General Discussion
is this the bit up to lanherne @ZIGGY? what are they doing there. an awful lot of concrete has been poured for what looks like little happening! agree, don't think it's going to be finished any time soon.
Who do the counclis down here actually support, the people that reside here or central governments whims and the major construction companies at the expense of the locals and their environment?
Does Dawlish council actually exist or is it just a figment of my imagination?
As I walk around Dawlish, on a daily basis, it annoys me that:-
1) Drunks congregating on The Lawn to consume alcohol/drugs and generally being offensive. This is even after the NOTICES went up all over the entrance's to The Lawn prohibiting such behaviour.
2) The so called destruction/construction of a cycle path that will enable the few cyclist's who deem to use it. To shoot through Dawlish on the way to Teignmouth and beyond, instilling a certain amount of danger for those pedestrians who foolishly wish to use the PAVEMENT.
3) Down by The Cove the saa wall has been deconstructing itself for many years and now is close to collasping due to erosion by the force of the sea. So, coming up to Summer season they fence the area of and start their work to reapair it. Sitting directly opposite is the burnt out remains of the snack van that someone decided to set light to months earlier.
4) To many shops in Dawlish are now charity shops.
5) An increase in begging and violence took place last year with no visable increase in police patrols, although any increase on nearly nothing most probably would not be easily noticed.
6) The large number of new homes being built without any fore thought for the infrastructure required to support them and the population who resides there.
7) The running down of many council services and the increase in rates, but little sign of thinning out the numbers of big wigs in the councils who get paid large salaries for doing nothing more than maintaining security of their own jobs and pensions.
8) The state of many pavemenst and roads throughout Dawlish and beyond are in a dire mess.
9) The new streat lights are so bright, especially when you are driving up hills towards them, whose daft idae was it to install them? Was it only saving a few pence per year on running them that was the deciding factor to install them?
DCC, Teignbridge council, Dawlish council and central government all have a part to play in this mess and all they do is demand more money from the hard working, underpaid masses. They have no understanding, or do they, that they were elected in to power to support and respect the wishes of the electorate rather than entertaining their own whims and fancies.. I suppose nothing ever changes for the best in the world of politics.
Cyclists continue to use the main road as I witnessed when travelling the relatively short distance to Sainsbury's on Saturday afternoon. Had I been able, I would have taken photos to prove a point as it appears that this cycle path is turning out to be an expensive white elephant & could even be dangerous in the summer months when cyclists and those alighting from coaches by the station come into contact, perhaps literally.
The area opposite the station is indeed a serious hazard zone, and must surely have to be rethought. As newly installed it passes directly by the front door of the Brainwave charity shop and the front doors of flat entrances, Anyone stepping out onto the pavement is at serious risk of being bowled over. And I thought the Council was obsessed with Health and Safety - apparently normal safety rules no longer apply when bicycle riders (who will of course bring much wealth to the town as they streak through) are concerned.
Brother-in-law down three weeks ago had a close shave with a cyclist speeding along the so called cycle/footpath through Dawlish and then again today on the cycle path/footpath along the main road..............you know, the one not wide enough to have the white line painted down the middle. Today, the cyclist gave no warning of their approach from behind and just whizzed past him, if he had bent down to tie a shoe lace or simply moved to the right slightly there would have been a nasty collision! How's long before a child is injured?
Cassandra comlaining about cyclists on the road, and Margaret Swift complaining about cyclists on the cyclepath.... Hmm...
Well, here's a slightly different 'complaint'.
I went along Warren Road about 11.00am today and lo and behold there was a car parked on the cyclepath outside the shops by the chip shop/Ryders bakery.
no @tom, i am pointing out the folly of a combined cycle and footpath with no delineation for either, which is a recipe for disaster!
and @tom, the cyclepath was built by the council to ensure the safety of cyclists by taking them off the road, which they are choosing to ignore, and not much thought seems to have been given to the safety of pedestrians on said path.
I may be being thick, but if the cyclepath is dangerous for cyclists to share with pedestrians, why do people complain about cyclists being on the road instead?
I'm not complaining about them being on the road, that's where they belong, not on a footpath! OR they should be on a cycle path, but all that has happened in Dawlish is that the footpath has been renamed as a cycle/footpath. I do think it is all a bit bizarre.
Tom, people complain about, some cyclist's not all, the lycra brigade are the worst on the road. In my own observations whilst using the road the lycra clads rarely comply with the highway code and can become very aggressive and can be a danger to other road user's.
As to the new cycle/perdestrian area's in Dawlish. They are dangerous for pedestrians because, as Margaret has pointed out, there is no segregation between cyclists and pedestrians. I personally do not want to be walking along, what was originally a footpath, with people on cycles whizzing passed me at speed.
Another point - the zebra crossing by the railway line has been extended for the cyclists, but the lighting now only covers the cycle section not the original zebra crossing.
The new cycle paths through, being the operative word, have had only cyclists in mind without a thought for pedestrians. This is just typical of the types of Frankenstein projects created by council/government bodies, that cost millions in taxpayer's hard earned money, popping up all over the country. It's just madness when basic services for the communities are being run into the ground.
Dawlish really need to get their act together before serious accidents occur. Today, as I walked on the pavement past the toilets towards the co-op, two cyclists were riding behind me close enough to injure me if I suddenly stopped. I did point out that this was not a cycle path but both ignored me and continued to cycle along the pavement. In Barnstaple, where they have the excellent Tarka Trail, they have signs indicating when cyclists need to dismount when they get to pedestrian only pavements. Unfortunately this is not the case in Dawlish and there is utter confusion about where the cyclists can and cannot cycle.
@flo yes there is a narrow gully but you will have to dismount at the top of the steps. one of the workman just told me it was too steep to allow a cycle lane.
@ZIGGY - you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be some adventurous cyclist's who will not dismount. i have seen mountain biker's go down much steeper steps than this, just hope i'm not on them when some 20 stone lycra clad weekend warrior, mountain biker decides to push there skill set decending them.
The town council's Finance and General Purposes commitee meets this Thursday (20th) at 7.00pm.
Before the formal meeting starts there will be a presentation on the Dawlish to T'mouth extension of the Exe Estuary cycle trail.
The presentation is due to start at 6.30pm.
The 'town council' - it's a shame, in my opinion, they do not represent the majority of hard working Dawlish people. Spend, spend, spend, but rarily on what matters to the Dawlish people. The town is being run into the ground and does Dawlish town council do anything?
Any thoughts then on what Dawlish town council might do bearing in mind its limited range of statutory powers and finances?
Lynne, Nowt!
It looks very nice and I think the arch is especially attractive. Pity they had to place the telegraph pole where it is. But as for it's practicallity, it's rubbish. I have already seen many a folk struggling to get up those steps and many more struggling to get down. Oh! I forgot to mention, no way up or down for mobility scooters andquite difficult for those with push chairs.