Road works

suvin · January 08, 2015, 09: PM

Major disruptions in Powlett Road for the next 5 months. This is a major route into town from the north and will impact all other routes. This will be the 3rd time in 18 months that there have been road works on this route. There are also plans to close the Hart Lane-Middleton Road-Raby Road junction again to lay new gas mains. This junction was closed most of last year.

crisstw · January 09, 2015, 08: AM

From what I've read, the Powlett Road road works makes sense. They're widening the road for westbound traffic so that it's two lanes. This should ease congestion in the future, I hope....

steveL · January 09, 2015, 12: PM

If you have a single road joining two stretches of dual carriageway then you have an immediate bottleneck which can be witnessed every night at 5pm. This work was always inevitable at some stage but no doubt it will take twice as long as it really should.

no6bus · January 09, 2015, 03: PM

Given that the road under the railway bridge can not be widened how will this help matters ?

seaton · January 10, 2015, 10: AM

Quote from: no6bus on January 09, 2015, 03: PM
Given that the road under the railway bridge can not be widened how will this help matters ?

Am I right in saying this bridge was replaced several years ago when the Marina was being developed if so why didn't they have some vision and make it wide enough for dualling ?

no6bus · January 10, 2015, 11: AM

The bridge was replaced well after the marina was developed

Inspector Knacker · January 10, 2015, 08: PM

The bridge was replaced, but the embankment could not be replaced which is the facor which dictates the the road width........ and exactly how much of the road is actuallly being widened, I suspect it's a rather small section.

mk1 · January 11, 2015, 05: AM

One problem is obvious. The new road approaches and exits from an angle the complete opposite to the way the bridge is alligned. I suspect the poor pedestrian is going to lose most of his access under the bridge in order to grant the motorist his inalienable right to cut 1.5 seconds from his jouney along Powlet Road.
We can see the confirmation of this total capitulation to the needs of a motorist by the way the town is cut in two and the pedestrian has risk his life jinking crossing 4 busy lanes of speeding cars to get to the 'Jewel In The Crown' Marina. No thought at all is given to anyone not using a car and the recent near obliteration of the pavement on the corner of Oxford Road/Stockton Road is proof positive the Council are totally in thrall to the motoring community.
I suspect the removal of the busses was also a deliberate act to keep these bothersome people out of the town centre and impeding the free flow of speeding traffic.

for fawkes sake · January 11, 2015, 10: AM

I don't know who is responsible fro designing the road network in Hartlepool but they are responsible for some of the worst examples of how public money can be wasted. I've lost track of the number of redesigns of the Raby Road/Hart Lane crossroads but let's not forget the Tesco roundabout saga and where were they when the plans for Bishop Cuthbert were put together which resulted in the Falcon Road controversy.

Now we're told that they're considering putting a roundabout outside of the Mail Office instead of the current maze of traffic lights but I'm certain that a roundabout would have been considered and ruled out when the new bridge was built. The present roundabouts at ASDA and Middleton Road are treated as little more than bends in the road by inconsiderate drivers on the dual carriageway who, incidentally, routinely ignore the 30 mph limit.

I'm not sure if I agree with mk1's antipathy towards the motorist but he and or no6 are entirely correct about the bridge. Reducing a bottle-neck from a few hundred yards to just a few yards still leaves us with a bottleneck.

Inspector Knacker · January 11, 2015, 02: PM

Public transport in Hartlepool is a disgrace, hence the first move of cuts being to bus subsidies essentially isolating the poorest members of society...this from the peoples party...?

no6bus · January 11, 2015, 03: PM

Quote from: Riddler5 on January 11, 2015, 02: PM
Public transport in Hartlepool is a disgrace, hence the first move of cuts being to bus subsidies essentially isolating the poorest members of society...this from the peoples party...?

Yes a 10 minute service to clavering,throston,the headland,seaton and the manor really is a disgrace isn't it !

Inspector Knacker · January 11, 2015, 04: PM

Read what I actually said, which was about services withdrawn because of subsidies being withdrawn.
... but while we're on the subject, what's the frequencies after 7 pm to the destinations you quoted.....? and not cheap either... !
I think transport in general is poor.....The train service to Newcastle is abysmal too ..also odd is how you can get a bus to Newcastle from Billingham or Peterlee but not from Hartlepool.
Public transport doesn't end at the destinations you quoted... somes us wish to travel a tad farther... and can't.

mk1 · January 11, 2015, 04: PM

Quote from: Riddler5 on January 11, 2015, 04: PM

Public transport doesn't end at the destinations you quoted... somes us wish to travel a tad farther... and can't.

Tell me about it!
Yesterday I was at Manchester and had expected to arrive back in 'Pool at 16:20. There was an incident on the line so had to spend an hour stuck outside Dewsbury until it was sorted. However that 1 hour delay knocked all my connections to pot and I did not get home until 19:00. The connection to 'Pool are abysmal and our Council want shooting for allowing Trans Pennine to alter their timetable so that their trains south leave Thornaby 3 minutes before the connecting service from Hartlepool arrives. You now have an automatic 1 hour wait at Thornaby because our lot were too busy filling their boots with petrol allowances to worry about anyone using the trains.

Inspector Knacker · January 11, 2015, 07: PM

Parked up in Stockton high street on Saturday tea time watching the world go by and was surprised at the number of destinations you could reach by bus......the 36 passed by ...the 36 must be the only service where you need a shave on getting off after the time you've been on it........ we really are poorly served for out of town destinations... nothing actually direct..

no6bus · January 12, 2015, 06: PM

Quote from: Riddler5 on January 11, 2015, 04: PM
Read what I actually said, which was about services withdrawn because of subsidies being withdrawn.
... but while we're on the subject, what's the frequencies after 7 pm to the destinations you quoted.....? and not cheap either... !
I think transport in general is poor.....The train service to Newcastle is abysmal too ..also odd is how you can get a bus to Newcastle from Billingham or Peterlee but not from Hartlepool.
Public transport doesn't end at the destinations you quoted... somes us wish to travel a tad farther... and can't.

The frequencies after 7 are recognition of the number travelling in hartlepool after 7.
The drivers would rather we ran buses all week on a night it would provide more work and protect our jobs.
Regarding the cost not cheap, your having a laugh, £3.30 for a day ticket giving unlimited travel within hartlepool for 14 hours, first bus at 5:20am or £10.30 for 7 days yes £1.47 a day but it's not cheap.