Wednesday 4 January 2012

Car Parking During the Tenbury Teme Bridge Closure.

Two temporary car parks have been created for use during the closure of Teme bidge.

Free carparks have been created at either end of the Bridge – marked in blue on this map. 

  • Car Parks will be open 24 hours a day. 
  • The bridge will remain open to pedestrians at all times. 
  • Vistors arriving via the A456 may park on the Burford side of the river and walk across the bridge into the town. 
  • Visitors arriving via routes from the South may park in car parks in the town. 
  • There will be turning facilities at the bridge end of Teme Street for delivery vehicles and lorries to enable them to turn around and leave town from the direction in which they entered – area marked in red on this map. 

Click here for full car parking details.

Click here for the bridge information from WCC

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

how safe will it be to leave your car over night though?

@WR15 said...

I guess no more or less safe than the Palmers car park.

Ian said...

Monday 9th January 0730 - the bridge is still open! How many people will, unknowingly, have made quite unnecessary diversions on their way to work this morning? Things happening in breweries come to mind!

Anonymous said...

At 9.30 this morning the temporary parking at Burford was full! Overnight and all day parking should not be allowed and should be monitored. Surely this was put here for people coming to shop in Tenbury not residents who want to leave their cars there all day and night. If I was a business I would be worried as people coming to shop in Tenbury have no where to park! Please think of your town.

Anonymous said...

It appears that (as I suspected) the parking on the North side of the bridge in Burford is completely inadequate. The car park was full to capacity before 9am, meaning no available spaces for shoppers.

I note the response from Worcestershire County Council in tonights Shropshire Star, denying that there is a shortage of spaces with words to the effect of "the 55 spaces represent more parking than the area has ever had before - no one is losing out"

What the spokeswoman fails to grasp is that the three usual car parks, and on-street parking are inaccessible from the Burford side. If nothing is done to ease the problem, this will be a catastrophic disaster for the towns trade.

Anonymous said...

Overnight and all day parking must be allowed. It's just not big enough.
Living in Clee Hill and working in Tenbury, where else can you sensibly park during the day?
Living in Tenbury and working up Clee Hill, where else can you sensibly park at night?

Rugby fan 72 said...

It would appear that WCC have greatly understimated the requirement, the problem being compounded by the poor communication of the arrangements by them. Cllr Pollock at the TTC meeting stated that the parking on the Burford side of the bridge was intended for shoppers only and not people who work in Tenbury...High School teachers were mentioned, not sure when or how that message was put out...He also stated that the pay and Display and Palmers were relativly empty, well they would be if people can't get to them from so park in Burford and walk. Surely the Burford car park and bus service should be available for the anybody who either lives works or shops in Tenbury. Maybe they could increase the size of the Burford car park - the site offices could maybe be moved to the Cattle Market...Has WCC underestimated the parking needs of Tenbury as a whole and under estimated the impact these works will have? Whoops, sorry i think we know the answer to that...

Fishyfingers said...

Rugby Fan,
"Has WCC underestimated the parking needs of Tenbury as a whole and under estimated the impact these works will have?"
Its hard to distinguish between underestimate and incompitence, it was plainly obvious that the temp car park would be completely inadequate and we are seeing this now. I fear many small businesses in Tenbury just won't be able to cope and will go under.
By the way has anything been done to the bridge yet?

Anonymous said...

The situ with the parking on the Burford side is a cock up i must say, spaces are all full by 9am, i tried several times over the last few days to get a space but gave up, so i just went to Ludlow and did my shopping, sorry i was determined to shop local but its just easyer to go else where and i know that there are many other people that are thinking the same way.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the county council realised or bothered to find out how many people work in Tenbury but live elsewhere. I work in Tenbury and live in Kidderminster and have found it really difficult to get to work. The diversion signs are missing in most places and the single track lanes I have had to use in order to get to work will become more dangerous as bad weather sets in. People need to take care driving through these lanes and just don't. Will these routes be gritted if we have bad weather? I don't think I will be able to get to work if they are not and if there is no more parking for us to use.

@WR15 said...

WCC say that the back lanes will be gritted.

Mr. Longbeard said...

Come on, it's only a 6 mile diversion through little hereford, or pop down to eastham to cross the river, inconvenient maybe but hardly an overland Dakar rally stage.

Anonymous said...

