Roundabout is needed to improve Wellington relief road safety

MARK Formosa, our Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Taunton Deane, has joined me in calling on the highways authority to create a roundabout on Wellington’s relief road to ease rush hour traffic congestion.
I showed Mark one morning how traffic builds up at the staggered crossroads with Pyles Thorne Road and Ford Street.
We saw how it results in some drivers becoming impatient and taking risks by pulling out in front of other vehicles.
Others crossing from one side to the other were pulling out and stopping in the middle of the road to indicate a right turn and causing oncoming vehicles to hit their brakes.
It can be a dangerous situation and we already see county highways signs at the side of the road quoting statistics about the number of casualties who have been injured in accidents at this crossroads.
Mind you, those signs promised road improvements would be carried out in 2008 and here we are well into 2009 and all the County Council have done is to stick a number ‘9’ over the ‘8’.
Mark is now asking the County Council to look at converting the junction into a roundabout which will ease the queues of traffic at peak times and greatly improve safety for motorists.
I do not think it requires a huge engineering project at great cost to improve this junction, as I am sure a fairly simply mini roundabout would be sufficient.
It would mean that drivers have to approach with a little more care than perhaps some do at the moment, and they would have to give way to vehicles coming from their right, so traffic flows should improve.
I have over the years witnessed a number of near-misses at this junction and it is clear that the traffic situation is gradually getting worse as more people seem to be driving over the Blackdowns to work in the Chard and Honiton areas or are coming from those areas to work around here.
That is why I went along to one the Tuesday morning surgeries Mark Formosa holds in Wellington Community Centre and raised the issue with him.
The surgery is held every Tuesday between 10.30 am and 12 noon and has become very popular with local people who need help with all sorts of issues.
Even though I am a Conservative councillor, I still had to wait my turn and queue to see Mark.
So I was pleased that Mark Formosa so quickly took up my offer to come and have a look for himself, and also delighted to see that he is now taking such prompt action in pressing for something to be done to improve this junction.
Mark Formosa has a terrific track record of taking up local issues which really matter to people and getting something done to help.
He regularly raises issues which other local politicians have either refused to look at or have not even considered.
He is going to make a brilliant MP for Taunton Deane when the General Election finally comes along next year.

• The photograph shows Mark Formosa (left) with Councillor John Thorne at the Wellington relief road crossroads.

Ridealong gives first hand experience of front line policing on the Blackdowns

I HAVE just spent a bitterly cold night shift on duty with the Blackdowns beat officer PC Maria Jennings.
It was part of a Ridealong scheme the police are operating for local councillors to experience front line policing at first hand, and I was pleased to be one of the first councillors to take part.
However, sub-zero temperatures straight after the New Year celebrations ensured it was an exceptionally quiet night as most people seemed to have stayed at home in the warm.
The ‘lack of action’, which I am assured is extremely unusual as Friday nights generally see a lot going on, means I will repeat the exercise later in the year when there is warmer weather.
It was still a very interesting experience and one which gave an insight into the workings of the police and how they tackle crime and the potential for crime.
I learned quite a bit about what to look out for in terms of suspicious behaviour, and how criminals tend to act.
The big lesson was the realisation that although I frequently hear people complain that they ‘never see a police officer’ any more, there are, in fact, always police on duty at any time of day or night somewhere close at hand.
Our patrol covered an area stretching from Bishopswood and Churchstanton to Burrowbridge and Stoke St Gregory, and going into central Taunton as well.
I also met the three PCSOs who work with PC Jennings to provide police cover in the area.
It quickly became apparent that while people may be asleep in their beds at home, there was always a police presence out and about somewhere nearby and ready to respond to any incident.
We started the evening by attending a reported ‘firearms incident’ which immediately brought to mind images of armed response police officers surrounding a hostage situation, but actually turned out to be a case where PC Jennings simply needed to talk to some neighbours about the law which covers the use of a shotgun.
Over the radio, we picked up reports of a missing teenager, and then, later, another missing person even younger, as well as the ‘usual’ incidents of fights and public disturbance.
But they were all being dealt with elsewhere and we were not required, again illustrating how many police must actually be on duty even though it was now late at night.
We checked on isolated properties where there had either been previous attempted break-ins or the owners were away and had notified the police that there should be nobody about.
A group of lads climbing out of a roadside hedge just outside one village raised suspicions, but it was quickly clear they were just out for a midnight walk for ‘something to do’.
The other big lesson I took from this Ridealong evening was how the people of the Blackdowns are in good hands with PC Jennings as their beat officer.
She has 20 years’ experience behind her, all of it in front line policing, including many years in the Metropolitan Police.
She has a wealth of experience and I think the residents of the Blackdowns are very fortunate to have such a high-quality officer looking after them.
All in all, the Ridealong was a tremendously interesting experience and one which I look forward to repeating some time in the summer.

