IT comes as no surprise to
read that traffic chaos
has hit the Jackson
Square car park yet again
(8220Rethink after more car park
chaos8221,
Observer, Mar 6).As we pointed out to Herts
Highways three years ago, it is
the inevitable consequence of
placing the entry and exit points
the wrong way round. Traffic
trying to leave hits the queue
trying to enter it and cannot get
out, as your picture,
right,
illustrates. It would be difficult
to think ofa more elementary
mistake in highway design.
The multi-storey is simply a
slightly larger replacement of
the car park in the same
location which functioned
perfectly acceptably for many
years without causing gridlock.
This was because the entry and
exit positions were the opposite
ofthose now in place.
It is difficult to see what a
second exit into Adderley Road
will achieve. It might move the
gridlock out ofthe car park and
onto the road, but will not deal
with the basic flaw in the
current arrangements.
Either the entry and exit points
will have to be swapped or, if
they remain where they are, the
same improvement could be
achieved by reversing the one-
way flow in Adderley Road,
Station Road and Dane Street.
Though more expensive, this
might have the longer-term
benefit ofdirecting traffic
leaving the station car park (and
any future goods yard
development) away from South
Street rather than straight into
it.
Herts Highways8217 advice has led
to the replacement ofa car park
which did work with another
which doesn8217t. Can its advice
really be relied on when East
Herts District Council comes to
take much more difficult
planning decisions, such as the
station goods yard or the
suggested schools relocation?
Perhaps Herts Highways should
stick to potholes. There are
plenty requiring its attention.
John Rhodes,
vice-chairman, Bishop8217s
Stortford Civic Federation.Here8217s a job
I don8217t envy!IDON8217Tenvy the new parking
officer his duty in the Jackson
Square multi-storey on any day
ofthe year, least ofall Saturdays
(8220Rethink after more car park
chaos8221,
Observer, Mar 6)!
It8217s incredible how such a badly
designed car park can have been
passed by the powers that be.
Why is there no provision for
moving from the top to the
bottom floor and vice versa
without having to exit the car
park? Who in their right mind
would let traffic exit so close to
traffic lights? Why is the down
ramp so close to the exit,
leavingno room to change lanes
and be in the right lane to move
through the traffic lights?
Surely the simplest solution is
to make the exit the entrance
and vice versa. This will
enhance not only the traffic flow
but also themood ofvisitors,
perhaps encouraging them to
return and support what should
be a thriving town centre.
Gill Owen,
Stansted.Rollup,rollup
for Town Plan IWAS at last week8217s Bishop8217s
Stortford Town Plan public
meeting and I now know how it
is possible to get two meetings
out ofone.
8220How?8221 you may ask. Well, the
previous, Community Voice
meeting was held in the larger,
main hall at Rhodes. So, by
sleight ofhand, Cllr John
Barfoot gets twice the number
ofmeetings 8211 clever or what!
Strongman Duncan Peek, for
the second meeting running,
told an elderly gentleman to
shut up. He does this with such
gusto you can imagine him
dressed in a leopard skin,
bending iron bars or little old
men and tying them in knots.
I wonder ifthey will go for a hat
trick: an even smaller room for
John and another old gentleman
for Duncan to chastise. For the
really late meeting,maybe
cocoa instead oftea and a few
white doves slung in for good
measure.
As for any questions, well they
just get in the way and very
rarely do you get an answer
anyway. So all in all, a very
entertaining evening. Can8217t wait
for the Christmas special.
Phil Sortwell,
Cannons Close, Bishop8217s Stortford.Right to keep
our moat dry8220WHYis castle moat still
dry?8221 (Observer, Feb
28). It has been left dry and the
planned weir has not yet been
built because, sensibly, Cllr
Michael Tindale is afraid of
flooding.
In October 2002 the small road I
then lived in, close to the River
Stort, was flooded due to a
sluice gate being closed near
The Causeway. It was then
soldered open to prevent any
interference again and has now
been removed.
Les Pinnell might feel Cllr
Tindale is arrogant, but I feel he
is saving us from further
flooding. Since the moat has
been dry there has been no
further flooding.
I dread any interference with
the Stort in the area ofThe
Causeway and extreme caution
is required. To say risk of
flooding has been minimised
within the weir proposals is too
vague.
I note Les Pinnell doesn8217t live
near the river.
Claire Ronan,
Twyford Road, Bishop8217s Stortford.Lies, injustice
and EU treatyTHE House ofCommons
voted last Wednesday not to
hold a referendum on the EU
Reform Treaty.
