Chester Road remains a race track

Our councillors continue to spoil our village.

Dear Surveillance

I have done an email "off blog"
Inspector Alun Oldfield will supply you with a copy.

Over a 1000 speeding through here today

Sometimes 6 a minute.
Noise and danger.
Chester Road a noisy race track
My County Councillors asleep at the wheel?

John Smeaton - Have a go Hero

Click here (there are a few F's flying around)

I have a similar conviction with regards all this low life that piles through the village. I'm in people's faces till its stopped. We shouldn't have all this speeding traffic, we have a bypass

Penyffordd Couple celebrate their Diamond Wedding Anniversary

John and Olwen Williams celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary at The Penyffordd British Legion with family and friends. They used their celebration to raise money for Nightingale House Hospice and North West Cancer Research, two very worthy causes.
Their son David Williams is Flintshire County Councillor for Penyffordd.

Further Thoughts on Speeding in Chester Road

The complete solution to traffic calming in Chester Rd must involve civil engineering solutions such as vertical platforms. The Police cannot stand in Chester Rd 24/7. This may not go down well in some parts of Penyffordd.

I say this! A lot of these people who speed passed my house live in cul de sacs. We here in Chester Road have just as much a right to a quality environment that they enjoy in their cul de sacs. If you want to do 60 mph use the by - pass and not Chester Road.

A Welcome Article by The Evening Leader on Speeding

A front page reporting by the lovely Kate Forrester for The Evening Leader on A New Blitz for Speeders. With Chester Rd, Penyffordd currently experiencing 2000 speeder a day (passed my house) I very much welcome this article.
I have emailed my Councillors to support this initiative and push for a compulsory 20 mph route to school status for Chester Rd Penyffordd.

I see I have my mate Tony Sharps CC fully on message.

A very welcome quote by Police Inspector Neil Maxwell " We hold community meetings regularly in North Flintshire area and every single time members of the public tell us they are deeply concerned about speeding in certain hotspots. I am in favour of these traffic calming proposals as it the communities what they want and need."


Link
Article in The Evening Leader

Journalistic Standards at The Chronicle fall

Spot the mistake.
Good to see Max , Mark's son is making progress with his illness.

A Big Thank You to Aaron Shotton CC. Re - Prison Location

Dobshill Hospital has been suggested for a potential site for a new North Wales Prison.
Its quite handy for the trains, not too far to the shops. Good transport links, its near the A55.
Only problem is Penyffordd and all the other local communities will not want this prison.
Well done Aaron for saying why it is unsuitable.

Oh dear!

From Matthew Parris's Bournemouth diary...

Up at 6.30 for the Andrew Marr Show, Sunday. No time for breakfast. Dash to studio. Dash back. Enter hotel. Enter breakfast room. Nice table by window. “Tea please.” Huge meal – full monty. Up to my room, third floor. Can’t find room 3301. Foreign chambermaid says “not existing”. The fool knows nothing. I show keycard. Wrong hotel. Profuse apology. Hasty exit.

Dear Chief Constable

An Email to Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom
North Wales Police

cc PC Chris Pullen Beat Manager Penyffordd and Higher Kinnerton

Dear Chief Constable,

As I type our rat run flows. Hundreds of unwanted speeding unthoughtful motorists flying through our village many of whom work for Raytheon and Airbus who appear to have little interest of the daily damage they do to our village environment.

Their corporate statements on local environment, a load of old tosh.

Our village of Penyffordd and Higher Kinnerton have very little crime. This is the area covered by our excellent beat manager PC Pullen.

I am however very disappointed in Chris with regards the prosecution of speeders many of whom do not live in our village but use it as a short cut.
At the neighbourhood forum Chris said he will be able to manage to come out about once a month with his personal speed gun. I find this very disappointing.

I have told Chris the times, the places that his presence with his speed gun will have the greatest impact. I think its called local intelligence.

Arrive Alive are currently being of no use what so ever for small communities in North Wales with problems similar to Penyffordd. As previously stated they should either be given the resources to deal with this serious issue or be wound up and replaced by a self funded privatised company thus lightening the public purse.

The long term solution to this issue being in Flintshire Highways' arena. Their current behaviour is despicable considering we have a by - pass.

I hope the new Chief Executive Colin Everett will apply some common sense and sympathy to this issue. Flintshire Environment being somewhat redundant for Penyffordd which is a rural village.

Yours sincerely

Colin Hughes

Penyffordd District

Postscript. I look forward to the introduction of 20 mph route to school for Chester Road, Penyffordd. I thank you for raising this very important issue on which Flintshire County Council are currently being a little backward.

A Meeting with Alan's Skips

I have been invited to a meeting with Mr Eccleston at Alan's Skip Hire. Which I have accepted.

Chester Road Traffic Calming Competition 2007

An email to Dave Faulkner Acting Director for Regeneration and Environment at Flintshire County Council.

Prize Money and Conditions scroll down.

Re: The Continuing daily 2000 unwanted speeders through Chester Rd, Penyffordd.

Dear Dave,

Good Morning! The rat run in full flow, noisy, dangerous and speeding through our village centre. They do not like the by-pass, so they foul our village environment. Just the odd 2000 a day. With a promise of an extra 2,000, 000 annually after Broughton Developments.

Since Flintshire Highways are currently behaving like a spoilt child, a sort of professional management tantrum I am going to hold a traffic calming competition.

This will be a world wide internet thing.

Open to anyone over the age of 10 years old. I am going to hang out on Civil Engineering forums looking for entrants. Cheshire and Wrexham Highways are very good at traffic calming but may out of professional courtesy decline my offer to compete. I will be of course be taking anonymous entries which might encourage them.

I have asked my friend Maureen to take part. Maureen is 72 ( an email arrives form Maureen to say she is only 67! ) ( further tellings off follow) and currently learning about computers and the internet. We have talks about vertical platforms, I hear the word is banned in the Flintshire Highways offices.

Road plan to follow shortly.

The best entries in terms effectiveness and economy I will forward onto to Colin Everett your Chief Executive.

I forgot the prize!

£75 for the winner. Not bad for a 10 minutes job!
Prefered method of payment PAYPAL.
Runners up will have their plans shown. In fact all good traffic calming systems will be left on as a reference for other communities plagued by traffic.

My decision will be final

Conditions
I will be supplying a google map of Chester Rd, Penyffordd with photos.
Traffic calming measures will have to be those that apply to the United Kingdom
and specifically Wales.
The copyright remains with the designer
Closing Date to be announced.

Does this apply to Flintshire Highways?

“The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the one quality we can predicate of it. The systems that fail are those that rely on the permanency of human nature, and not on its growth and development. The error of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would always be the same. The result of his error was the French Revolution. It was an admirable result.”

Oscar Wilde:

Penyffordd Wine Society Meeting September 2007

Date Wednesday 26th September 2007 at starting 8. 15pm at The Penyffordd Institute.
This months meeting A Celebration of the Apple and Cider.

Cider tasting of different varieties, discussing the benefits of cider vinegar for ailments such as arthritis. Apples will be juiced to sample pure fresh apple juice.
Also on offer for members a variety of hors d'oeuvres including
prawn croutes,
mushroom caviar,
tomato fetta pesto bites,
ham and onion chutney bites,

Also quiche lorraine,
blue cheese flan,
potato avocado salad
home made apple pie.

