Topic ID 782
As promised in another thread I thought I’d explain a few things about transport policy in town, being as involved as I am. There has been some criticism of the Toucan Crossing for wasting huge amounts of taxpayers money. Funding for this came from Hertfordshire County Council’s Local Transport Plan Settlement, which is effectively grant funding from the Department of Transport. All spending from this source is subject to very strict monitoring and would not be allowed to be spent on frivolous or speculative projects. However a small portion of funding does come from Council Tax. Schemes such as the Toucan crossing have to go through long periods of discussion and public consultation. Locally this happens through the Hertford Transport Forum. To regress a little. Gasvoyne Way was built as a relief road not a bypass. It had its critics but the Toucan Crossing was seen as one way of redressing the balance by joining the two sides of town. I can remember asking why this was placed where it is rather than at Queens Road where there are greater numbers of schoolchildren. There had already been much work done by residents in West Street and Tanners Crescent and other areas about access to the town centre. Consultations such as these take place at the Hertford Transport Forum which meets roughly every two months and although chaired by a County Councillor is directed by Hertfordshire Highways who are the leading agency. The Forum is a fully representative body of all interested groups in Hertford such as churches, residents associations, disabled groups, cyclists, councillors, Civic Society, HTCMB and others. In particular the discussion on the toucan crossing argued many of the points raised here – the role of the underpasses, crime in (actual of otherwise), signal delays, speeding, pedestrian safety and signage. Perhaps there is a problem with the work of the Forum not being publicised enough and the impression is given that much of the work that goes on in our highways is done without any public consultation at all. At the moment the forum is considering the Parliament Square entrance to Fore Street, Maidenhead Street, Sele Farm and new cycle routes proposed by cycling groups in Hertford. All these discussions move backwards and forwards from groups to their own organisations and back through Highways. It is a long process. Meetings of the Forum are often protracted but has to remain representative otherwise we end up with a public bunfight. No one organisation always gets its own way but that’s democracy