The heads ofstate ofFrance,
Germany, Denmark, Spain,
Finland, Austria, Ireland, the
Czech Republic and Italy have
all stated that the treaty is
almost exactly the same as the
original constitution. Jos233
Manuel Barroso, European
Commission president, has even
declared: 8220We have the
dimension ofempire, and we in
the Commission are proud of
it.8221
Prime Minister Gordon Brown8217s
promise in 2005 was that 8220we
will put the European
constitution to the British
people in a referendum and
campaign wholeheartedly for a
8216Yes8217 vote8221.
Now his view is: 8220Ifwe needed a
referendum we would have one.
But I think most people
recognise that there is not a
fundamental change taking
place as a result ofthis
amending treaty.8221
Probably the most important
item in the treaty is Article 308,
which will allow the EU to take
on more powers without further
reference to national
parliaments.
In 1835 a fire caused serious
damage to both Houses of
Parliament. An article in
The
Times
read: 8220The British public
are not unduly concerned by
this catastrophe 8211 they regard
both Houses as sinks of
corruption, nepotism and
incompetence.8221
Not much has changed. When a
Government8217s position becomes
threatened it takes refuge in lies
and injustice.
Bryan Smalley,
Widford Road, Much Hadham.Where were
music fans?LAST Fridayevening (March
7)I attended the Rhodes Arts
Complex to listen to members of
one ofthe world8217s great
orchestras, The London
Philharmonia, playing music by
Elgar and Mahler.
The Rhodes complex has been
beautifully renovated and the
staffseem to be doing
everything they can to
encourage locals to use it.
I was therefore really
disappointed that barely a third
ofthe auditorium was full for
this concert.
There are hundreds ofparents
in this area who spend vast
amounts ofmoney on piano,
cello, violin etc lessons for their
children and when they get the
opportunity to bring them along
to see professionals performing
they do not support it.
I think we are extremely lucky
in Bishop8217s Stortford to have
this venue and it would be
tragic ifit closed down due to
lack ofsupport.
Name and address
supplied 8212 Ed.Observer
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email copy@nla.co.ukLETTERSSend your letters to: The Observer,
12 North Street, Bishop8217s Stortford,
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observer@hertsessexnews.co.ukThe ins and outs of
our flawed car park10Observer March 13, 2008www.hertsandessexobserver.co.ukHave YOUR say in our website voteLASTTIMERESULTHave traffic problems at the
Jackson Square multi-storey car
park put you off shopping in
Bishop's Stortford town centre?YES79.2%NO20.8%Log on to www.hertsandessexobserver.co.uk for this week8217s pollChange is in the
air at StanstedA SEISMIC change in the skies above
Stansted was signalled this week when BAA
bosses finally formally lodged plans for a
second runway at the airport.
The scheme8217s future 8211 and that ofthe towns
and villages surrounding the airport 8211 will
ultimately be settled by a stroke ofthe
Secretary ofState for Transport8217s pen.
But first there will be a forensic
examination ofthe facts, with a public
inquiry expected to start at the end ofthis
year and run for up to 18 months.
The next 12 months and then the hearing
will give all sides an opportunity to put their
own case and challenge the evidence ofthe
opposing side, so now is the time for all of
us to size up the arguments and think
carefully about where we stand on this
issue.
Here at the Observer
we will continue to do
our best to bring you all the information
presented by both BAA and its opponents 8211
including SSE and the local authorities as
well as environmental and heritage pressure
groups 8211 and then let you make up your own
mind.
We look for ward to hearing your views.TUESDAY8217S bus trip with Ed Byrne and four
district councillors was a surreal experience.
Crammed into a 16-seater minibus with two
TV news crews, it was a battle to avoid being
clobbered by a camera.
Ed8217s commentary was superb 8211 lively, witty
and at times risqu233, yet never straying from
its main point. Despite only having moved to
Henham in September 2006, the
8220Hellsenham8221 issue was clearly one he felt
passionate about. He highlighted a number
ofweaknesses in Uttlesford District
Council8217s favoured development option, such
as the low traffic capacity ofroads heading
to and from the proposed site.
In The Cock afterwards, a chat with actor
John Savident and disgusted locals 8211
including one staunch Conservative who
said she would never vote for the party again
8211 demonstrated that Ed8217s voice ofdissent
against 8220Option 48221 is far from a lone one.Strange day out
with Ed on busHOWTO CONTACTUS
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