New members invited to join. For details ring 077340 52779 ask for Lisa

Move over James Martin!

Further on Gang Confrontation

Evening Leader Link

It was apparently going to be a return match after there had been a confrontation the night before at Dobshill which I think the Police broke up.
One resident's mother who was going to the Spar thought it was a youth sponsored walk until North Wales Police turned up. lol

Dear Dave, A Low Cost Traffic Calming Measure

An email to Dave Faulkner Acting Director for Regeneration and Environment Flintshire County Council.

Dear Dave
I think it bad form to criticise Flintshire Highways without offering solutions. So I'm going to start some Traffic Calming Solutions blogs. This one is low cost.

If Flintshire Highways take away the yellow lines and allow visitors to park where I suggest. It will help to slow some traffic down. The fragrant Mary who is Postmistress would certainly approve of this measure. There is the issue of British Legion deliveries but I can't see why they can't deliver from off the main road anyway.

Street Fights - Breaking News

Last night outside the Spar. A gang from Buckley came down to fight the locals.
More information when I find out.

A Cyber Insult to Flintshire Highways

An email to Dave Faulkner Acting Director of Regeneration and Environment for Flintshire County Council.

Hi Dave,

A bit of heavy rain last night, not as bad as Beaumaris the other day though.

Here's a cyber insult or cyber bullying. (its on the right)

You can run it passed your legal team if you like.

Not sure if fact is in the realm of cyber bullying quite yet.

I've cleared my desk of work for the next few months just in case.

You can assure your officers they do not know how to do their job.

That is opposed to Wrexham Council who are superb at traffic calming.

kindest regards

Colin Hughes

Penyffordd District

The Project

No news in Penyffordd today. I have been watching all the through traffic speeding passed the house because I have been working on my Acoustic Barriers. I have done a little research on sound.
The ideal would be an anti noise machine. These are a few years off. Theoretically the A494 people could have a machine in their garden and not hear the 7 lane bypass. Perhaps the Welsh assembly will buy them all one.

I am having to settle with solid barriers and absorbing materials. I am not giving up the cause by the way.

I will just add material to this page so that it does not come to the top of the blog again.
Some processes to be discussed are dangerous.

The project is to turn solar power into electricity using concentrated solar power to produce steam to drive a steam turbine to drive an electric generator. If I can produce enough I will consider selling it back to the National Grid

The dangers.
1. Fluids and Steam over 300 centigrade
2. Concentrated light that can blind.
3. Concentrated light that can seriously burn.
4. Fluids and steam at pressure

Concentrated Power to be supplied by Fresnel Lenses. I also have some 1 inch mirrors to experiment with a focused 12 inch square mirror concentrator.

Components for Suntracking. Ordered from here.
http://www.mtmscientific.com

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

Digital Thermometer K-type thermocouples temps sensor...... On Ebay cost about £12 plus £4 postage from China. Three are required to monitor receiver temperatures. Measure up to 1300 degrees C.

LINKS
UK Solar Radiation
Heat Transfer Salts Hitec (pdf)
Heat Storage pdf.
Possible 12Volt Electric motor that is used in golf carts about £30

Other projects
Forklift Battery bought off Ebay today 29th August 2009. This is a 12 cell 2 volt which equals 24 volts that is 400 AH. This will be the basic storage battery to run house and shed lights and computers to start with. I am working towards a 12 volt led light system powered by wind and solar electric.

Two weeks ago I bought a set of 24 solar cells to make a solar panel. I got them off Ebay in USA.
They cost £4 to post to UK. They need wiring together and putting a metal case.



To be continued......

Another Whinge

We have a huge council house in our street. The extended family is run by a grumpy old woman with a pack of fierce dogs. Her car isn't taxed or insured, and doesn't even have a number plate, but the police still don't do anything.

Her bad tempered old man is famous for upsetting foreigners with racist comments. A shopkeeper blames him for ordering the murder of his son and what he says was his future daughter-in-law, but nothing has been proved yet.

All their kids have broken marriages except the youngest, who everyone thought was gay. Two grandsons are meant to be in the Army, but are always seen out in nightclubs.

The family's odd antics are always in the papers. They are out of control.

Who'd live near Windsor Castle, eh?

Traffic Calming Progress Report

Work Carried so Far.

1. An extra pair of 30 mph signs.
2. Half a rumble strip with a good profile.

Agency Effectiveness

Flintshire Highways very poor.
They have designs for Chester Rd staying in their County Road Network
IMHO they will have to be forced by their political masters to properly traffic calm Chester Rd.
If I look at their traffic calming efforts as compared to the excellent Wrexham Council I can see its a large uphill climb. They are pathetic really, behaving to type.

North Wales Police poor.
On the plus side we have a new beat manager PC Chris Pullen who I think will be good for Penyffordd. NWP appear to move Beat Managers around on a weekly basis, I think this not very good.
Also on the plus side, he has his own speed radar gun and from October he will be qualified to use it when he is on his own.

On the minus side. Me criticizing the Police makes my friend Maureen go cold. I tell her we do not live in East Germany circa 1960. I have had over a 1000 cars speed passed my house today, Chris mentions he may be able to come out with his speed gun once a month. I won't say anything, I have said it before.

It's torture by a thousand cuts really.

The sound bouncing off all the buildings as they all roar passed at 50 mph in our 30 mph rural village. My cyber bullying can be countered with the argument that my Human Rights are being abused on a daily basis. Cars speed passed here almost one every minute, sometimes three or six a minute.

Arrive Alive. Ineffective so far. Attempts at educating the traffic is very limited due to the length of time speeders have been allowed to speed through the village.
They need to given more money to deal with small communities in a proper manner or privatised.

My Community Councillors
Linda Vidamour and Cindy Hinds recognise the issue and see that we should have a village environment.
There needs to be quite a few retirements at the next election. We need people of vision on the council. I will not attempt to stand as no one knows me in the village.

My County Councillors
Not impressed at the moment. I hope that Colin Bithell CC is working behind the scenes.
David Williams CC, I hope will realise it is an issue. I hope Colin and David will push for 20 mph limit outside the Post Office because it is a route to school, the centre of the village used by children, OAP's and horses.

Chester Road remains a race track.

Hopes
That Flintshire Highways are forced to adopt 20 mph route to school.
A comment made last week confirmed my feelings about Flintshire Highways. Someone who had been in Contact with Arrive Alive expressed a belief that the route to school would be limited to Penymynydd Rd.
A vindictive Flintshire Highways? We shall see.

That we get Councillors in 2008 who care for the village environment as Flintshire Highways couldn't give a toss.
Dave Faulkner Director of Regeneration and Environment needs to up his game or retire.

Cyber Bullying

Click here.
Warning! It shows Gordon Brown's willy and tattoo.
The tattoo isn't on his willy!

Dear Colin

A bit of a rough start! They throw you in at the deep end over something you had nothing to do with as you were not even Chief Executive when the dealing was started over the A494. I hope you are going to get on well with Aaron Shotton our Council Leader. I hope he was only doing a little profile raising in The Evening Leader.

I understand the Wrexham Council Chief Executive and Wrexham Council Leader have a robust, well understood, working relationship. I hope you and Aaron are going to work well for Flintshire.

