City Hall protest - Elgan we came to support you!

A few turned out (see above) but I fear they were drowned out by the schools protests and insole court protest. In the end Elgan resigned rather than sit through an hours character assassination so the motion was withdrawn. Labour did raise the issue of reopening Wood St/St Mary's to private vehicles immediately following the vote a few months ago however. Senior Officers advise against it on safety grounds so that looks set to be the 'battle' for the next few months."

Improve cycling for commuters in Cardiff, keep Bute Park open later
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/butepark/

New Labour turn its back on a cleaner and greener Wales

Forgotten what it was like?

Re-open St Mary St now, says opposition
Story in the Echo Sep 1 2007 by David James, South Wales Echo THE leading opposition group on Cardiff council today demanded immediate changes to the “ill-thought-out” St Mary Street traffic ban. Cardiff council’s New Labour leader, John Sheppard, said the ban was “badly-timed, ill-thought-out and has been the subject of inadequate consultation”.

Obviously this new labour dinosaur has forgotten his New Labour Manifesto
where NEW Labour talk about "A cleaner and greener Wales, safe, green transport system, a green Wales.......In our first and second

terms Labour pioneered action to promote sustainability and to make our communities greener and cleaner. In a third term we will implement practical policies to tackle climate change and improve the local environment. We are determined to leave a clean, green and sustainable Wales for future generations and not a legacy of pollution and non-sustainable Development... We will promote new opportunities for walking and cycling and provide public transport alternatives to the car. Whoops John Sheppard Leader of the New Labour group on the council has forgotten where he is with policy altogether ..New labour policy on Cars: Road pricing is a key Labour policy, with plans to charge motorists according to how much and where they drive. The party is also looking into introducing the congestion charge in major towns and cities across the country. Is he sure he knows what party he is in?

I recall the WWF calling for .."Better leadership is needed to reduce Wales' impact on the world - A major report launched 10 March revealed that Welsh politicians need radical changes to reduce the impact of Wales' population on the world. A WWF survey demonstrates that increasingly people in Wales are becoming more environmentally aware and expect strong leadership from Governments to tackle the ongoing threats of climate change, waste mountains and traffic congestion," said Stuart Bond, Sustainable Development Officer for WWF Cymru."

People in Wales and in Cardiff want a cleaner more environmentally friendly city.

Cardiff Council said in its in depth report in 2004 that it had recognised that to ensure that the City does not become grid locked in the future it must start planning now. To this end the Executive in February published a green paper on Transport, followed in May by a white paper entitled “Getting Cardiff Moving”.(Report of the Environmental Scrutiny Committee 2004) Where was Cllr John Sheppard then if he was on the council from 1995 - not a cheep until today and now he gets cold feet - this is the worst sort of political opportunism!!

Julie Morgan New Labour MP said "The first step to achieving a debate based on sound evidence is to try and see through local pilot schemes how road pricing can tackle local congestion."

City centre retailers underestimate the number of their customers arriving by bus, walk and cycle and their spend profile and overestimate the number and effect of car borne customers.

A commission for integrated transport study revealed that public transport users do not spend significantly less than car users in city centre, particularly once income bias is eliminated. Therefore, any reduction of existing car shoppers should not result in significantly less retail spend. People travelling by bus, cycling and walking are more likely to support their city centre, visiting it more frequently than car users.

It is a myth that reducing traffic will harm the economy.

Research carried out by the German Institute for Urban Research6 indicates that a sustainable transport approach benefits trade in German towns. It says: "Retail trade in central city districts increases with policies that encourage environmentally friendly transport
Modes” Another German study showed there was no relationship between the amount of car parking provision and the amount of money people spent in shops.

SHEPPARD. John B.A. Dip. Educ. MBA.11, Hardwicke Court Llandaff CARDIFF CF5 2LB
Tel: 0292 553810 Fax: 02920553810 feedback: Contact the Councillor (No Email required)
Portfolio:
Serving the Llandaff Electoral Division, elected on 10 June 2004 John was first elected on 04 May 1995. The Llandaff electoral division has an electorate of 7270 (1 December 2005) and has 2 seats.

Assembly election and New Labour Environmental Policy

ASSEMBLY ELECTION TIME 2007
Labour CLAIM THEY will meet head on the challenge of climate change, by building a sustainable Wales that is cleaner and greener by minimising Wales’ carbon footprint, supporting environmental technology and developing an integrated public transport network. Not managed much so far. Traffic Congestion? Want to cycle, not if the Welsh Assembly can help it, they don't do cycle lanes - they do do roads. See below the campaign for a cycle/pedestrian bridge over the river Ely.