• The photograph shows Councillor John Thorne with PC Maria Jennings and her Land Rover police car.

Mystery of the Blackdowns phantom bus shelter 'artist'

I HAVE been investigating the mystery of a phantom ‘artist’ who appears to be making some kind of statement about rubbish on the Blackdown Hills.
A couple of weeks ago, I received a report from Otterford Parish Council that rubbish was being fly-tipped in the bus shelter at Culmhead Crossroads, making it impossible for bus passengers to use the shelter when the weather was poor.
Naturally, I alerted the Deane council’s environmental health team to the problem and asked them to clear it up and also look for evidence of who might be responsible so that we could prosecute and/or recover the cost of the clean-up.
Then, I went to have a look at the bus shelter for myself and, strangely, I found that the rubbish had been cleared and the shelter was lined with silver foil.
A clothes rail had been put up - as you would find in a wardrobe - and a variety of items of clothing hung from it.
There was a sign on the outside reading ‘The Changing Room’, a roadside crossroads sign was stuck on the top of the entrance, and inside was a notice which read something like: “I am a million different people today and the next day...”
I am told since that I have not remembered the quote properly, as it seems to be a line from a song by The Verve which actually reads: “But I’m a million different people from one day to the next...”
The Deane council staff quickly cleared the bus shelter but could find no trace of who had put the clothing there.
I wondered if perhaps it was something to do with Somerset Arts Weeks - now renamed Somerset Art Works (SAW) - as it appeared to be some kind of artistic statement, although a little bizarre out in the middle of nowhere.
However, I spoke to somebody at SAW and they had absolutely no knowledge of it.
At this point, the bus shelter was clean and tidy and fit for use again, so I left it at that.
Then, a few days later, I discovered that the phantom ‘artist’ had returned – and so had the rubbish.
The bus shelter was strewn with black bin bags and carrier bags containing items such as empty cans of lager and cardboard and plastic bottles.
On the outside were posted three signs on white boards reading ‘rubbish….’, ‘art ….’, and ‘rubbish…’.
The signs are in exactly the same style as ‘The Changing Room’ signs, which makes me think that it is the same person.
I do not mind admitting that I am ‘culturally challenged’, and therefore whatever artistic statement they may be making goes over my head.
It is all rather bizarre, and I would like to know why this is happening.
I am sure that whoever the artist is, they were not responsible for the rubbish in the first place and it may be that they actually cleaned it up before embarking on ‘The Changing Room’ project.
To add to the mystery, somebody has also painted in big white letters on the road opposite the bus shelter “SAW No 42”.
I assume again that this is a reference to Somerset Art Weeks, and I was told that No 42 apparently refers to an artist who lives in Watchet.
I will continue to try to get to the bottom of this.

• The photograph above shows me examining the rubbish which has reappeared in the Culmhead Crossroads bus shelter along with signs indicating it is some kind of artistic statement.