Talking of Wrexham Council I see they have started a "Pride in your Streets" initiative. Wrexham are my favourite local council their traffic calming is superb.
I hope my councillors will begin to see the light over Penyffordd village environment which as you are aware is currently a race track.

I take pride in Chester Road and Penyffordd which is why I get so angry at some of my councillors. They seem to think its fine for 2000 speeders daily , shame on you!

I see I've been cyber bullying again( according to The Evening Leader) It shouldn't be necessary for me to consider breaking the law because Flintshire Highways will not do its duty. Anyway I hope things will change. Pride in your streets can't work at the moment in Chester Road as it is too easy to get run over.

Good luck against Braintree Town tomorrow.


Links
Newport County
Wrexham Council's Pride in Your Streets

House for Auction in Hawarden Road

Two Bedrooms, Terrace. A long garden with me at the end. Will need complete updating as the couple who lived there have been there for what seems like 40 years. The lady is still around I see her walking around with her handbag, this reminds me of my mum. Of course the house will go at a severe discount because I'm over the back.
If you fancy a game of pool your future neighbours have a pool table out the back. They have two dogs who bark loudly but are tolerable. Now they know they bark for an hour or two when they go out to the pub we are all sorted.
We have a jacuzzi but we don't invite just any Tom, Dick or Harriette.
Ours which is larger is worth about 150k. The auction has a guide value of £85k. Perhaps a home for a couple?

I whinge about speeding traffic but

A quick look through a local paper which I will not name because they do not reply to emails shows that people are fed up with traffic all over Flintshire. The Welsh Assembly Government are currently lining us up for a 15% increase in traffic through the Flintshire UDP.
Hawarden, Queensferry, Shotton, Connah's Quay and Ewloe have traffic woes.

Does 15% more housing translate 2 cars extra per household into 30 % more local traffic?

As well as the 15% Flintshire Highways ( lets not get personal) are lining us up with another 2 or 3 million vehicles a year with
Broughton Park Extension, A55 Warren Hall Junction and Warren Hall.

Chester Road can take it but why should we when we have a bypass. Flintshire roads at the moment are chaos.

Meanwhile 2000 cars continue to speed through Chester Road and the Police are going around reporting graffitti to the council. Our priorities are not correct. PC Chris Pullen will be able to manage to get out to Chester Rd with his speed gun once a month from October. That will show them.

Its nearly mid day time for the daily bombardment from Airbus and Raytheon in their souped up loud exhaust racers.

Our new Flintshire County Council Chief Executive Colin Everett

appears to be at his post. He is quoted in the newspapers andAaron Shotton CC Council Leader is a little unhappy with Council Officers.

postscript: Two years down the line what do I think of him. He knows Chester Rd Penyffordd has over a 1000 speeders a day plus lorries that take short cuts even though we have a bypass.
His officers hide traffic speed data

Colin Everett stands up to take awards for environment whilst leaving Penyffordd in the lurch.

Penyffordd District. No 1 for Colin Everett Flintshire on Google.

keyword Cllr Tony Sharp.

A site for the proposed new Prison

Near to MP David Hanson's house

Is Charles Hughes a failure as Director of Engineering at Flintshire County Council?

An Email to Dave Faulkner Acting Director of Regeneration and Environment

Dear Dave,

A change of tack, time to get a little personal again.
Charles may be tied up with A494 and UDP but I want him on our case proper.

The problem restated. I have 2000 noisy, dangerous vehicles flying passed my house each day. Charles Hughes has known about this since May 2007.

He has been unprofessional and it seems to me tardy. We have half a rumble strip and an extra 30 mph sign. The effort so far I think is pathetic. He continues to subject our children, horses and OAP's unnecesarily to danger and noise pollution.

Charles Hughes, I presume was responsible for the construction of the by-pass, yet he continues to think it is alright for this village road to be attacked daily by all these idiots.

It's not a Police solution it's a civil engineering solution called vertical platforms or whatever Charles Hughes prefers that works.

This will remain on Google until he sees sense and does a proper job like Wrexham Council have in such places as Cefn Mawr, Rhosllanerchrogog and Rossett.

I will then gladly remove it. I do not think a protest to Google will do much as everything I have stated is correct. I've ran it passed my legal team just in case.

This is indexed by Google within 2 hours so if you type in words like "charles hughes" failure and Flintshire, Charles will hopefully come to the top of google.

I hope Colin Everett will not want his name associated with failure and will kick Charles Hughes in the pants. His name of course will come up on google just like Charles Hughes and failure will

You may think I'm getting personal again. You would be right.

On Google forever as a failure?

kindest regards Colin Hughes

ps. a sign of cooperation is all I require and I will remove this post

ps. The flashy sign will not be enough on its own

pps. I think your name may come up on google with words like failure as well.


labels: failure, stubborn, intractable, poor, not up to the job, incompetent, sub-standard

Links:
Flintshire Jobs
Failure
Dave's Job

Ordovicius Logo

Gordon continues to impress.

The Prime Minister will not attend a summit if Mr *Muga*be attends
Good to see some moral leadership.
Although Peter Tatchell notes it would help if other country leaders did the same.

* inserted to fool search engines

Which way Jose Mourinho?

Click here

My Mental State

There must be quite a few people out there who might question my mental state. Emails and Blogs can be one dimensional and do not communicate correctly.

I do have other interests.

I am one third way through developing a business for my wife which is up and running. I just need to triple the turnover. :)

I am building a sanctuary in my garden, a greenhouse. I have positioned it so I can't hear the cooling room fans on the Penyffordd British Legion roof that run 24/7 at this time of year. The building of the extension to the Chinese takeaway next door was a god send as it blocks the fans noise except for the top of the garden.

I am developing accoustic barriers (walls to me and you) at the top of the garden so I cannot hear the noise from the by-pass or Arthur Arnold's fans. Arthur is The Secretary of the British Legion.

I have a project to turn concentrated solar power into heat and electricity. The sun tracking equipment in kit form arrived from the USA today. The project will use a special lens, suntracking equipment, a steam tesla turbine and electricity generating equipment.
Possibly to sell it back to the grid on sunny days if it is successful.

My wife, the dog and myself are going to explore the River Dee in HMS Penyffordd. A surprise cheque in the post from the sale of one of Lisa's Building Societies to a bank will pay for that.

See I don't have such a sad life!

We should have a village environment not the 2nd main main route along with the by-pass for passing traffic.
I'm hoping for better help for Chester Rd which is the centre of our rural village from our councillors.
The goal should be a 20 mph compulsory speed limit passed the Post Office, it is a main route to school. Traffic should be unable to go faster than that with the introduction of vertical platforms. HGV's that are not using the village should be banned after all we have a by-pass.

Perhaps the double yellow lines should be removed to let locals park anywhere. This would narrow the road with parked cars.

The resurfacing of the main road passed Penyffordd with that nice black tarmac outside Tom Jones' house should be a goal. Traffic noise from the by-pass when the prevailing wind blows is intrusive for many villagers.

My vision is not selfish, it benefits the village.
There are councillors who share this vision. I hope more councillors will see.

At present Chester Rd is a race track, I'm on the case till it stops.

Should I have a tried charm offensive with Flintshire County Council at the outset. I'm pretty certain it would not have worked. Flintshire County Council have been poorly managed for years.
They have appeared quite regularly in "Rotten Boroughs" in Private Eye.

