| Right. Next on the agenda we have traffic and highways. |
| Councillor Thornton. |
| Thank you. |
| Well, we now have the results of the survey carried out last month |
| about traffic and road transport in the town. |
| People were generally satisfied with the state of the roads. |
| There were one or two complaints about potholes which will be addressed, |
| but a significant number of people complained about the increasing number of heavy vehicles |
| using our local roads to avoid traffic elsewhere. |
| We'd expected more complaints by commuters |
| about the reduction in the train service, |
| but it doesn't seem to have affected people too much. |
| The cycle path that runs alongside the river |
| is very well used by both cyclists and pedestrians |
| since the surface was improved last year, |
| but overtaking can be a problem |
| so we're going to add a bit on the side to make it wider. |
| At some stage, we'd like to extend the path so that it goes all the way through the town, |
| but that won't be happening in the immediate future. |
| The plans to have a pedestrian crossing next to the Post Office |
| have unfortunately had to be put on hold for the time being. |
| We'd budgeted for this to be done this financial year, |
| but then there were rumours that the Post Office was going to move, |
| which would have meant there wasn't really a need for a crossing. |
| Now they've confirmed that they're staying where they are, |
| but the Highways Department have told us that it would be dangerous to have a pedestrian crossing |
| where we'd originally planned it as there's a bend in the road there. |
| So that'll need some more thought. |
| On Station Road near the station and level crossing, |
| drivers can face quite long waits if the level crossing's closed, |
| and we've now got signs up requesting them not to leave their engines running at that time. |
| This means pedestrians waiting on the pavement to cross the railway line |
| don't have to breathe in car fumes. |
| We've had some problems with cyclists leaving their bikes chained to the railings outside the ticket office, |
| but the station has agreed to provide bike racks there. |
| So next on the agenda is 'Proposals for improvements to the recreation ground'. |
| Councillor Thornton again. |
| Well, since we managed to extend the recreation ground, |
| we've spent some time talking to local people |
| about how it could be made a more attractive and useful space. |
| If you have a look at the map up on the screen, |
| you can see the river up in the north, |
| and the Community Hall near the entrance from the road. |
| At present, cars can park between the Community Hall and that line of trees to the east, |
| but this is quite dangerous for pedestrians |
| so we're suggesting a new car park on the opposite side of the Community Hall, |
| right next to it. |
| We also have a new location for the cricket pitch. |
| As we've now purchased additional space to the east of the recreation ground, |
| beyond the trees, |
| we plan to move it away from its current location, |
| which is rather near the road, into this new area beyond the line of trees. |
| This means there's less danger of stray balls hitting cars or pedestrians. |
| We've got plans for a children's playground |
| which will be accessible by a footpath from the Community Hall |
| and will be alongside the river. |
| We'd originally thought of having it close to the road, |
| but we think this will be a more attractive location. |
| The skateboard ramp is very popular with both younger and older children - |
| we had considered moving this up towards the river, |
| but in the end we decided to have it in the southeast corner near the road. |
| The pavilion is very well used at present by both football players and cricketers. |
| It will stay where it is now - |
| to the left of the line of trees and near to the river - |
| handy for both the football and cricket pitches. |
| And finally, we'll be getting a new notice board for local information, |
| and that will be directly on people's right |
| as they go from the road into the recreation ground. |