Preston: Public Concern

Research suggests that inhabitants of Preston have a number of concerns relating to traffic and environmental issues.

A section of the Preston public are urging the council to rethink their outlook on schemes such as refuse collection and speed bumps on main roads.

Residents of Manchester Road have complained that their street has been infested with mice. Some say it is the fortnightly bin collections that are to blame. Households with many inhabitants, for instance large families and student houses, are affected more because they create more rubbish.

However there are no plans to revert to a weekly refuse collection. The Council is committed to alternate weekly collections but there are currently 7,500 properties with a weekly food waste collection and this will shortly be doubled. One of the areas for this expansion is Frenchwood, where the rodent infestation problem exists.

Since the introduction of alternate weekly collections in 2001 the recycling rate for Preston has increased from 4.5% to a projected 31% for 2007/08. Households are provided with recycling boxes that are collected by the council.

Council spokesman Duncan Coward said: “For the type of authority we are, and with the demographics of the City, this is an excellent figure and we look to improve every year.”

So-called “traffic calming” measures have caused an ongoing issue between the public and local councils. There is a belief that some traffic calming measures do nothing to reduce the risk of accidents and are a waste of taxpayers’ money. The debate is that speed bumps can be dangerous for pedestrians crossing roads. It has even been suggested by locals that they can induce road rage.

One Ashton resident said: “Speed cameras are not necessary except in built up areas where there is a need to reduce speed.”

Meanwhile, some positive initiatives have been developed. Broadgate is experiencing some new traffic technology in the form of a speedometer. It has been installed to motivate drivers to watch their speed. If cars are travelling above 30mph the speedometer will show a “sad face”, while a speed below 30mph will show a “smiley face”. It is hoped this will encourage drivers to reduce their speed on the roads, particularly in residential areas.

If you have any concerns that you would like to raise, contact Preston City Council at 01772 906900 or at info@preston.gov.uk.