Take a look at Wrexham Council traffic management in their villages, it is superb.

I think Flintshire Highways have Chester Road penciled in for an extra 2 or 3 million cars a year with the 3 Broughton developments.

If they are they are in for a fight.

I do hope Colin Everett the new Chief Executive is allowed to push Flintshire County Council into the 21st century.

Links
Concentrated Solar Power

Speeders of the Day

Dark Estate EY56M64........ 45 mph plus
DR55BNO Puddin's and Pies
CW51BWK Black
L290CHG Volvo Estate

Not many people know this but Google usually index this page within 2 hours. Google took 9 months to index a business I run. ( I don't own it though)


Someone said yesterday "You can't do that, put registration numbers on internet"
I don't give a flying fish really.

The above is happening while a mother is trying to guide 3 girls , 2 of whom are on bikes across Chester Rd. I want you on the case David Williams. CC
It's all got to stop.

Links
Puddins and Pies

Michael Owen on the Telly

A year in the life of Michael Owen. Very good.
Down to earth no Posh and Becks facile nano surface stuff.
Meanwhile what are my councillors doing about
2000 speeders a day through village?

Dear Evening Leader

It would be very good if you could ask my County Councillors David Williams and Colin Bithell if they are comfortable with 2000 a day speeders through Chester Rd, Penyffordd.

Also whether they support 20 mph route to school status for Chester Rd, Penyffordd.

An email from David Williams County Councillor

berating me for my efforts this morning with my camera to stop our 2000 speeding motorists and rat run. We live in a strange village at present.

An Email to Raytheon and Airbus about their workers speeding in Chester Rd, Penyffordd

Penyffordd District
Chester Rd

Raytheon and Airbus.
Broughton, Chester.

An email to Raytheon Corporation, London, -
Paul McKinley - Head of HR at Airbus,
Mark Stewart - Head of HR, Airbus UK.

cc. Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom of North Wales Police. PC Chris Pullen, Penyffordd.

Re: Your workers daily abuse of our village environment

Dear Raytheon and Airbus

Your companies produce some of the finest technological products in the world. World Leaders in many areas of which our local people play a part.

We currently have a problem in Penyffordd with regards many of your workers. Flintshire County Council Highways are currently somewhat lagging in Traffic Calming rollout measures so each day many many 100's of your workers plough through Penyffordd at fast speeds far in excess of our 30 mph speed limit.
We have 2000 speeders a day.
We are a village with horses, children, cyclists,residents with many OAP's.
Chester Road is also a route to school. We also have a by-pass.

Your workers invade our village from 5. 30 am onwards, lunchtime between 12 and 2.00pm the later on when afternoon shift ends in the evening.

Our beat manager PC Chris Pullen will be using his personal radar speed gun from October 1st. I will be petitioning The Chief Constable for a plan of action to stop all your workers speeding through Chester Rd, Penyffordd.

Our excellent PC Chris Pullen is keen on community policing and wishes to educate rather than hand out 100's of speed tickets.
I personally would prefer them all to be prosecuted.
If a change in the current speeding law materialises many will be nursing 6 points for a 1st offence as many do well over 40 mph.

I see two ways forward.
Large Corporations help a local community
or
Village blogger defends elderly residents and children against uncaring large corporations.
Classic David and Goliath stuff.
I would very much prefer the former.

It would be very good if you both as part of your corporate responsibility could ban non Penyffordd workers from using our village as a short cut. With modern technology it is very easy to send a letter to all workers who live the outside our village informing them that our village is "out of bounds". From Gwersyllt to Pontblyddyn and beyond.
Or to advise them to do the speed limit through our village on threat of a warning if caught by PC Chris Pullen.
I'm sure your PR people could turn this into a positive event that shows that you both care for you local communities. I do not speak for The Evening Leader but I am sure they would be keen to run "large corporations helps local community" stuff.

Your help would raise the awareness that Penyffordd is a village environment and not a high speed short cut to all the other speeders.

Yours sincerely

Colin Hughes
for Chester Road Residents

Links.
Raytheon

Speeder's Corner M210LCM

GHA Bus No 9 speeding through Chester Rd, Penyffordd between 7.30 and 8.30
Registration thought to be M210LCM

Speeder's Corner H8 MOV

Doing about 40 mph accelerating. Still in 30 mph zone. Swifts of Wrexham. To become a friend of Penyffordd you have to do the speed limit to the open limit sign or not use the village, use the by - pass.

Speeder's Corner

I've been out taking photos of speeders this morning. Might need a tall friend with muscle and a black belt in future.
Two cars turned around and I have had a little altercation with two males. One wanted his photo taken off my camera saying it was an invasion of privacy, I said I'll call PC Chris Pullen on his mobile. The other chap said he wasn't speeding to which I agreed not to put him on.
An interesting tool if not a little unsettling.
Perhaps best If I return to covert mode.

Quote of the day

"I would never, ever use violence against one of my own children. I usually find that waving the gun around works."

(A line I remember - I think accurately - from the glorious Lock N' Load CD by Denis Leary).

My Hairdresser Natalie

Is going on holiday to Majorca tomorrow, she is really scared of flying. Last year she took valium and 2 bottles of wine for the flight. They do not mix well. This year it will just be the valium. Front page news tonight in The Evening Leader the Thailand Plane crash we also have the Colin McRae helicopter crash in the news.

What's it like to live in a Dictatorship?

Click here

I have been critical of my Beat Manager

He is however taking up 2 options of which I am pleased. Can't mention until he's asked. I would have expected him to get knocked back but the tide may be turning.

Penymynydd Church robbed of its roof lead

Last week at the neighbourhood forum PC Chris Pullen mentioned that Penymynydd church had been robbed its roof lead. Almost certainly a professional job. Other churches in the North West have suffered similar fates. Enquiries are being made to scrap yards as far away as Liverpool and Manchester. Lead is currently at an all time high of about a £1000 per ton.
The lead was worth about £2000. It will cost up to £12,000 to replace.

A Declaration of War Announced

Today it was announced by Colin Hughes organiser of the Penyffordd Chester Road Safety Initiative that hostilities will commence against the axis of evil Airbus, Raytheon, Arriva and Alan's Skips.

The above shift workers at Airbus and Raytheon plough through Chester Rd most days. Arriva and Alan's Skips have been told about their drivers but they still persist.

The War Cabinet meets tomorrow.

North Wales Motorcycle Race Track

This morning we were out at 7. 00am. Between Hope and Penyffordd we encountered 10 or 12 bikes racing in the direction towards us. They were travelling at 80 - 100 mph toward us.

My speed was near 60 mph, the limit. So a full head on with one of the bikes would have been a terminal speed of say 140 - 160 mph. This on a trunk road not a by-pass.
This afternoon you can hear motorcycles thundering down the by pass at 100mph plus.

How long do North Wales Communities have to suffer this weekly insult?

The Chief Constable has already targeted the road tax and insurance dodgers. How about a crusade against the speeding motorcyclists with no insurance because they have modified their exhausts which are illegally loud.

You pick an area where it is known they race through. You set up a trap and have a squad of officers to book them.

Meanwhile North Wales Police and Arrive Alive play Amateur Half Hour in Penyffordd.......

