costs had been recovered from the contractors and other third parties for the defects and repairs.
Following up the issue Lorber said that the cost seemed high for such a short stretch of road and asked for the comparable cost in tarmac. In addition he asked if the Council intended to pursue the contractor for the cost of repairs.
This is entirely predictable. It is not sensible to give a semi-shared-space treatment like this to a road carrying heavy traffic. Olympic Park Boulevard is sensibly paved in this style, because it is more or less cycle and pedestrian only. When Brent Cyclists were consulted on the design for Engineers Way, we said this proposed treatment was incompatible with the function as a through-road carrying heavy traffic, and we said the road could, and should, be closed to through-traffic, and be used only for access to the Civic Centre. Our point was ignored. So it is appropriate to describe this as a 'vanity road' project. The council wanted to prettify it without having the political courage to remove the heavy traffic, and this is a predictable failure.
ReplyDeleteWell said! You'd think that tax-paying residents questioning such things would make the council more careful in not only their spending but responses. There are always "lack of money" excuses but they never make use of the opportunities to save costs!
DeleteVery similar block paving has been used in Harlesden Town Centre which is restricted to traffic except buses with the predictable result that the road surface was destroyed. It was repaired once and was destroyed again very quickly by the buses. Completely predictable as David says and a huge waste of money and it looks terrible.
ReplyDeleteSpot on, David. ANd even more barmy to do this when they KNEW there would be heavy construction traffic!
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, heavy setts are much better for lobbing at the People's Palace than floppy bits of tarmac would ever be.
ReplyDeleteMike Hine
This is an edited version of a comment I received. My substituted edit in brackets. 'Shama Tatler Lead of Brent Regeneration needs to stop (trying to please) Muhammed Butt and listen to residents. Regeneration is supposed to improve the area, not your political ambitions. Stop (trying to please) and get on with the job, be seen to be doing your job.'
ReplyDeleteI think I can guess what the edit said. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm worried about Butt. Saw him on tv last night celebrating his new status as Minister for Culture and the North Weezy Renaissance by repeating Sadiq Khan's speech word for word. He had huge dark rings round his eyes giving him the look of a panda in negative.
ReplyDeleteIs he well?
Mike Hine