Tag: transportation

Berewood Begins


The artists impressions of new developments always look idyllic. The truth of the reality is very often far from that alluring image.

Well, we the current residents of Waterlooville are about to find out the truth of what we are to be saddled with. The new development was to be called Newlands. A sign had already been put up, on the exit from the roundabout, but shortly after had been roughly painted over. Newlands was a truly uninspiring name and certainly one lacking in any imagination. The developer, Grainger, has decided on “Berewood”. A name that at least has some historical linkage with an area which was once covered by the Forest of Bere.

Development director John Beresford said: ‘We will start work next week and by September hope to have the main infrastructure in place ready for the first house builders to start work in the autumn.

‘That being the case, we would anticipate that the first dwelling will be ready to be marketed by the beginning of next year.

Then we will see the start in the rise of the traffic which is going to clog up Waterlooville. Ignoring the construction traffic and the mess that will inevitably become a bane on our lives during the build.

Even now this area of Waterlooville all but comes to a standstill during peak traffic times. With the additional housing becoming available early in 2013 this situation is only going to get worse. The difference is that there will be more folks heading into this area as they head home.

Lets not forget the new Sainsbury store that is being built on the other side of the road from this new development  as well as the new service station. All will be bringing more traffic to the area.

This is set to become one of the busiest road networks in the area what  with three major roundabouts and a set of traffic lights all within a mile.

For the sake of the new development residents, I hope the developer will ensure that there are no new roads which will become rat runs. I can see that motorists will be looking for a way to bypass this area and a new housing estate might just provide the escape route they are looking for.

The development will be built in phases, with the first one comprising 194 homes, next to the new roundabout on Maurepas Way.

There is no new roundabout here. This really is only an adjustment to the existing one. So we will see the initial phase putting 194 homes with this as there only way in and out.

Waterlooville councillor Paul Buckley said: ‘Having accepted the fact it’s going to be built, it will be good to see it actually starting.

‘In many ways they are not our homes, they are Winchester homes.

Councillor Buckley seems like someone who is resigned to the fact that an issue he is opposed to is going ahead. I’m not surprised when further into the quote he also states that these  are Winchester homes.

How does Winchester get so much of a say in what happens in our area ?

‘In terms of the economy of Waterlooville, from a commercial shopkeepers’ point of view, the town can only benefit.’

Which commercial shopkeepers would they be then. All these new residents will be rushing in their hordes to visit the charity stores, the pound shops and the cafe’s.

All of the traditional shops are leaving. Waterlooville centre is dyeing. What are our planners doing to entice the big names, the prestigious names into Waterlooville.

What do we have now ?

For the Cafe Culture  we have Costa Coffee.  For the kids we have Macdonalds. Major retailers are  represented by Asda, Waitrose, Wilkinsons, Peacocks, Superdrug and Boots. Most of the major banks are represented too.

Much money has been spent of making Waterlooville look like a throwback to the 50’s idea of a modern town centre.

Sometimes it makes me wonder where the planners heads are. Time will only tell what kind of hell they have committed us to.

Construction to finally begin on huge new estate for Waterlooville – Politics – Portsmouth News.

Warning that congestion woes could get worse – Local Council Won’t Listen To Residents


Community leaders spoke of their concerns about congestion and parking as plans for 79 homes at Brockhampton went on show.

Developer Orchard Homes wants to build 64 houses and 15 flats on green space to the south of Ranelagh Road, an area once used for allotments.

The meeting at Havant’s council chamber heard the land had been identified as an area that could accommodate 160 homes – and this could be phase one.

Havant Borough Council have already shown that they don’t care about local residents views by their continuing development approvals. They just play lip service to residents comments at review meetings. In the last couple of years every possible piece of greenfield that has been earmarked for development has gone through. The traffic problems brought about by this rampant development just get worse. This particular development will bring an extra 150 to 400 vehicles passing in and out of the area and will of course require somewhere to park.

Paul Basham, a transport consultant for the developers, told the meeting: ‘We are aware there is an existing problem there.

‘What we can do about this is a difficult situation.

‘We are working with Havant Borough Council to see what we can do, if anything.’

People’s comments will now be taken forward as developers work up a formal planning application.