A letter to The Flintshire Leader with regards to Nimbyism and Favouritism

Dear Evening Leader,
Last week you very kindly published a letter by myself criticizing the perceived lack of enthusiasm for a proposed 20 mph route to school plan for Flintshire by County Councillor Tony Sharps. My criticism that it was alright for Tony sitting behind a set of 20 mph bumps whilst we have cars flying by at 50mph all day and night.

In hindsight I should have also saluted Tony for his ability to persuade Flintshire County Council to close down Northop Hall to speeding traffic, the village has serious speed bumps at both entrances to the village. A glitch the other week in the speeding defences and Acting Director for Regeneration and Environment Dave Faulkner is out for a site meeting with Tony to sort it out. To my mind this smacks of favouritism.

I and other residents of Chester Road, Penyffordd would like to see Dave arrange a meeting with Penyffordd County Councillors Colin Bithell and David Williams to discuss the closing down of Chester Road in a similar manner to that which Northop Hall has been closed down. So that through traffic can not race into or out of our village.

Yours faithfully

Colin Hughes

Penyffordd District

Links

Michael Owen going to work

Here's Michael getting photographed by the local papparazzi (me). Wrong camera in bag, should have had my 12 x zoom lens lol.
Helicopter pilot has the descent sorted now. Straight down. He used to mince around a lot at first. I suppose its best not to snag a rotor on a tree though.
Michael straight out across the wet grass, off to Newcastle I presume. Haven't looked at the fixtures as they have played. We watch Match of the Day live with a news blackout.
(must have been training they are playing Derby County on Monday)
Meanwhile Colin McRae ex world rally champion RIP. His helicopter crashed yesterday with him his 5 year old son and two others on board.

Since I have a Police Audience (Surveillance)

cc. Chief Constable Brunstrom.

I am looked at by Police in Buckinghamshire 6 times a day and The City of London Police weekly.
My friend Maureen has read all this and thinks I go over the top lol.

Here are my thoughts.

We have over 2000 vehicles a day speeding through our village. I don't think I'm believed in some quarters so I've made a Freedom of Information request for the data collected by Arrive Alive before the meeting.
Plenty of mischief to be had with the crusade.
I hope they don't try to withhold it or water it down. Since I live here I am fully aware of the traffic dynamics of Chester Rd.

Take this afternoon many 100's pushing through the middle of the village at 50 mph. We have a limit of 30 mph. They are doing 60-70mph before the open limit.

PC Chris Pullen will be trained up to do speed camera operations and has been issued with his own speed camera. We have seen an unmarked Police Traffic car stop someone yesterday not a fluorescent in sight yet Chris has to wear fluorescents?

What sort of double standards are these?

Take the neighbourhood forum on Wednesday. Chris said the Chester Rd speed Issue had been on file for nearly 9 months and was intimating that is should be dropped ( I think)
I said I would protest to the Chief Constable if he tried that.

PC Ian Millington and Hugh Jones of Arrive Alive have been on the case for quite a few months trying the education bit. They have acted like Dad's Army.

We currently have Chris saying he will manage to get out about once a month when he is qualified.

I am speechless' this is pathetic! Policing at .5 mile an hour!

If he got out 2 mornings on the run at the start of the rat run he could make big dint in the rat run.
Especially if he stood in Terrace Lane. He wouldn't be able to stop them from that position but after that the rat run would have to wait till the open speed limit before pushing the pedal to the floor.
Instead of which it's foot to the floor from the centre of the village.

If he stood in the gateway to Mr Knight's field and just zapped at everybody for 90 minutes Chris would get good practice and scare the living day lights out of the rat run.
He would be hidden from those coming into the village from Broughton who usually warn the rat run.


I don't like saying this but you Police and Arrive Alive act in a very stupid manner.
You couldn't make it up this carry on. It could be classed as farce. You have all this diversity training and the like yet you have no intelligent system in place to slow rat runs down.
It's a no brainer, dead easy, I've just mentioned a method above. You use local knowledge to your and the villages advantage..

So what are my current plans.
1. If Flintshire Highways don't do something fairly shortly or I get an acknowledgment that something is planned. Its the start of my Poster Protest. Gentle at the beginning but leading up to civil disobedience. See if I can get something "eye catching" Tony Blair style.
Councils don't like illuminated signs near roads. Flintshire Highways management are currently acting like spoilt little kids.

I have no assets so I have a bit of a free reign. Although I would find prison uncomfortable it's really a matter of principle.

2. I will be getting the email addresses of Airbus management in the week.
Their workers are a plague here.
I intend to make them an offer. I expect them to refuse or ignore me. I have some signs planned for their workers to see each day as they speed through Chester Rd. It will be a David and Goliath scenario.

3. I intend to make a Freedom of Information request to Arrive Alive Partnership for North Wales.
I see plenty of mischief here. That's on top of the one above. I've read all their corporate twaddle we will see what they are made of.

4. A comparison between Northop Hall and Penyffordd with regards traffic calming implementation. It's a little unbalanced. Dave and Tony Sharps get on so well, I think my County Councillors need to get more friendly with Dave Faulkner. Dave is around for a site meeting at Northop Hall at the drop a hat whilst he ignores us here in Chester Rd , Penyffordd.

Onward to the cessation of speeding traffic in Chester Rd Penyffordd.

I hope you guys are going to push route to school 20 mph. There again Flintshire Highways will do all to avoid this I feel, after a comment by Chris Pullen on Wednesday

The bottom line is that it looks like a conspiracy or politics to me or are you lot actually as stupid as you are acting?

A further bottom line that the answer to the speeding is a vertical platform solution, a long single lane or a bi directional gatso.

Penyffordd Virtual Village - It takes a little time to load

View Larger Map

Traffic Calming Progress Report for Chester Road

Work carried out

1. Half a rumble strip, profile good but its not stopping the speeders.
2. An extra 30 mph sign. Of very little use. Highways could have pruned the branches on the original 30 mph sign as it is partially hidden.

3. PC Chris Pullen will become qualified in October and will be able to issue speeding tickets on his own. Chris has a reluctance to book villagers and would prefer to educate. I have told him that most of the rat run is not from the village and where they can be caught. The positions I have given to him should mainly catch short cutters.

4. PC Chris Pullen and Hugh Jones of Arrive Alive issued 7 warning tickets. If the offenders get caught speeding these tickets will be taken into account. They were there between 1600 and 17.30 hrs. I can see 7 speeders passed my house in 5 minutes.

Future Traffic Calming Measures
There is a possibility that we are going to get a pro active sign. This will most be probably placed
coming into the village.

I think Flintshire Highways have no plans to calm the morning rat run that runs from the centre of the village outwards.
I think they are very reluctant on 20 mph route to school for Chester Rd which is the village centre.
I think there should be regime change at Flintshire Highways as they are uncommunicative and arrogant. A look at neighbouring council Wrexham shows Flintshire have little idea with regards to traffic calming in villages.

Any decent Highways department that had provided a By Pass would protect our village from short cutters. Surrounding counties have compulsory 20 mph in every village. Highways make excuses at every point.

This blog will possibly not help matters but I feel the need to point out how shabby Flintshire Highways are. A relic of "Old Flintshire" which I hope will be spring cleaned when the new broom Colin Everett starts as Chief Executive later this month.

