Your letters
Signs
of the timesTo the Editor
A correspondent in the December issue of the Newsletter wanted to know the policy of the Parish Council on ‘the important issue’ of road name signs.
The Parish Council has no ‘policy’ as such on road name signs as the responsibility for installing and maintaining such signs rests with the Environmental Services Department of the Chiltern District Council. As things stand the Parish Council rather surprisingly has no formal say in the matter.
The CDC claims a duty to put up road name signs on all roads that are recognised by the Royal Mail and, if they receive a request or complaint from a resident or frustrated delivery van driver, they can put up a sign without further consultation. This only came to light recently when the sign for Red Lion Hill appeared unexpectedly.
I have spoken to the CDC officer responsible for road name signs and asked him to let us know before putting up any new signs given the strong feelings held on the issue by local residents. I hope he will do so although he is not obliged to. The Parish Council will then be able form a view of the particular proposal after weighing up the opinions of residents and offer appropriate advice.
As the letter from Pippa Hart (see the following page) shows, there is more than one view on the need for these signs.
Barnaby Usborne
Chairman, The Lee Parish Council
To the Editor
Am I the only person in The Lee who welcomed the arrival of the new road signs on Red Lion Hill?
Whilst I agree that the council went completely mad with the excessive signing when they introduced the speed limits around the village – it is quite a relief to see some sensible signing to give visitors to the area a hint of which part of the Leafy Lee they might be in!
We live in Lee Gate – no signage announces your arrival in this prestigious area, and you have slipped into Swan Bottom before you even knew you had arrived!
We live in an unmade unmarked lane off Rocky Lane – or is it Chesham Lane??? The council has never quite made up its mind especially as our end is under Chiltern District Council and the Wendover end is under Aylesbury Vale.
The road that we all lovingly know as Rocky Lane lost its sign at the junction with the A413 over 18 months ago and Aylesbury Vale has not seen fit to replace it. Even if they did it still shows up as Chesham Lane on all maps and sat. nav. systems.
Six months ago I tried to direct the council to a fallen tree in the middle of the road. It took me twenty minutes on the phone to get the poor fellow taking the call to pinpoint the road – I have since discovered that that the road between Swan Bottom and the Church is Kiln Lane – but it is a mystery to most.
To direct anyone to our house I have to give them verbal directions as there is not a single sign post to help them reach us. Fine for me to trot off when I am speaking to a friend – but not so funny when someone else is trying to get the emergency services to my home.
So, whilst agreeing that our own little lane most probably can manage without a road sign, I feel strongly that the main arteries leading past it, and the access roads to The Lee itself, namely Ballinger Road, Lee Clump Road and Kiln Lane would benefit hugely from a bit more publicity.
Just remember, it might be you or your immediate family who are at risk when the emergency services cannot find you.
Pippa Hart
Living up an unmade, unmarked lane almost opposite the Gate Pub, 1.6 miles from the junction with the A413!