Milnbank Road

Temporary Traffic Order – Milnbank Road

From the City Council :
 
THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 – SECTION 14(1)
 
THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of BT cabling works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Milnbank Road (between Bankmill Road and Rosefield Street), Dundee.
 
This notice comes into effect on Monday 2 March 2020 for 1 day.
 
Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.
 
Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Milnbank Road / Polepark Road / Lochee Road / Tullideph Road / City Road.
 
For further information contact 433082.
 
Executive Director of City Development
Dundee City Council

Milnbank Road phone box – an update #dundeewestend

Further to my recent article about the state of the phone box in Milnbank Road, I have had the following feedback from BT :
 
“I’ve requested that an engineer be sent to give the box a clean.
 
I’m sorry to say that we will not be repainting the box as it has now been added to our street rationalisation project.
 
Our contractors are due to put a notice in this box to advise that we are removing it.
 
There would be the possibility to adopt the kiosk and our website here shows who can do this.”
 
I queried the lack of consultation and usage figures at the phone box and was further advised by BT :
 
“There will be no formal notification as this box does not meet OFCOM criteria (there is another one within 400 metres).    We are posting a courtesy notice to advise that it is being removed and where the nearest one is located.
 
I’m afraid I can’t share usage with you but can say that it has had no emergency calls in the last twelve months.
 
Once the notice has been posted we would try and remove within 24 weeks.    This is why I advised regarding adoption.”
 
I have responded to BT stating that, whatever their commercial considerations, the company has a responsibility to give an indication of usage before considering removing a phone box as boxes should not be removed where there is still a reasonable level of calls.

Improving Milnbank Road pavements #dundeewestend

I raised with the City Council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership the condition of the pavements in Milnbank Road, following complaints from residents.
 
I have since received the following positive feedback :
 
“Milnbank Road footways from Rosefield Street to Easson’s Angle, both sides, are included in the 2018-2019 Footway Resurfacing Programme. 
 
An inspection will be carried out in the meantime and any actionable defects repaired to ensure safety is maintained.”

West End playpark improvements

Having long campaigned for an upgrade to the Victoria Park playpark, it is good to see the proposals for the impending improvements agreed by the council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee – here’s a couple of images of the plans that should be completed before the end of March :

 

Last July, I raised with the council residents’ requests to make improvements at the playpark in Milnbank Road/Bankmill Road and I am pleased at the positive response to my request.   On Monday, the council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee will consider the following proposal :

Milnbank Play Area – Improve all surfacing within the play area. This includes removing slabbed surface and replacing with rubber mulch safety surface and additional ground restoration works.

I am also pleased that the following proposal is also being considered on Monday :

Magdalen Green Play Area – Improve stability of the well-used banking by installation of a Scramble net to enhance play for users and additional restoration to safety surfacing.

Playpark at Bankmill Road/Milnbank Road

I recently was asked by residents if the playpark at Bankmill Road/Milnbank Road could be improved – see below :
The playpark has not had any capital funding spent on it in a very long time and I asked the council if it can be considered for future improvements.
 
The Head of Environment in the City Council’s Neighbourhood Services who initially advised me :
 
“I will get one of our staff to have a look at this.    In terms of priorities for 2016/2017 we are looking at Dawson and Victoria Park with other sites having minor improvement with Health and Safety being an important factor. The budget is going to be the limiting factor.”
 
I have already updated residents about the welcome improvements planned to Victoria Park’s playpark planned for this year but I am hoping that ewe can see improvements for the playpark at Bankmill Road/Milnbank Road in the future as well.


The Assistant Operations Manager for Neighbourhood Services in the west of the city further updated me regarding this playpark that :


” .. there were improvements in 2015 to the park, mainly the south fence and there was a new Timber Climb / slide installed. The remainder of the units are probably 10 years old. 


(It is a) bit run down due to the amount of hard surfacing – mainly slabs, tar paths, etc.   I am currently looking to see if this can be softened up by grassing some of this.  Also, the benches and bins could do with re-positioning which I will have carried out.”

Temporary Traffic Order – Milnbank Road

From the City Council :
 
THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 – SECTION 14(1)
 
THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water manhole repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Milnbank Road (between Rosefield Street and Bankmill Road), Dundee.
 
This notice comes into effect on Monday 3 August 2015 for one day.
 
Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.
 
Alternative routes are available via Rosefield Street / Blackness Road / Forest Park Road.
 
For further information contact 433168.
 
Director of City Development
Dundee City Council

Road safety : Bankmill Road/Milnbank Road junction

Residents have raised with me concerns about road safety at the Bankmill Road/Milnbank Road junction, with vehicles coming along Milnbank Road having to pull in at the junction to give way to vehicles heading along Milnbank Road in the opposite direction.
 
I raised the concerns with the City Council and the City Council’s Head of Transportation has now updated me as follows :
 
“From a recent site inspection and information provided by yourself the vehicles travelling along Milnbank Road are unlikely vehicles exceeding the 30 mph speed limit but due to parked vehicles and the narrow carriageway width they may perception that vehicles are exceeding the 30 mph speed limit.
There are double yellow on the south side of Milnbank Road at the Bankmill Road junction to maintain the free passage of vehicles with a give and take arrangement in place.  This will be the part of the concerns that your constituent raises that the junction is used as a pull in, however there are very limited options available in this vicinity.  Due to the residential flats on the north side of Milnbank Road it is not feasible to place double yellow lines along the full length of the north side as this would prohibit the residents from parking near their properties and would likely be met with objections.
I will arrange to carry out further monitoring of this location and consider this location for inclusion within a future traffic speed survey site.  It may be that difficult options looking at additional parking restrictions opposite Bankmill Road may be needed.   This may be countered that it is disproportionate and that the continuation of occasional pulling into the junction has to be tolerated by residents of Bankmill Road, as regular user of the area you drive cautiously in expectation that this may arise.
My engineers will report back in the coming months once the surveys and further observations are undertaken.”

Temporary Traffic Order : Milnbank Road

From Dundee City Council :
 
THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984
SECTION 14(1)

THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Milnbank Road (from its junction with Polepark Road to Lawrence Street), Dundee.

This notice comes into effect on Tuesday 14 January 2014 for 1 day.
Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.
Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Edward Street / Forest Park Place / Forest Park Road.

For further information contact (01382) 433168.

Mike P Galloway

Director of City Development

Dundee City Council

Additional bus service to assist part of the West End


A new peak time bus service, jointly funded by the City Council and Angus Council, and to be operated by National Express Dundee, will start next Monday (27th May) providing direct links between Piperdam, Liff, Ninewells Hospital and the City Centre.
The good news for the West End is that parts of the West End including Guthrie Street, Brook Street, Milnbank Road, City Road, Tullideph Road and Ancrum Road will be covered by the new route.    This is particularly welcome for those residents who used to rely on the former Stagecoach 74 service that was withdrawn back in 2009.
The timetable can be downloaded here.

City Road pavement repairs promised

Last month, following residents’ concerns, I raised with both the City Council and Scottish Water the unfinished state of the east pavement of City Road, near the junction with Milnbank Road, following work by Scottish Water.   The matter was also raised at last week’s Community Spirit local residents’ group meeting.

I again contacted Scottish Water, who promised a site visit with the City Council last Thursday.   Following this, I was advised :

“Following the site meeting … I can confirm repair work will start next Tuesday.  The road will need to be closed during the repair work and local diversions will be in place.”


West End graffiti clean up

This morning, along with members of the Community Spirit Action Group, volunteers from Jericho House and Hillcrest Housing Association and City Council Communities Officer, Waste Management and two of my ward colleagues, I participated in another West End graffiti clean up.

At the last clean up, we concentrated on streets in the southern part of the West End, so today, we put our efforts into cleaning up graffiti in the northern part of the ward in Community’s Spirit’s coverage area, tackling graffiti in streets like Milnbank Road, Lower Pleasance and Rosefield Place.     Here’s me in Lower Pleasance earlier this morning!

Cleaning up graffiti in the West End

As reported tonight in the Evening Telegraph, this morning I attended the graffiti clean-up by Scottish and Southern Energy of Electricity Sub Stations across the West End – the photo (below) is of me with some of the Scottish and Southern team at Milnbank Road.

Tomorrow morning, the West End graffiti weekend graffiti clean-up by residents, councillors, community groups, and supported by the City Council, begins in earnest at the former Homebase site in Riverside Drive.

Fence repair – good news

I have received a number of complaints recently that the low fencing at the grassed area immediately west of the tenements on the north side of Milnbank Road is in a poor state.