Arrive Alive and Statistics

I have asked my mate Dave to pass an email to the Freedom of Information people at Flintshire. I email Dave as they don't have an email address. Lets make things awkward it will cut down the number of requests? I have requested traffic data for Chester Road that Flintshire Highways carried out over a 4 or 5 day period before the meeting with Flintshire Highways.

PC Chris Pullen at the Neighbourhood forum repeated the red herring that our average speed through the Chester Road, Penyffordd is 32 mph.
This was the original figure quoted after Hugh Jones put his magic box on the lampost which measures speed, time for all vehicles passing that point. The magic box supercedes the two strips across the road and a box.
Our data is here if you scroll down. Its now 39mph after I protested to Arrive Alive that the 32mph average was plainly wrong. 100's of cars in 2nd gear coming out of Penymynydd Rd were disguising what was actually happening outside my house

I think this average system is adopted to keep the qualification bar high. This means there are communities all over North Wales that have requested help from Arrive Alive but fail to qualify because drivers who obey the law water down the number of speeders.

If you look at the daily rat run in Chester Rd Penyffordd and then bear in mind that Arrive Alive quoted an original figure an original figure of 32 mph you would think the qualifying system was inaccurate

Lets have a fair reporting system where communities are given the number of speeders and their speed not this fudging average after all its the speeders that matter so lets not water things down with law abiding motorists.

Gordon plays a blinder

Gordon Brown continues to impress as does Alistair Darling. My politics should be conservative flavoured.

Margaret Thatcher photographed outside Number 10 in Pink. A refreshing change.

Many photos in the news have been re adjusted to red...............

Traffic Calming at DirectGov

Here's the stuff Flintshire Highways want to avoid for Chester Rd Penyffordd.
I would wish my elected councillors would look here.

Click here

and here

Speeds within Villages

Reductions in mean speed, over both directions, ranged from 2mph to 12mph, with 85th percentile reductions of up to 14mph. The largest reductions occurred in Costessey, Craven Arms and Thorney, where physical measures were used, and in Hayton with its high 'before' speeds prior to the reduction in speed limit from 60mph to 40mph. Individually, physical measures yielded speed reductions of between 7mph and 12mph.

A comparison between Pant and Dorrington, where the schemes were similar, shows greater speed reductions in Pant. These were mainly due to the change in speed limit, and could also have been influenced by the use of the speed limit roundels, the closer spacing of the patches and the lower 'before' speeds in Dorrington. However, the mean and 85th percentile speeds remained higher in Pant than in Dorrington. In Craven Arms and Pant the use of the repeater roundels reduced speeds by about 4mph to 5mph; however, similar markings in West Wellow resulted in average reductions of only 3mph.

The series of refuges, linked by centre hatching, in Copster Green had only a small effect, with a reduction in mean and 85th percentile speeds of only 2mph to 3mph.

In cases where fixed speed cameras were used (Thorney and Great Glen) additional speed reductions were no more than 2mph.

The target of obtaining 85th percentile speeds which did not exceed the speed limit, was seldom met. In Thorney it was achieved near the chicane (not shown in table 2). In Craven Arms it was achieved where the speed cushions were employed, but not on the sections where repeater roundels were marked. Elsewhere, 85th percentile speeds were above the speed limit.

Night-time mean and 85th percentile speeds were typically higher than daytime speeds, by 2mph to 4mph. Night-time reductions in speed were similar to, or slightly greater than, day-time reductions.

Traffic Flows

The lack of alternative routes for the trunk road villages meant that there was no change in the overall traffic flow levels, or in the proportion of heavy vehicles, after scheme installation. In Costessey there were some changes, and these are reported more fully in TA Leaflet 14/99.

Noise

Measurements of both vehicle noise (noise of individual vehicles passing over measures) and traffic noise (the overall effect of the scheme on ambient noise levels) were taken. These measurements were made in Thorney, Craven Arms, Costessey and Hayton.

For vehicle noise, the measures resulted in a reduction for both light and heavy vehicles which ranged from about 1 dB(A) to more than 10 dB(A). Further details of vehicle noise measurements for Thorney, Craven Arms and Costessey are contained in their respective TA Leaflets. In Hayton, vehicle noise surveys showed that the average maximum noise levels at the mean site speed were reduced by 10.5 dB(A) for light vehicles and 7.1 dB(A) for heavy vehicles. The surfacing (that is the textured surfacing used for the red patches and the resurfacing that took place before the patches were laid) appeared to contribute to the reduction in noise levels. A resident had complained of a 'pulsing' sound as vehicles crossed the textured patches. This was measurable but the fluctuation in noise levels was less than 1 dB(A) and only occurred with some types of cars. The reason for the complaint appeared to be the change in character of the noise, rather than an increase in noise.

For traffic noise, in all cases (except at the Craven Arms site at night) a reduction in overall traffic noise was achieved. This was largely attributable to reductions in speed. Daytime noise levels at Hayton fell by 8.6 dB(A) while night-time levels were down by 13 dB(A). Background daytime noise levels in Hayton fell by 9.4 dB(A) but night-time background noise levels were only reduced by 2.3 dB(A). This is due to the much lower traffic flows at night and, therefore, the less influence that traffic has on background (or ambient) noise levels.

Are Flintshire Highways going to play Dirty Tricks?

Last night was Penyffordd and District Neighbourhood Forum run by PC Chris Pullen. Not well attended. The England Russia match didn't help. There was something wrong with my telly as it said England were winning 3 - 0.

During the meeting PC Chris Pullen opined that the route to school option would be limited to Penymynydd Rd which is off Chester Rd. Why would Chris say this? I think I know why.

Chester Road of course is the centre of the village where maybe 50 / 75% of junior children would need to walk or cycle through to school.

Flint High School is off the main road. They have an advisory 20 mph on a major road.

Why would Chester Road, Penyffordd be different?

Answers on a postcard after the A494 enquiry.

ps. When Flintshire Highways have finished their traffic calming measures Hugh Jones of Arrive Alive can put his magic box which measures traffic speed back up and we can see the results.

pps. Current traffic calming measures implemented result in no observable change in the rat run

Penyffordd Social Event

Click to Enlarge

Dear Dave

Photo removed at the request of parents

An Email to Dave Faulkner Acting Director for Regeneration and Environment Flintshire County Council.

Dear Dave
Hope you are well. It seems we have a mutual aquaintance in the Sage of Pantymwyn, Teg of Bent Fescue.
I see Teg most Wednesdays, rain appears to follow him around. Today we are playing Denbigh
or perhaps I should ge used to Dinbych which is a lovely woodland course, 10 million miles from the noisy A55. As Environment I presume you like Denbigh with its many wild flowers.

You will be aware perhaps that Flintshire Highways have started the traffic calming of Chester Road. They have given us an extra set of 30 mph signs and half a rumble strip. To be fair the rumble strips have a strong profile.

Can you ask Charles Hughes, Head of Engineering whether we can have the other half? They've got the full hit in Mold Road, Connah's Quay, both sides.

It's ******** birthday today the child at the top. He stars as D'artagnan in one of my previous blogs. I have given him £2 to spend. This he will do as he is in and out The Post Office all day. He will be in there asking "What can I have for £2?"
I'd prefer him to go to Penyffordd Spar for some apples and oranges but you know how it is.