'it's only a 6 mile diversion' but that 6 miles took me 35 minutes to get through the other morning, as well as having my wing mirrow took off cause some people are in to much of a rush to take there turn in waiting

Captain Birdseye said...

Come on, it's only a 6 mile diversion through little hereford, or pop down to eastham to cross the river, inconvenient maybe but hardly an overland Dakar rally stage.

Mr L sometimes I think you could argue with yourself.

Do you really care what happens to Tenbury?

£270 matters! said...

"only a 6 mile diversion through little hereford"
The government says it costs 45p a mile to run a car.
A 6 mile diversion each way each day is 60 miles per five day week - an extra £27 a week at 45p a mile.
£27/week for ten weeks is £270.
If there is anyone person reading this blog who really thinks that £270 is insignificant, will they please make an immediate donation of £270 to the Tenbury Hospital League of Friends and post here saying that they have done so.
Actions speak louder than words. The fact is nobody reading this will give £270 to the League, even though it is a wonderful charity.
This will prove that £270 does matter. If anyone disagrees, all they need do is donate that £270 to the League.
I am sure that nobody thinks that £270 does not matter. If anyone seriously believes that £270 "does not matter" and does donate £270 to the League then they will prove me wrong and I will make a donation to the League myself.
There you have it - put up or shut up!

Anonymous said...

The bridge for the past three days should, and could have been kept open for motor vechicles only .What have they actually done ?? Oh dug up one of the pavements aprox 3ft wide .Have they not heard of taffic lights ...
Total disgrace .

Mr. Longbeard said...

"...Mr L sometimes I think you could argue with yourself..."

I could, I can and I do.

"...Do you really care what happens to Tenbury?.."

Yes, where have I ever said differently??

"...The government says it costs 45p a mile to run a car...A 6 mile diversion each way each day is 60 miles per five day week - an extra £27 a week at 45p a mile.
£27/week for ten weeks is £270..."

Not liking your maths there.
It may cost on average 45ppm to run a car but that is a very broad average and takes into account many things which don't apply in the instance.
For example you haven't purchased a new car just to drive these 6 miles so we can take that cost out, same goes for insurance, same goes for tax, these are fixed costs which haven't increased because you're doing an additional 12 miles per day

Mr. Longbeard said...

"...The government says it costs 45p a mile to run a car...A 6 mile diversion each way each day is 60 miles per five day week - an extra £27 a week at 45p a mile.
£27/week for ten weeks is £270..."

Not liking your maths there.
It may cost on average 45ppm to run a car but that is a very broad average and takes into account many things which don't apply in the instance.
For example you haven't purchased a new car just to drive these new 6 miles so we can take that cost out, same goes for insurance, same goes for road fund license, these are fixed costs which haven't increased because you're doing an additional 12 miles per day.

So we are left with basic running costs.
Fuel, and I've had to use my own car for this calculation, is 13ppm

For the rest I've used the AA for average running costs per mile.
Tyres 0.98p
Servicing labour 3.6ppm
Replacement parts (wear & tear) 1.91ppm
Which gives a grand running cost of 19.50 pence per mile, or if you work through the maths and assuming the work is complete within 10 weeks an additional cost of £116.94 or £2.34 a day.

Still not small beer, it's a figure I could do without having to pay out.

Ian said...

I usually read Mr Longbeard’s posts because, whether or not I agree with him, he usually has something sensible to say. But his post about diversions via Little Hereford and Eastham is just plain silly. These are self-evidently not suitable routes for commuting. However, there are alternatives depending on one’s destination. I was working in Birmingham yesterday and went via Rochford and Stanford Bridge to pick up my usual route at Great Witley – a good road and hardly any extra miles or time. When I’m working in Shrewsbury however, I shall avoid Little Hereford and go to the A49 via Leysters – a long way round in miles and time and cost – but safer.

Rugby fan 72 said...

So Beardy, is it the £154 saving or the £120 that you'll be donating to the Hospital LoF? Maybe you could do some statistical work / analysis for WCC in the future, you seem to have an knack with numbers and seem to be able to do some simple maths......Carol Voderman, watch out! xxx

Anonymous said...

"However, there are alternatives depending on one’s destination. I was working in Birmingham yesterday and went via Rochford and Stanford Bridge to pick up my usual route at Great Witley – a good road and hardly any extra miles or time." Hopefully, for your sake on the odd occasion you have to use this route, we have no ice or snow any time soon - when this road reaches Hill Top I am certain you will have a different description for it - trust me...