The area of ground is in the ownership of the City Council’s Economic Development Department and I am pleased to advise that the department has confirmed to me that it has, following my raising the issue with them, instructed repairs.

Milnbank Road

I have been advised by the City Council that, due to manhole replacement work, Milnbank Road will be closed to traffic (between Forest Park Road and Rosefield Street) next Monday (8th October) for one day only.
Pedestrians will be able to use the pavements as normal.
If you have any queries, you can contact the Planning & Transportation Department on 433168.

Milnbank Road and Morven Terrace

Had complaints from residents that the electricity sub-station in Milnbank Road (near to Bankmill Road and the playpark) is badly graffitied (see right). I have reported this to Scottish & Southern Electric asking for it to be tidied up.
In my recent FOCUS Special Edition for Ancrum and Pentland areas, I highlighted the visit I had recently made to meet residents in Morven Terrace who pointed out that the pavement at the entrance is so narrow that many elderly people walk at the side of the road and there is no “Elderly Persons Crossing” warning sign near the entrance (there is one in the car park; rather the wrong location!) Furthermore a “slow” sign as you exit the Terrace is bent and covered by a hedge. Having reported this to the City Council, I have now had the following feedback from the Director of Planning & Transportation :
“The site has been investigated. and I have requested the maintenance section to repair / replace the ‘bent’ sign and arrange for the foliage to be cut back. The ‘elderly persons’ crossing sign will be repositioned.”

Phone Box Success!

Back in December, I raised the issue of the “missing door” on Milnbank Road’s phone box and the problems I had encountered trying to get a response from BT to get it fixed. Click on the headline above to view the original story.

Anyway, despite assurances the company would try to fit a new door in January, it didn’t happen, so I have since been in touch with BT again and this time it has paid off – there’s now a new door on the box – see right (taken in last week’s brilliant sunshine!)

AGM, phone boxes, bus services

It was my local party AGM last night and having got the real business out of the way promptly, we had an enjoyable social evening thereafter. A number of people commented how good the West End Christmas Lights Switch-On was and how nice the tree looks this year.

Some time ago (long before this blog started!) a number of West End residents asked me about why there is no bus service to the Gallacher Retail Park – for someone on foot its a fair trek from the City Centre. At that time, City Council officers opened discussions with the retail park owners about this. I’ve now asked for an update. With the success of this retail park and new stores opening (most recently Borders bookstore) it would be good to see buses running there.
Lastly, you’ll recall from earlier blogs that I have raised with BT several complaints recently about the state of some local phone boxes – Logie Aveue, Magdalen Place – and in Milnbank Road where the box has its door missing – see right.

The method of reporting to BT (a form on their website) is less than satisfactory and all you get back is an automated response.

Having received complaints that BT has done nothing to fix the door at Milnbank Road, I e-mailed them and he’s the latest exchange – makes your heart sink rather :

ME TO BT:

Dear Sirs
Can you update me on position re this?
Also, the phone box in Milnbank Road Dundee I reported to you weeks ago is STILL missing its door – can you advise ASAP.
Best regards
Fraser

BT BACK TO ME:

Subject: Re: URGENT : From Cllr Macpherson, Dundee City Council
Dear Mr Macpherson,
Thank you for your e-mail dated the 6th of December, 2006 regarding your recent contact with BT.
Please accept my apologies for the delay in replying to you and for any inconvenience this may have caused.
In response to your e-mail, I would request you to kindly elaborate your query and if it pertains to your BT account, please forward your account number as well. This information is needed for security reasons.
In the meantime, I would like to thank you for you patience and cooperation.
If you should have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us again via e-mail.
Thank you for contacting BT.
Yours sincerely,
BT Customer Services

ME BACK TO BT:

Dear Sirs,
Your e-mail appears to have been sent without checking the nature of my complaint. These were in my capacity as a City Councillor and pertain to vandalism/condition of several local phone boxes. They have nothing whatsoever to do with my personal phone account.
I am particularly concerned that months after raising complaints about a door missing off the phone box in Milnbank Road, Dundee, it remains unrepaired.
I’d be most grateful if you would advise of the position ASAP – many thanks.
Best regards
Fraser
Cllr Fraser Macpherson
Liberal Democrat Group Leader
Convener of the Finance Committee
Dundee City Council