He crosses Chester Road about 10 times a day. That's the road where they do 50 - 60 mph if you remember. ******* has this sweet innocent naivette. He tells me things he shouldn't like "my dad lives with his girlfriend" ******** seems well adjusted to this arrangement.

********' mum kits him out with the fluorescent in the hope every motorist will see him when he cycles on our 50 mph road.

I've included a picture of him as a reminder of Flintshire Highways responsibilities to the Penyffordd village as opposed to the county road network which should be adequately catered for by Penyffordd By - Pass.

regards Colin

ps If Charles Hughes makes Penymynydd roundabout smaller he''ll get a few more vehicles round it quicker.

pps. It's the Neighbourhood Forum tonight with PC Chris Pullen. Myself and others will be pressing for HGV exclusion from the village, after all we do have The By-Pass.

pps. I have this Mark Kendall from Buckinghamshire monitoring my blog, I think he is Police linked. Not sure what he's looking for. I left him a song to listen too. Click. It will almost certainly not be to your liking though.
I've spoke to PC Chris Pullen today, my case has not yet appeared on his desk.

Chris and Hugh do Chester Rd Penyffordd

Click on image to enlarge

Embarrassed or bemused. Haven't you two got something better to do? perhaps?
Some figures ( I hope I have these right)

Child Pedestrians Seriously Injured or killed 2005 11,250
Child Cyclists Seriously Injured or killed 2005 3,759
Same figures for adults 34,000
Click here (pdf)


Here's Little Fauss and Big Halsy. A film from the 70's I think. Chris Pullen is 6' 3" he has to duck when going through doors, Chris is carrying serious hardware. I'm the same height as Hugh by the way. Hugh is evangelical about speeding.

Link.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065989/

Penyffordd and District Neighbourhood Forum September 12th 2007 at 19.00hrs

Airbus and Raytheon Shift Workers to get 6 points for speeding through Chester Road?

In The Daily Mail today ( Click here)

Drivers caught flagrantly breaking the speed limit - for example, by doing 45mph in a 30mph zone - would face a £60 fine and six points on their licence.

Two such offences would be enough to trigger a ban.

Should Arrive Alive be disbanded?

Dear Evening Leader,

A letter or article for future consideration

Arrive Alive cannot currently keep up with requests by communities in North Wales for their services. I feel Arrive Alive should be disbanded to save tax money and to make way for a self funded private company. North Wales is currently plagued by highly dangerous and very noisy motorcycles who use North Wales as a race track at weekends.

North Wales Police are at present of no help.

The new private company to carry speed cameras and noise measuring equipment with new rules of engagement.

Chester Road Penyffordd, a route to school currently has in excess of 2000 speeding motorists a day. That's in theory £120,000 in speed fines plus fines for illegal exhaust drivers who are technically uninsured. The current outdated and inefficient system should not be allowed to continue. Privatisation brings efficiency and also less danger and more peaceful environments for small North Wales communities.

Flintshire Highways token effort at Traffic Calming

Click image to enlarge

This stretch of road has over 2000 speeders a day. As any fule kno* this road will remain a speeder's paradise unless they get points or are physically unable to drive their vehicles at more than 30 mph through vertical platforms or the use of single lanes.
No degree in civil engineering needed.
Wrexham Council use these techniques very well! In Rossett, Rhos and Cefn Mawr.

My elected county councillors will be in touch Flintshire Highways.

cc. The Great and the Good

* A Private Eye term
Links
Nigel Molesworth

Flintshire Highways outside my house today

Blocking the drive, but I keep my quiet. Don't want to be on the end of another charge. Could they be starting serious traffic calming measures for Chester Rd?
No such luck.
Traffic flies passed while they put new street name signs up.
Is that what they call irony?
Nothing like getting one's priorities right. I hope Colin Everett the new Chief Executive for Flintshire County Council is going to give them all a kick in the pants.

Not sure I've mentioned this but I have his email address and he looked at the blog twice on Saturday. I've emailed Colin just to get him up to speed. I've told him it's nothing personal but I will knock Flintshire Council any way I can until Flintshire Highways joins the 21 st century just as Wreham Council have with regards to traffic calming.

In The Flintshire Evening Leader tonight Castle Cement

Helping to save the planet. A visit by The Institute of Mechanical Engineers Mersey and North Wales Branch. If I had been allowed to study an extra year (5th) at college and passed the exam I would have been eligible to join the above institute. Then I could have had IMechE after my name. :( Hawker Siddeley declined to let me go.

Castle Cement's new kiln will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 17.5 % the equivalent of taking 17,000 cars off the road. Not to belittle Castle Cement but consider the following.

China is opening a new power station every 6 weeks. Its going to build 45 new airports in the next 5 years. The Chinese will all want cars, to be able to fly around the world.
Also India will want to do similar. As will other Far East countries.
Chinese Population 1.3 Billion
Indian Population Over 1 Billion
Airbus Broughton have shown them how to build Airbus parts . How long before all Airbus aircraft are built in the far east?

Links
China
India

Meanwhile on the letters page Jess has "the hots" for the talented Leader reporter Sarah Park.

A Dedication to the Policemen/ Women Monitoring my Blog

The IP address doing the monitoring is 81.146.52.250 about 6 or 8 times a day
May be set up on auto.
Their ISP based in Buckinghamshire?
Organisation: RIPE Network Coordination Centre Amsterdam
Person: Mark Kendall or Bob Dootson
It even has phone numbers for Mark and Bob on completewhois!
A google search on "Mark Kendall" police is interesting.

So I think it's good morning Mark.
Also a warm welcome to 212.137.45.109
Might be from here? http://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/

Links
IPWHOIS
http://www.completewhois.com/
If you can tell me what the Kanye West
video is all about mail me.
The girls should like the title
of the Daft Punk video.

Kanye West version.
The Kanya version a rip off
of Daft Punk.
Sorry I mean sample.

How do I arrive at the figure of 2000 cars speeding passed my house every day?

Perhaps Penyffordd County Councillor Colin Bithell thinks I have made it up or that I am fibbing.
It's not good practice fibbing as there is always someone out there who will find you out. On a personal level I find telling lies morally wrong and a waste of energy. I have told lies rarely but that is to spare someone's feelings.

On the day of the meeting arranged by David Williams CC with Flintshire Highways and Arrive Alive I spoke to Hugh Jones who is Flintshire County Council's Road Safety Officer and Arrive Alive man for Flintshire.
On the morning of the meeting I saw Hugh taking down a box from a lampost near the bus stop. This box which I had seen on the lamp post for a few days before had actually been there for 5 days.
The device monitors vehicle exact speed, date / time and direction.
The device had monitored traffic so that Charles Hughes Head of Engineering knew exacly what was happening on Chester Road. I recall Hugh saying the average for Chester Road was 2800 cars a day.

I told Hugh that Lisa and myself had also done a visual audit of the speeding traffic that morning.

Totals for Going Out of the village (Up Chester Rd) for 104 minutes (Wednesday 2nd May between 7.16 and 9.00am)
Perceived over 30 mph = 329 vehicles
Perceived under 30 mph = 93 vehicles
Total going out of village = 422

So 329 speeding vehicles out of 422 as a percentage equals 78%

78% (my approximation) of Arrive Alive's accurate figure of 2800 equals 2184 speeding vehicles passed my house daily which is in the centre of our village.

