Monday 30 June 2014

Latest on Handy Cross – roadworks

Latest on Handy Cross – roadworks
Work to form the new permanent access and exit junctions at the Handy Cross Hub redevelopment is now underway.

From the 3rd July, lane closures on the A404 will be required to facilitate the work, which will be conducted out of peak hours with traffic restrictions lifted for morning and evening rush hour periods.

The aim is to create minimal disruption to the already busy traffic flow of the A404 during the works. It is estimated that this work will be ongoing well into 2015, however the works will stop over the Christmas period, from December into January.

Transport for Buckinghamshire apologises for any disruption to journeys while the work is carried out.

Any queries can be directed to the contact centre - 0845 230 2882. Out of hours queries can be directed to Willmott Dixon, who is the contractor carrying out these works - 08457 335 533.

Come see us at Party in the Park, Iver

Specialist equipment used in the daily maintenance of Buckinghamshire's roads will be showcased by Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) at the annual Iver Party in the Park next Saturday July 5.

And operational team members from the TfB depot in Amersham will be on hand to answer queries at the event in Iver Recreation Ground.
TfB will also supply metal safety barriers and cones to help mark out display areas within the Recreation Ground, and will be helping with car park duties and litter picking.
Ruth Vigor-Hedderly, Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Transport, said: 'This event was such a successful day last year and I hope this year will be even better. I'm very grateful for the help TfB will be giving on the day, and I hope residents can come along to meet some of the team and enjoy a great day out.'

Monday 23 June 2014

Transport survey gives public a voice

The public’s views on Buckinghamshire’s highways and transport services will again be compared with others across England, thanks to the National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction survey.

Buckinghamshire County Council is one of 78 local authorities to sign up to a standardised survey that will ask members of the public exactly the same questions, whether they live in Bournemouth, Bracknell or Buckinghamshire.

The survey, which is being run for the seventh year, enables local authorities to compare results, share in best practice and identify opportunities to work together in the future.

The questionnaire will be sent to a minimum random sample of 3300 Buckinghamshire residents in June, followed by a reminder, with local and national results to be published in early October. To make the survey as representative as possible, residents that are selected are being urged to take part. These residents should receive their surveys from the 23 June.

Residents that receive the questionnaire can complete the survey on line if they prefer: a short URL link will be printed on the front of the questionnaire with a code to be entered before continuing.

The results will enable us to find out what people in this area think about these important services - it is one of several ways Buckinghamshire County Council assesses how it is performing and which services to prioritise or improve.

Peter Radford, Chair of the NHT Network Survey Steering Group said: "There are clear benefits to conducting a public survey in this way. As well as providing excellent value for money, it also enables everyone involved to identify areas of best practice and spot national, regional and local trends. This is not about producing a league table to champion one geographical area over another, it is about understanding customer views better and working together to deliver the most satisfactory yet efficient outcomes for local residents."

Ruth Vigor Hedderly, Cabinet Member for Transportation said, "We are committed to understanding and responding to the views of our residents and road users. If you are chosen to receive a survey I would urge you to respond so that we can gain a full understanding of the views of their public. This helps us to shape our future strategy and allocate our precious, limited resources."

Transport for Buckinghamshire takes to the road

Over the coming months Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) will be attending a number of community events across the county.

Ruth Vigor-Hedderly, Cabinet Member for Transport said, "I'm really looking forward to our teams getting out and about over the summer. I hope that lots of people come down and visit us so that we can have a chat and answer some questions."

TfB will have a stand and family activities at the following events:

Buckingham Civic Day: Saturday 21 June
Party in the Park, Iver: Saturday 5 July
Fair in the Square, Fairford Leys, Aylesbury: Saturday 12 July
Kop Hill Climb, Princes Risborough: Saturday and Sunday 20/21 September.

