Agenda item

Richard White (Assistant Director) and Andrew Binner (Operations Director) will give an overview of Highways’ maintenance responsibilities

4.1             Richard White (Assistant Director, Maintenance Services) and Andy Binner (Acting Head of Highway Infrastructure) provided a presentation and answered questions regarding Highway Maintenance.  The following points were made:

4.2             Highway Maintenance covers a wide range of activities, including: carriage way resurfacing; footway reconstruction; street lighting; gulley clearing; winter maintenance; verge maintenance; street signs; highways trees; flooding/warping; and pest control.

4.3             Winter Maintenance: the worst winter for around 30 years, including 20 days of snow and ice had stretched the council’s limited resources; 4,200 tons of salt had been used; 10,000 hours of labour expended and 800 requests for service made.  The council is responsible for 320 km of roads and 15 km of footpaths.

4.4             The council has a policy that is available to read at public libraries and can be downloaded from the internet.  A review is underway to consider how the policy could be improved and a plan of action is required if there is a repeat of the severe weather.  Consequently, they are seeking residents’ views and requested that they write, speak to their ward councillors or e-mail.  The review will be complete by summer 2010 so it can be taken through the Executive by next winter.

4.5             There had been various issues around salt bins, footpaths, secondary routes, cycle paths and pot holes.

4.6             The following questions and comments were made:

Q: Problems with potholes on Burniston Drive are not recent: they have been there for 9 years and reported several times.  There is also a permanently broken drain.

A: We will get someone to come out and inspect by the end of the week.

Q: A “new” bus shelter has been put up on Tang Hall Lane.  Whilst we welcome having one, it is in a very poor state.

A: We will look into this.

Q: In various locations, roads have been cleared and footpaths left so they are so dangerous pedestrians have to use the road.  The message is that cars are more important than people so please look into what can be done.

A: Can understand how policy can be seen in such a way.  It is 15 years old.  Have to be good reason to grit pavements and funding available.  There is no easy solution.  Part of problem is that when snow falls on grit there will not be the people traffic to activate the grit.

Q: Please make pavements across bridges a priority.

A: Thank you for that feedback.  Every road and footpath is inspected annually and a programme put together, following grading (1,2 & 3).  All grade 3 (poor) are inspected by a senior inspector and other criteria used to produce a ranking so that priorities can be identified.  It would cost in excess of £50m to bring all of York’s roads up to the ideal standard.

 Q: What about leaves?  When wet, leaves can become very slippery and dangerous.  The footpath on Bull Lane was swept on a Monday, when the bins are out, showing lack of joined-up working.

A: Leaves are cleared as often and as much as is practicable.