Since the meeting I spoken to Hugh Jones about my calculations , he didn't find my calculations incorrect.

These figures are not altered by Flintshire Highways token effort at traffic calming last week.

This blog has been emailed to David Williams. I have asked him to show it to CC Colin Bithell.

cc. Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom.

Links
Arrive Alive do Public Relations
Colin and Lisa's Traffic Survey before meeting with Flintshire Highways
Percentage Calculator
Arrive Alive's Speed Figures for Chester Road

Cyril the Squirrel and his Racing Terriers do Chatsworth Country Fair

This is at the end of the show when all dogs are allowed to compete in the race. On the right of the photo is a little red blob which the dogs are chasing. There's another 30 dogs behind these.

Our New Boat

This is one of my new projects. £200. It comes out of the box at the top right. An extra £100 for an electric motor and we are off to explore the River Dee. Freshwater first then the salt water part down to about Connah's Quay. I fancy riding up to Chester on the back of The Bore. Not many tail gaiters out there. It will be life jackets all around for me, Lisa and Dolly Dog. Dolly hates the water as opposed to The Hullit who couldn't be kept out of it. We haven't bought one yet but will shortly.

To Chatsworth to The Country Fair

Click on Image for a better view. No it's not stuffed it's real.

A Very Important Person

I've been out twice this week where my appearance on the front of The Evening Leader for some regretted remarks on my blog whilst in a state of anger has stimulated talk from quite a few people. Someone joked today that Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom will be after me with his tazer.

It appears I have achieved local celebrity status. All it requires is a knock on the door for my attendance down the Police Station for a caution or charge and I will be on the phone to Max Clifford. I'll get Lisa to ask the officer if she can take a photo of me being led away in handcuffs.
I'll come quietly guys.

ps. I don't fancy being on the receiving end of a tazer even if it is a photo opportunity, I''ll leave that to The Chief Constable.

Rhyl shows the way with Compulsory 20 mph outside school

MP Chris Ruane and AM Ann Jones and others became involved and 4,000 residents signed a petition.
Here in Penyfford our Councilors are currently quite happy with 2000 cars speeding past my house which is on a route to school. They think I make these figures up. They can't see what all the fuss is about.
Here in Penyffordd our councilors seem quite happy to wait for the accident

Links
BBC NE Wales
BMA calls for 20mph near school
Teeside Introduce 20 mph outside schools
A Tale of Two Schools

Some eduction for my councillors

Meanwhile, the area around Eleanor Palmer Primary School in Tufnell Park, north west London, is an oasis of calm.

Its problems have never been on a par with the North Circular but the surrounding roads were used as a rat-run before a £450,000 government cash injection brought pedestrianisation, barriers, better lighting and 20mph speed restrictions.

The area has been designated a Home Zone - a government initiative to reduce traffic flow speeds and casualties from road collisions.

Barriers, signs, lighting and a paved pedestrian section have turned the area into an oasis

"The aim has been to cut speeds down to 15mph in the surrounding roads," said Cllr John Thane, Camden Council's executive member for transport and the environment.

"There are still roads where speeds are hovering above this but we are getting there."

Dear Evening Leader

A Letter for your consideration.

On Wednesday night Penyffordd Community Council held their monthly meeting, the agenda for which is below. So little is thought of 2000 speeding cars a day through Chester Road the centre of our village that it didn't even make it as an agenda item.

I realise that community council's have little money or power but this daily insult to our village hardly registers. County Councillor Colin Bithell used the Beat Manager's report to launch into a tirade against my criticism of his lack of backing for 20 mph Route to School implementation.

The Rat Run is in the opposite direction to the puny traffic calming measures implemented this week by Flintshire Highways. I feel the Community Council should resign en masse as they are not fit for purpose.

My County Councilors should also consider their positions. Sorry to be repetitive Councillors but The Rat Run charges through the middle of the village outward!

How to get Police Attention

Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom gets Zapped

There are a quite few people out there who do not like Richard. I'm pretty pleased with him at the moment because he has given PC Chris Pullen his very own laser speed gun. I have given Chris details of what times the "out of towner's" hurl through our village.

Click here to see the zapping.

Warning BBC doesn't like Mozilla so it may close it down.
Best looked at with Internet Explorer.

It's Microsoft and The BBC conspiring.

Penyffordd Community Council Meeting September 2007 Page 1 of 3

In Item number 5 Police Liason it was claimed my letters to The Evening Leader "were making the village look like we are all speeders."

I suggest a site meeting at 7. 15 am on a weekday at Chester Rd for the Community Council and County Councillors. Most of the speeders are through traffic.

A further claim from the meeting. "The Council have done all they can."
This statement shows a complete lack of any understanding of traffic calming for rural villages.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further Comments made by Council.

"The Beat Manager (not Chris Pullen) and Arrive Alive have only booked two drivers."
The above turn up after the Rat Run, very high profile, fluorescents visible from a mile.
Everyone flashing each other to warn each other.

Our councillors are too lazy to do their own research. ( That's excepting Linda and Cindy)
I can spot a speeding driver past my house any minute of the day from 5. 30 am until 11.00 pm

Community Council quote Arrive Alive considers the speeding not excessive.

2000 cars a day speeding at up to 70 mph not excessive!
An email to Arrive Alive by myself pointing out that their data was flawed resulted in an upgrading of 7 mph to our figures. Click here.

Community Council Quote My Blog was flashy and misrepresentative.
I suppose they think I make up figures like 2000 speeding motorists a day. Flintshire Highways and Arrive Alive can tell you exactly how many cars speed passed my house and the exact speed as they did a survey for 5 days before the meeting with Flintshire Highways arranged by David Williams CC.

Penyffordd Community Council Meeting September 2007 Page 2 of 3

Penyffordd Community Council Meeting September 2007 Page 3 of 3

Environment Agency Wales Update Castle Cement

Penyffordd Community Council Meeting September 2007

A little more lively than normal because of yours truly and also a good report by Mr Morris of Environment Agency Wales. In fact The Council have held a private meeting after the public have left. My wife Lisa has made copious notes of which I will take full advantage of over the next few days.
I intend to send a letter of explanation to all Penyffordd Community Councillors.
A Chester Rd resident was in attendance at the meeting who was gagging to tell the Community Council that they need to wake up! Lisa advised the need for caution. My interview with him to follow.

I thank The Evening Leader most profusely. The new order of democracy starts to take shape.

Links

Gold Mining on the Internet

I think my mate Dave does not think too much about blogs but maybe The Internet has just scraped the surface in our lives. How does one do gold mining over The Internet?. This is an example of thinking outside the box.

If you are a Gold Mining Company you get all your charts of your mine with all the geological data and you put it all on The Internet. You then offer the public £500,000 reward for succesfully predicting gold veins in your Gold Mine.

The bosses' management team thought he had flipped his lid but they were made to eat their words. Retired geologists, students, military people and others were able to predict many sites that the company's own people were unable to find turning the value of the company from 100 million to 9 billion.

The Evening Leader appear to have seen the light with regards media and now sees the future as a collaboration between themselves and their readers.

The Guardian Online being IMHO the best around. Their Comment is Free being particularly good. Some of their contributors I can live without though. Toynbee, Tariq Ali etc.

Link
Gold Mining
Innocentives
The Mail goes surfing The Internet