Don’t hold your breath folks. The planners won’t have to live with their decisions. Nor will Paul Basham who says

‘We are working with Havant Borough Council to see what we can do, if anything.’

The implication there is that they will proceed regardless of if they can provide a solution thereby exacerbating the problem.
Warning that congestion woes could get worse – Local – The News.

Pump Madness


This is ridiculous.

I have a trip planned for the weekend, going to visit my sister up in Hastings. That’s a round trip of 180 miles. With some additional miles around the Hastings area I would expect that to go up to perhaps 220 miles. According the electronic brain in my car I have around 300 miles worth of fuel. So I should be able to get there and back no problem.

However, I don’t like to take the tank down to the dregs so I would normally top up the tank before I set out. If I head into a garage on my way out on Saturday I’ll get lumped in with the mindless lemmings that are jamming up the garage forecourts.

These idiots are the same folks who clear the supermarket shelves of bread and milk whenever there is a hint of snow down here in the south of England. One of the comments to the attached article suggests that with all these folks sucking up all the fuel, the delivery trucks will run dry. As a result there will be no food in the stores.

I’m heading down to ASDA, use some of my precious fuel, so I can stock up before the shelves are empty.

LIVE: Pump Watch web chat – Local Business – The News.

South West Trains are caught in a time warp – British Rail Lives On In Spirit


You catch the train at Portsmouth Harbour at 7.45am.

By 8.30am the train pulls into London Waterloo.

It sounds like a dream journey for any long-suffering commuter.

But the truth is South West Trains have been stuck in a time warp since British Summer Time started at 1am on Sunday.

Clocks on the announcement boards in carriages were still an hour behind yesterday – three days after the clocks went forward.

Clocks on station platforms have been set to the right time, making it even more confusing for passengers.

It’s good to see that privatisation has ensured that standards are being maintained. This is the stuff that kept British Rail a laughing stock and a constant source of frustration.

They, South West Trains, have blamed the equipment supplier but in truth this just goes to show their quality control is lacking. After all they should have pilot tested all their new equipment before inflicting it on the public.

This is a minor issue in the grand scheme but, if they aren’t paying attention to the little details, what else are they missing ?

South West Trains are caught in a time warp – Transport – The News.

Lucky Bag Driving License


This driver must have won their license in a Lucky Bag

http://youtu.be/LKliDlqGpKA

Explosion as train hits bike on tracks


Once again we are plagued by morons hell-bent on creating carnage.

In this country, it seems that we are breeding a class of person who doesn’t give a toss about what happens to anyone else. Who doesn’t care if they kill or maim someone by their stupid actions. In fact anything goes and these lowlifes will do anything for kicks it seems, as long as it doesn’t directly affect them.

Before it was the lunatics who throw bricks onto motorways. Now it is the idiots who leave items on railway tracks.

CCTV captured two youths riding across Bedhampton level crossing at 1.34am on Saturday.
Seconds later, out of shot, one of the bikes is pushed back towards the crossing landing on the tracks.

The image below shows the results of their lunacy.

Through sheer luck, no-one was injured and the train was relatively undamaged, but the consequences could have been far worse. Trains travel at high speeds and there is a very real risk when they strike objects on the track that they could be derailed.

Some of the comments attached to the News report shows that some people seem to think that the police aren’t tough enough on the perpetrators. Well I’m sorry but that is tosh. Our police spend an awful amount of time investigating this type of crime only to have the courts show some kind of misguided leniency.

Other comments imply that, just because some of this incident was captured on CCTV, the police should have these morons locked up. Wise up folks. I read somewhere that the councils in Hampshire had some 3000 plus cameras and I’m pretty sure that doesn’t include all those privately operated by the likes of Network Rail and the British Transport Police. Not every camera is being monitored 24/7. Some are just covered by recording equipment during unsocial hours.

I don’t know what the answer is to these idiots. I am sure that there are many psychoanalysts who can write reams on how society has let them down and that it is in fact my fault, or perhaps your fault.

They all know what is right and what is wrong but for whatever reason they make choices. The wrong choices by any of societies measures.

I hope that they are caught. I hope that they are handed over to the police by someone who they know. Someone that has a greater sense of morality than they do.

Then I hope the courts throw the book at them.
Explosion as train hits bike on tracks – Local – The News.