Exmouth - now in the foothills of the Blackdowns

ON what seemed like a summer's day - almost unheard of this year - I attended the Celebrating the Blackdowns event held at Churchinford on Saturday.
The public attendance exceeded everybody's expectations with several hundred people visiting during the day.
It was an opportunity to see where some of the £1.9 million LEADER+ funding from Europe has gone during the past six years.
The Blackdowns AONB Partnership, on which I represent Taunton Deane Borough Council, has used the cash to support a wide range of activities and events during that time, and now the fund is coming to a close this year.
It is being replaced with a £2.4 million 'Make it Local' fund over the next three years, of which more details were promised at the Celebrating event.
I was a little disappointed, then, to find that we have not actually, definitely, been given the money.
Despite the recent public announcements of the success of the Partnership bid, it seems we still have to jump through some hoops before we know for sure that the money is ours.
From what I have seen so far of the way the Partnership is funded, we are going to need that money if we are to continue supporting the community of the Blackdowns.
One snag, though, is that in order to get the money, we are having to extend the 'Blackdowns' borders as far as the edges of Exmouth and Seaton so that we can say we have a large enough population base which will benefit from the fund.
Assuming we get the money, then the grant scheme will start next year.
Applications will especially be welcomed if they concern culture, tourism, recreation, using sustainable natural resources, or network building/bringing people together.
There was lots to see at the cricket ground just outside Churchinford, and everything there had received funding from the LEADER+ programme.
It was nice to see lots of children with their parents, and the kids seemed to like having a go at making punkie night lanterns or doing some wood carving, while inside the Camera Obscura they were able to 'spy' on what their parents were doing elsewhere in the field.
I discovered when I had a look at the Camera Obscura that they had been 'spying' on my son George, who had taken his bicycle along and was whizzing around the field on it.
I think George will soon be competent enough for the stabilisers to be taken off, and then he will be whizzing around even faster.
I was looking forward to having a burger from one of Nick Strange's barbecues, which always seem to be at these events, but instead the Partnership had laid on a hog roast, because the equipment was funded through the programme.
I would not have minded, except that by the time I arrived, the hog had all been eaten and there was nothing left.
Some of the other activities to see were hedgelaying skills and apple juicing, while I found Nick Strange inside the marquee with his meat produce stall, along with items such as alpaca wool socks, a BHaam (Blackdown Hills Artists and Makers) display, and much more.
Incidentally, I learned that the Camera Obscura is looking for a permanent site, which needs to be secure and enjoy good views. I believe Culmstock School has been suggested, but if anybody has any other ideas, they will be welcomed.

• The photos above show (in descending order) me having a look at some of the punkie night lanterns; a display of alpaca wool socks, and the BHaam stand.

'Ring and book' bus service coming to the Blackdowns

I AM delighted to learn that some of the gaps in bus services covering villages in Taunton Deane are going to be plugged thanks to an initiative led by my Conservative colleague Councillor John Meikle.
‘Demand responsive’ buses are being introduced and Blagdon Hill will be on one of the routes.
The route will also serve Staplehay and will link the two communities with Taunton.
The initiative has come out of a council task and finish group on sustainable transport which has been chaired by Councillor Meikle - whose, son, of course, is the Duncan Meikle who has helped to pioneer the new community hall plans for Pitminster parish.
A ‘demand responsive’ bus is one which runs on a regular route but which people can ring up and book a seat in advance if they live nearby and the bus will then detour and pick them up.
The proviso is that it will only be during certain times of the day, and also passengers have to be within a reasonable distance and the roads need to be wide enough for the bus to be able to reach them.
I am not quite sure how this is different from the Slinky Bus that Somerset County Council has been supporting, but I am sure it will be a welcome initiative.
At this stage, I am still waiting to be told just when the service will start, and who will be operating it.
The project is a partnership between Taunton Deane Borough Council and the county council.
The Deane council is putting £25,000 towards the set-up costs of scheme, which will run for three years.
Other communities which will benefit from the service include West Monkton, West Hatch, Hestercombe, and Curry Mallet.
Councillor Meikle told me: “We are beginning to infill the bus service gaps in Taunton Deane.
“This compliments a similar ‘ring and book’ magnificent voluntary community transport which Wiveliscombe have been running for some years covering 26 parish areas to the west of Taunton.
“All this positive thinking and action helps the quality of life for everybody.”
Councillor Ross Henley, who is the leader of the Deane council, told me: “I am very pleased to be able to implement the recommendation of this task and finish review.”