Mr. Longbeard said...

RF72, neither.
I have no argument for or against the sentiment of the post just the flawed premise of the initial opening statement :) .
Maybe the hospital LoF could apply for some of the set aside money to aid traders.

"... I was working in Birmingham yesterday and went via Rochford and Stanford Bridge to pick up my usual route at Great Witley – a good road and hardly any extra miles or time..."

Hateful stretch of road from here until you turn off onto the B4203 towards Great Witley, and as has been pointed out below the slightest hint of snow or ice will make it a pig of a road, I'm guessing it will be nigh on impassable.
In which case I'll switch to the Eastham route.

Oh and apols for my 2 posts further up the page, I realised my second point was going to drag on and thought I'd cut it out of the first reply completely..

Ian said...

Well, obviously! I was describing the road as it was yesterday. I’m going to have to use the route fairly often during the next ten weeks but if it is treated for snow and ice (as WCC has promised) I don't imagine that it's going to be any more challenging than the road at Clows Top or Abberley in comparable conditions. But all this rather begs the (now rather academic)question . . . to which I have yet to find a convincing answer: why didn’t WCC wait until the better weather to do this work?

Ian said...

Well, obviously! I was describing the road as it was yesterday. I’m going to have to use the route fairly often during the next ten weeks but if it is treated for snow and ice (as WCC has promised) I don't imagine that it's going to be any more challenging than the road at Clows Top or Abberley in comparable conditions. But all this rather begs the (now rather academic)question . . . to which I have yet to find a convincing answer: why didn’t WCC wait until the better weather to do this work?

@WR15 said...

The perceived wisdom of the working group (no I don't know who exactly, but mostly locals)was that the level of trade/ traffic/ tourists/ festival/ etc was less in the first quarter of the year.

Ian said...

If the road to Rochford is impassable then it will have to Eastham . . . but if the weather really is that bad I'll probably not be able to get out of my road in Tenbury Wells!

We'll demolish your home said...

The "working group" was mostly made up of people from the NHS and the 999 services.
The bridge could have been fixed during the school summer holidays when traffic volumes are lower, no school runs, no school buses, no risk of ice, probably verges would be firmer, and long days would allow double shifts, so completion in 5 weeks.
Why now?
Bridge due to complete in March, T**** planning meeting due in March.
Oh no, it's the T word again......

Anonymous said...

I thought traders, chamber of trade, tourist groups, town & district council were all involved in the group.

Demolish history! said...

There was a token local presence, but so few compared to the total membership that they couldn't really do anything.

ian said...

One can't help but think that a more proactive and dynamic group representing local traders would never have allowed the current situation to have arisen.

Rugby fan 72 said...

Apparently the works have already hit problems - the various services (gas, water, elec) that run across the bridge were unforeseen ?!?* This is apparently why there appears to be so little progress made to date - surely the in depth surveys would have hightlighted the routes of these surveys - pretty fundamental i would suggest. O and the work force will work in drizzle but not in rain! 1 week down, i would be interested to see if the project is on track and what is being put in place to recover any lost time!

A big bridge in a weekend said...

The location and nature of the services was already known.
The slow progress is due to having very few people working on site, plus the digger broke, plus they've changed the specification for the scaffolding, plus there is a lot of tea to be drunk!
Even massive civil engineering projects can be done quickly - click the heading for a video!

Anonymous said...

Also RF72 i spoke to some work men and the wrong scaffold has been ordered so delays while they sort that out to. I think i will buy a pair of walking boots to cope with the delays we ARE going to face.

Craig Revel Horwood said...

Disarstarrrr darlings...

Mr. Longbeard said...

Does anyone know the criteria for gritting??
It was cold enough last night (-2 @ 06:30) for bromyard road to be treated but not the diversion route ?!?!

Gritting FAQs said...

The link above might help.

Mr. Longbeard said...

Thanks.
So it looks like (to me) the diversions are still being treated as secondary routes and aren't being treated when the primary routes are....

...or it could just be a one off someone forgot about and I'm just a pessimist...

What happened to English? said...

