“An experimental one-way scheme created by Hertfordshire County Council has caused traffic chaos in West Watford.

DOROTHY THORNHILL

However Watford’s elected FibDem Mayor and “House of Lords Haunter” Dorothy Thornhill is nowhere to be seen. Dorothy used to grace the pages of the Watford Observer weekly and this mess-up by HCC would have been seized upon by Dorothy in the past. These days though Dorothy confines herself to small appearances in My Watford News. What gives? What has led the FibDems to abandon their political chutzpah? Well firstly she got a drubbing in the recent election and secondly she used to get torrents of negative comments in the WO because of her “hard-line bulldozer attitude” towards Farm Terrace Allotments and the allotmenteers. See comment below*.

Buses, commuters, schools and surgeries have been thrown into disarray after Hertfordshire County Council launched a trial one-way system for a stretch of Vicarage Road this week.

Those caught in the mayhem said they could “imagine someone getting killed” with drivers doing three-point turns outside Laurance Haines Primary School and emergency vehicles getting stuck in the gridlock.A Holywell Primary School teacher said 70 children were late on Tuesday, meanwhile parents of children at Laurance Haines Primary were seen directing traffic.

The practice manager at Holywell Surgery, in Tolpits Lane, said a third of patients were late to their appointments causing knock on problems throughout the day” http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/13807375.Standstill__Watford_sits_in_gridlock_traffic_as_experimental one_way_scheme_causes_travel_chaos/?ref=mr&lp=15

WOR Comment: “HCC misleading when they say this is about safety – it is because of the new railway station at the bridge – too mean to build a new bridge. Not surprised, you don’t get much change out of £300 million for 2 miles of new railway! ”

WOR Comment: “I now have a choice for my commute: cycle head-on into unseen traffic over the bridge, which was bad enough with the lights and traffic going the same way as me, or dodge through pedestrians on the pavement over the bridge (which irritates everyone and is equally as dangerous), or brave the main roads with the surplus traffic, which is terrifying.

West Watford is not fit for cars, buses and lorries let alone a hospital and associated vehicles. The council needs to scrap the “health campus” entirely and it’s attached idiotic housing scheme, move the hospital out to a purpose-built site near the motorway junctions with all the necessary connections (use the abbey line train, buses etc), and allow West Watford’s Victorian streets to breathe a little.”

WOR Comment: “HWRW makes a good point about the “health campus”. Watford General provides services for people of Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead and surrounding areas. It is no longer “Watford’s hospital” as certain local politicians would like us to think. A new build on a site close to good road links (Hunton Bridge) could hardly be a worse place than Vicarage Road. We’re not in competition with local towns on this. ”

Richard Harrington – Con MP Watford.

GW: And where was/is Tricky Dickie Harrington Watford’s Con MP during all this? Well “Housing Campus Harrington” is now too busy to worry about Watford issues or to answer any emails having been newly appointed as Cameron’s Apprenticeship/Refugee Tzar. Yes that’s right folks all 20,000 refugees are rumoured to be heading for over-crowded West Watford.

*WOR Comment: “Might I remind people that under the scheme started under the Last Lab gov the new hospital would actually be finished right about now!!!
There is no new hospital – As for the new school, this was a new addition to the scheme in order to grab the allotments, purely to get around the act protecting allotments from having housing built on them.

And let’s get one thing straight the Mayor of Watford Borough Council has zero zip zilch ability to deliver a new school – it’s down to county!!! Whilst on the subject of Farm Terrace I would point out that the case has not been decided yet. ” http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/13520824.Mayor_Dorothy_Thornhill_announced_as_Lib_Dem spokesman_for_Communities_and_Local_Government/

One can read further comments about the “Delightful Dorothy” in the comments box of this WO article 23 September 2015