11,586 gullies emptied, 1,338,057 sqm urban grass cut, 4,796 defect repairs, 10,097 spray injection patching repairs, 79 gritting runs.
"This year we finally built a new depot
at Amersham! It’s so exciting to be moving into our new, improved workspace for
the start of the new financial year. My team had long outgrown the quite
cramped set-up at the old depot, however they have always got on with the job
at hand with a great attitude and team spirit.
This is true even when they
are faced with significant challenges; earlier this year South Bucks was the
unfortunate victim of a prolific fly tipper, who took to dumping large amounts
of rubble and waste in the middle of the carriageway in more out-the-way spots.
This caused major disruption to drivers
– in some instances we had to close roads to deal with the problem – and caused
unwelcome setbacks to an already full workload.
Despite this, the spring plane
and patch programme was delivered really well, and everyone has taken all the
curveballs this year in their stride.”
Rosie Taylor, Area Manager Amersham Depot
Rosie Taylor, Area Manager Amersham Depot
In Detail: Taylors Lane drainage works, Little Missenden
Being
a rural county, Buckinghamshire has many lovely historic villages and period
properties, but the problem with these picturesque settings is how ageing
infrastructure can fail to cope – particularly in adverse weather.
Flooding issues at Taylors
Lane, Little Missenden, had been ongoing for quite some time, and the site was
recommended for major drainage works in 2017. The homeowners on Taylors Lane
lived what they called a ‘weather dependent existence’ with a constant fear of
being flooded.
TfB’s drainage team met with the family to hear about the historical issues near their property, and to investigate the quality of the current drainage. An upgrade for the ageing infrastructure was designed, and works were carried out in September 2018.
The
end result was a new drainage system with a better capacity to cope with heavy
rain, and was much appreciated by the owners:
“I have not had any occasions where I felt more compelled to write about
the works or, more to the point, the workers of a County Council until we had
modifications to the drainage outside our property on Taylors Lane…
From the moment we had our first meeting, Keith followed up all
conversations and has delivered as promised. Not only that, my husband and I found
your team committed, hardworking and pleasant.
My husband and I thank you for your professional handling of this work.”
In Brief: Upgraded pedestrian crossings for Amersham,
Iver Heath, and Princes Risborough
In November, three pedestrian crossings from the 1980s and 90s were upgraded in South Bucks to make them more energy efficient and improve their performance. The crossings on White Lion Road, Amersham, Aylesbury Road, Princes Risborough and Church Road, Iver Heath were all upgraded from Pelican to Puffin crossings – while both types of crossing require the pedestrian to push a button to cross, the Puffin crossing detects whether people are waiting and while they are crossing, making them more efficient for both pedestrians and drivers. The work was done using temporary signals and in total cost £88,000.
In November, three pedestrian crossings from the 1980s and 90s were upgraded in South Bucks to make them more energy efficient and improve their performance. The crossings on White Lion Road, Amersham, Aylesbury Road, Princes Risborough and Church Road, Iver Heath were all upgraded from Pelican to Puffin crossings – while both types of crossing require the pedestrian to push a button to cross, the Puffin crossing detects whether people are waiting and while they are crossing, making them more efficient for both pedestrians and drivers. The work was done using temporary signals and in total cost £88,000.
In Brief: Road Safety improvements in Amersham and
Beaconsfield
In November 2018 three road safety schemes were carried out in south Buckinghamshire.
On Cokes Lane, Amersham, the aim was to improve visibility of the junction with the A413 by replacing or installing new signage and bollards on the centre refuge islands, and on the approach. Vegetation was also cleared and new red-backed ‘SLOW’ road markings were laid on the road surface.
In November 2018 three road safety schemes were carried out in south Buckinghamshire.
On Cokes Lane, Amersham, the aim was to improve visibility of the junction with the A413 by replacing or installing new signage and bollards on the centre refuge islands, and on the approach. Vegetation was also cleared and new red-backed ‘SLOW’ road markings were laid on the road surface.
Cokes
Lane Amersham, junction with A413
On Broad Lane, Beaconsfield, there was a similar brief – to improve visibility at the junction with Windsor Hill. Lining was refreshed on Broad Lane and new lining painted on the junction. New yellow backed signs and chevrons were installed on the junction and on approaches. Also in Beaconsfield, high friction anti-skid surfacing was laid on the A40 Wycombe End Road junction with Burkes Road. Vegetation was also cleared, and new signage and bollards were installed to improve visibility.
All the sites
were identified for the schemes using collision data and analysis, and all in
all cost around £40,000.
Broad Lane, Beaconsfield
Burkes Road, Beaconsfield
In Brief: Improving parking and safety for Chesham residents
Following requests from Chesham Town Council, TFB did some work in March to increase safety at some junctions, and also improve parking for residents, in Chesham. The solution was developed by the Chesham Working Group and TfB and included implementing 'no waiting at any time' restrictions, and shared use of limited waiting bays with resident permits.
New no waiting restrictions and permit parking in Chesham
In Brief: Working with Member to deliver the best end result in Chesham
Gullies in The Vale, Cholesbury Lane, and Wiggington Road in Chesham were upgraded and thoroughly cleaned in June 2018, when Councillor Patricia Birchley expressed concerns that the road was going to be resurfaced without any works being carried out to existing drainage.
A full drainage survey was then carried out to understand
what was in place, and the resurfacing work was rescheduled for the following
year to allow time to design a drainage solution. Patching on the worst areas
was done to keep the road safe and useable in the meantime.
The 13x3m deep chambers under Wiggington Road were
emptied, and an upgrade was done to the Cholesbury Lane soakaway with some pipe
enlargement and grip improvements. On The Vale catch pits and drain runs were
improved.
The year in brief across the whole county:
Following a very tough winter in 2017-18, which resulted in a sharp increase in defects, TfB began 2018-19 by delivering a £2 million plane and patch programme countywide. The work began as soon as the weather got milder in late March, and was organised with local Members to decide on the roads and sites to repair.
The capital maintenance programme (major works such as resurfacing) was mainly carried out over the summer months – over 120km (or 796,000sqm) of road resurfacing was laid; 3,295 old style streetlights were upgraded to LED and 100 solar powered bollards were installed. 23 major drainage improvement schemes were carried out, as were: 10 structures schemes; nine road safety schemes, and five Intelligent Transport Systems (i.e. signals) schemes.
In total, 38,000 gullies were emptied, over 20,000 defects were repaired and over 3 million square metres of grass was cut. The gritting season started unseasonably early on the 26th October and lasted well into April, but – while long – the winter was milder overall.
Read more: Our Year in Aylesbury Vale, and Our Year in High Wycombe.
Read more: Our Year in Aylesbury Vale, and Our Year in High Wycombe.