Don't do traffic wardens either - Can we travel in Wales from South to North qickly. Highspeed trains in Europe have been in the news this week - it takes a hour to get to Merthyr Tydfil from Cardiff and try getting to Brecon by bus, you could be away all day but don't reckon on getting back. Want to go to from Cardiff to Caerphilly by bus, not after 6.30 or on a Sunday. Lousy public transport may affect the economy as well!!!
New Labour promise to increase fines for litter and graffiti and to ensure the establishment of an Anti Social Behaviour Unit (big brother) in every local authority area but this will NOT include tackling more dangerous antisocial behaviour such as inconsiderate parking, parking on the pavement, blocking access to schools for pedestrains and cyclists, parking on cycle lanes, speeding ..Life is hard for the pedestrain or cylist ..See the pictures of Cardiff Bay this weekend above

Get rid of the cars!

One man's dedication to ridding the streets of cars and handing power back to pedestrians appears to be working wonders ...new role as chair of Living Streets.

.........Underlying Loveday's approach is some hard economics. He has shown the good burghers of Norwich that giving pedestrians the right to roam is good for business. Examples are at every turn as he takes me on a guided walk around the city. Despite its name, Gentlemen's Walk has been traffic-free since only the early 1990s. "Traders didn't like the idea at first," Loveday recalls, "so we did a three-month trial and found that pedestrian flow increased by 300% at peak times." Result: no further objections from retailers.
Chris Arnot Wed March 14, 2007 The Guardian
Cardiff could learn a lesson here. Don't give in to the car lobby!

Shopkeepers misled on CPZ

Jenny Randerson AM says Shopkeepers misled on CPZ The shopkeepers who are opposing the Controlled Parking Zones in Cathays and Plasnewydd, seem to have been seriously misled about how they will work.

They are designed specifically to deter long-term commuter parking in order to help both residents and local shops. More resident spaces will make it easier to park near your home and the cost of residents' parking permits will be reduced overall, with the first permit free and the second one at a reduced rate, which will reduce the cost of permits for two car families by £15.

The scheme is designed to help shopkeepers and shoppers, with the first 15 minutes parking free and only 10p for the first hour.

It is clearly, therefore, wrong to suggest people will now go to shop in Canton, rather than Albany, Wellfield and Crwys roads.

Nobody will think it's worthwhile to spend time and petrol travelling all the way to Canton to avoid a 10p charge.

I used to shop regularly in Albany and Wellfield roads but I stopped several years ago because 1 could never find a parking space.

A small charge, plus the enforcement of parking restrictions by increased numbers of traffic wardens, will ensure a turnover of shoppers in nearby spaces, rather than the all-day commuter parking we now have.

The only way we are going to get more traffic wardens is if the council takes them over.

The police force has reduced traffic warden numbers by 30 per cent and has made it clear the issue is not its priority.

Jenny Randerson AM Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for Cardiff Central, Cardiff Bay

Pedestrian hit by car Manor way

Manor way as it was - what have you done??
A teenager has been arrested following a crash which has left a man in hospital in a critical condition.

The crash happened just before 0100 GMT on Saturday in Cardiff's Manor Way. A 30-year-old pedestrian was hit by a small white hatchback driving north.

Intelligent design needed in Cardiff!

Brownfield is a loose term used to describe land which has already been developed, as opposed to green field sites, which have not. Unfortunately residential gardens also qualify as brownfield sites. Increasingly speculators are being allowed by councils such as Cardiff County Council to use this loophole in areas where house prices are high such as Cardiff North and buying up property which are advertised encouragingly as on ‘ a large plot’ proceed to knock it down and build two or more. Pressure is also used to persuade home owners even 3 at a time to sell up so the land can be used for building. This should be stopped or at least strictly regulated as it is overdevelopment, leads to more land being concreted over adding to flash flooding, adds to congestion and completely alters the character of a neighbourhood.

Genuine brownfield sites are being developed in city areas with no regard to traffic congestion which already almost gridlocks Cardiff particularly on Caerphilly Road. About 600 homes have been developed to a FAR FROM ‘liveable’ design which means for example that there are no cycle lanes or consideration of pedestrians or children resulting in streets of fear trapping people in their homes. All is excused because planning was granted x number of years ago and we are as a community expected to tolerate this nonsense.

The Eddington Transport Study misses the opportunity to point out the obvious that we must put the car at the bottom of the hierarchy of road users. The biggest barrier is that transport decision makers believe that this is what people want when actually the majority want greater investment in more environmentally friendly modes of transport. The same applies to planning.

Western Power Distribution proposed to build 326 houses around the reservoir which they decided to reduce in size. The Llanishen Reservoir Action Group have fought hard for five years against the proposal and after the Council failed to decide on the proposal within their eight -week statutory period it was referred to a public enquiry. Western power actually hired people to pose as ‘park type wardens’ and went into local primary schools to persuade them that the plans would benefit the community! They came back with an amended second proposal but they say if they don’t get permission to build 246 houses on the Llanishen site they will drain the huge reservoir dry, stop all access and tear down the sailing centre. In an email to Cardiff Council, Western Power says the move would be to “minimise our costs and risks”. Ted Thurgood of the Action group said " it is important that we save some of the green areas left in our beautiful city that our forefathers fought so hard to keep." Yes indeed, but why is it so difficult –in spite of the grand words - so much for policies and practice that in reality aren’t what any community wants.