I have just been onto Derbyshire County Council again, with regard to the not so ‘temporary’ traffic lights. I have spoken to David Nicholson (01629 580000 extn 7685) and the lights will be present for at least another 12 months minimum. Apparently a new wall has to be built, but so that it is not undermined by the river, (“a unique problem in Derbyshire”) then the barrier is added to comply with current standards. Their design teams are looking at the problem and the cost will be in excess of £300,000 (cynically- is this the real problem). I did suggest that maybe the problem wasn’t unique in the country & do their designers contact other authoritities to share information & ideas? The reply was “No”.
The reason that the lights do not always work is because according to DCC someone is regularly tampering with them!
This blog can also be found with the comments in the blog below, but I felt this information was important enough to stand alone.
PARWICH.ORG 
Tampering with them???!!!!!!
Now that is really, REALLY serious! Are DCC suggesting there is somebody repeatedly and regularly (and therefore by insinuation a local) committing attempted murder?
This is a very serious accusation by the Council and I trust they can substantiate this assertion. Has this been reported to the police, I wonder?
Actually, applying barack room lawyer analysis, it’s probably only “conspiracy to murder” at this stage, since as far as I am aware, nobody has yet died…… even so – it’s still pretty serious!
Good work there, Jane – and what a depressingly inadequate response from DCC. I’d particularly like to know what exactly it is about having a road near a river that makes this situation “unique to Derbyshire”.
So, we’re to be stuck with a hazardous and potentially lethal stretch of road for the indefinite future, are we?
This sounds like a legitimate news story to me, especially with the suggestion of deliberate “tampering”. Perhaps the “stunner” should be contacted?
Of course, the risk remains that if suffiicient pressure is brought to bear on DCC, then they’ll just panic and close the road off entirely, forcing the Parwich-Ashbourne traffic through Alsop/Fenny Bentley, or through Bradbourne/Kniveton. We’re stuffed, aren’t we!
It is always worth putting pressure on, they won’t close the road at the moment, maybe once they start working on it, but at least then something will be happening. Where we used to live on Exmoor, particularly on the roads around Lynmouth, the roads had to be shored up because of the steep banks & rivers. If the B5056 was a major A road or a polititian lived nearby then we would see something happening. Does anyone know Jeremy Vine, Radio 2, he could do a slot on his show.
I can’t believe this problem needs to take a year to resolve. I will give Mr Nicholson a ring myself to make sure he understands what an inconvenience this will cause. Maybe if others feel stongly too then they should also do the same….
I recieved an email today saying the following:
Unfortunately PC Cooper was unable to attend last night’s Parish Council Open Meeting otherwise we could have asked him if this vandalism has been reported.
Reliable sources have suggested that as Ballidon Quarry now imports granite stone to mix with their tarmac, the outside lane of the road is becoming worn with heavy loads, whereas in the past there were only empty lorries… and the wear was in the inside lane
I agree with Martin, loaded lorries are now using the outside lane which is why the road surface now deteriorates far more rapidly following the patch repairs. The worst spot is at the Fenny Bently end. I think this is far more likely to collapse before the section where the traffic lights are, which was initially closed due to barrier damage. There are no plans to underpin this section! I think I will need a 40 ton lorry to roll over the edge before the highways people wake up. Are the quarry owners and hauliers lobbying for improvements?
Asking Mr Hardy if they knew a time scale and whether the Police had been informed, I have received the following very prompt return email:
Perhaps we can also look out for anyone tampering with the lights.
Are my eyes deceiving me, or do we have a new patched section of the road, and a freshly installed new set of traffic lights in perfect working order today?
If not, we need to excercise this newly found blog influence carefully – it’s powerful stuff!!
Now we need to mobilise people in support of some repairs to the rapidly growing potholes in Smithy Lane as it leaves the village. Have a look as you go for your Sunday afternoon walk!
There does seem to be a specific problem with Smithy Lane on the slope above Townhead, where there is either a leaking water main or a spring, but it is a bad place to stop when you are in the car. If it is a water leak problem, I guess we should ring Severn Trent leak line (tel. 0800 783 4444). Has anyone walked past recently?
There are also some very worn patches before you reach Town Head, as you leave the village, which seem to be a result of general wear, exacerbated by the bad weather we have had in recent weeks.
Stuart says he thinks the one at Townhead is a collapsed drain, – not sure if they’ve reported it or not.
I think the Smithy Lane problem is worth a post of its own, so will create one. The Parish Council regularly report any problems with the roads, however it seems to help having their message reinforced. (Note. If you send any posts to parwich@hotmail.co.uk the website team will try to get them on the site as quickly as possible.)