What a funny website!
Gritting FAQs is a mixture of American ("outside of") and French ("kilometres"), was it written by a Québécois?
So, people have realised that the SECONDARY gritting WCC said the local diversions would get is as much use as a chocolate teapot!
"A Secondary Network will be treated in severe weather conditions and only after the Primary Network has been successfully treated. It will not be reasonably practicable to provide the service on all roads or to ensure all surfaces are kept free of ice or snow at all times"

Never mind chaps, just get up an hour earlier and WALK.....

frequent mover said...

Tried to use the Burford car park again on Friday morning at 8.30am to drop off the kids for school and walk into the town to shop.

But yet again it was full. 6 cars were covered in frost (parked over night) but the balance was filled by recently parked cars.

I want to support the town and continue shopping there BUT can the local shop workers / shop keepers and businesses in the town who live some distance from town and pass the 'diversion routes' please use the 'diversions' and park in their usual locations.

Where I live, the diversions require a substantial detour to even reach them , never mind use them. The trip to Tenbury increases from a 20 minute / 5 mile round trip to a 50 minute / 22mile round trip. Tenbury shops are worth the inconvenience of this trip but it has reduced the frequency of my visits.

In summary - if you work in Tenbury and drive past the diversions to get to the Burford car park and then park there for much of the day - then please consider the reduction in custom as 'in part' your own fault.

Anonymous said...

Why should the car park only be used by some and not others? What justifies your need to park greater than someone elses? The inconvenience of the diverions effects us all. Adequate parking should of been supplied at the start catering for every ones needs.

Anonymous said...

Dear Frequent Mover

The real answer is more car parking on the Burford side. If we get some proper winter weather the local diversion routes will close, so we must have enough parking in Burford to cope even when the local diversion routes are closed.
There is plenty of parking available in Burford. The problem is the Council refused to create a park and ride on the Shropshire side. This could be up and running next week and it would be much, much safer than sliding round those back lanes in winter weather. Anyone had any problems this morning?
Of course, the bridge could have been open all week - so far the work has affected only one pavement, and whoever heard of closing an entire two-way round, because of a workman digging in one pavement. Sure, they blocked one lane with a digger and a dumper, but the amount of muck they have shifted they could have used a shovel and a wheelbarrow and we could have had one-way traffic on the bridge.
It's wrong to try to send people all that way round, for ten weeks, possibly on icy roads, when all that's needed is for the council to set up a park and ride on the Shropshire side. They've got one in Tenbury, so you can get the bus from the Regal to the bridge, but nothing at the other side.
If a job needs doing badly, get the council onto it!

Ian said...

I came home from work last night via the Stanford Bridge/Rochford diversion and can confirm that there was no gritting (though, as we have been told, Bromyard Road was done). This seems to be in direct contradiction of the assurances given by WCC.

Rugby fan 72 said...

If the car park was intended for shoppers, why did the circulated WCC literature and the web site state the parking was "unrestricted"?..

Road to Rochford was gritted this morning, which was a blessing as it was -4.5. I am reliable informed that the road is always gritted...i cannot vouch for the various lanes to Eastham etc.

Anonymous said...

In 2010, Worcestershire County Council asked the NHS (yes, really) to pay part of the cost of gritting roads, saying it would save the NHS the cost of treating people injured due to icy highways! You couldn't make it up, could you?
Don't know if the council managed to grab some cash off the NHS - can a councillor tell us, or is it secret as it involves public money and we are the public?
Still, I guess the staff got paid for chatting about it.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know why they stopped working Saturday pm ?

Anonymous said...

There was no commitment to work 7 days a week. The only commitment was to complete in 10 weeks.

Only time will tell!

We work seven days a week said...

The contract is based on working five and a half days a week because the council did not require seven day working.
Seven day working could have reduced the closure by two weeks.
Or the working week could have been five days, Sunday to Thursday, then the bridge could have been open to traffic from 5pm Thursday to 9am Sunday, though this would have meant an 11-week closure, rather than 10 weeks.
Working seven days a week is quite normal on important bridge projects - click heading for one example.
Any thoughts?

Tenbury swimmer.. said...

Apparently 200 fewer children have been registered for swimming lessons this term - many parents citing the bridge closure as the reason....

Tenbury Pool needs as much support as possible, could those who usually travel to Ludlow to swim use Tenbury during the bridge closure....(The showers are now working properly..)

Anonymous said...

We work seven days a week.

Obvisouly it's not an important bridge project to some.