County Council awarded pothole funding

Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) has been successful in their bid to the Department for Transport (DfT) to receive further funding for pothole repairs.
The Government announced, as part of this year’s Budget in March, that £168 million would be made available for councils to bid for to use for pothole repairs. As part of this, BCC will be awarded the sum of £1,463,514.
BCC received further extra funding of £2.5 million from the DfT previously as part of the Severe Weather Recovery Scheme.
BCC will now work with Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) to determine the most efficient way to use this funding to repair as many potholes throughout the county as possible. Further information will be made available in due course.
Cabinet Member for Transportation, Ruth Vigor-Hedderly said: "We are delighted with the extra money awarded by the DfT, which will help even more repairs be carried out on the roads in Buckinghamshire. This won’t allow us to repair every pothole in the county, but we shall make sure that the money is used wisely to repair as many as possible."

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Transport survey gives public a voice

The public’s views on Buckinghamshire’s Highways and Transport services will again be compared with others across England, thanks to the National Highways and Transport Public Satisfaction survey.

Buckinghamshire County Council is one of 78 Local Authorities to sign up to a standardised survey that will ask members of the public exactly the same questions, whether they live in Bournemouth, Bracknell or Buckinghamshire.

The survey, which is being run for the seventh year enables Local Authorities to compare results, share in best practice and identify opportunities to work together in the future.

The questionnaire will be sent to a minimum random sample of 3300 Buckinghamshire residents in June, followed by a reminder, with local and national results to be published in early October. Since the survey is based on a sample, residents that receive a copy are being urged to take part. Chosen residents should receive their surveys from the 23rd June.

Residents that receive the questionnaire can complete the survey on line if they prefer, a short URL link will be printed on the front of the questionnaire and they will be required to enter a code before completing the questionnaire.

The results will enable us to find out what people in this area think about these important services. This will provide one of several ways Buckinghamshire County Council can assess how it is performing and which services to prioritise, and to improve.

Peter Radford, Chair of the NHT Network Survey Steering Group said: “There are clear benefits to conducting a public survey in this way. As well as providing excellent value for money, it also enables everyone involved to identify areas of best practice and spot national, regional and local trends. This is not about producing a league table to champion one geographical area over another, it is about understanding customer views better and working together to deliver the most satisfactory yet efficient outcomes for local residents.”

Ruth Vigor Hedderly, Cabinet Member for Transportation said, "We are committed to understanding and responding to the views of our residents and road users. If you are chosen to receive a survey I would urge you to respond so that Transport for Buckinghamshire can gain a full understanding of the views of their public. This will help us to shape our future strategy and allocate our precious, limited resources."

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Programme gets underway to help treat flood-hit roads

Following one of the wettest winters on record, many of Buckinghamshire’s roads suffered extensive damage as a result of widespread flooding.
Due to the severity of the impact - not just in Buckinghamshire but across the whole of the country - central government established a Severe Weather Recovery Scheme (SWRS) which is aimed at supporting communities in repairing local highway networks.
Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) successfully submitted a bid to the Department for Transport (DfT) for a share of the SWRS and was awarded a total of £2,507,486 to help repair damage to the local road network. This additional funding will supplement the funding already allocated for the countywide road treatment and drainage programmes.
Ruth Vigor-Hedderly, Cabinet Member for Transportation said: "This additional budget is very welcome, and I would like to personally thank the team involved in securing this amount of funding. It will mean that we can target repair work to the roads that were most severely damaged by the flooding over the winter, which is really good news."
This additional funding can only be used to repair flood-hit roads. Assessments of the selected sites across the county have been carried out to confirm the full extent of work required, along with any necessary drainage works to reduce or prevent flooding in the future.
65 sites have now been confirmed to receive treatment as part of the SWRS. Additional drainage works under the programme are due to commence in mid-June 2014, with road treatment works to follow from July onwards. Work on all sites will be completed by the end of 2014.
More information, including a list of the sites to be treated as part of the SWRS, can be found on Transport for Buckinghamshire’s Service Information Centre at: http://www.transportforbucks.net/Roadworks-Centre/Schemes-and-projects/Our-schemes-and-projects/Severe-Weather-Recovery-Scheme.aspx
Following an announcement in the 2014 Budget statement, the Government has made a fund of £168 million available for pothole repairs. BCC have submitted a bid to the DfT to receive a share of this fund. An announcement is expected soon if the bid has been successful.