I have once again urged the council to replace the rusty dog waste bin at Milton Avenue. It is time for action on this.

The cost of a single bus journey will continue to be capped at £2* on most Stagecoach routes in England until Tuesday 31st October 2023.

The Bus Fare Cap scheme is a government initiative which started on 1st January 2023 and has been extended for a further four months. During this time, most single fares on eligible Stagecoach routes will cost £2 or less.

Tickets can be bought on board or on the Stagecoach Bus App.

Find out more about the fare cap here.

I have urged the county council to fill in a deep pothole on Shakespeare Avenue. We will have to monitor the state of this road as it may soon require a resurface.

Recently, nearby Scott Avenue was done by the highways department. I had lobbied for this to be done for some time.

I was very pleased to see Scott Avenue resurfaced in January this year, following years of campaigning.

I asked officers for a breakdown of the cost and received the following reply:

Following on from our email correspondence below regarding the cost of re-surfacing Scott Avenue, an officer in the Structural Maintenance Team has responded as follows:

“The estimated budget for the scheme is £65k, however, individual schemes that are complete typically take quite a few months to undertake snagging works, final measuring, and agreement of final invoices with contractors and as such the costs may increase slightly.”

I will keep fighting to improve Podsmead’s roads and pavements.

This road sign near the Old Log Pond, Bristol Road, was damaged a few weeks back. I have been in touch with highways who confirm it is earmarked for repair very soon.

A city councillor is campaigning to have a bus shelter installed at a bus stop on the Bristol Road in Gloucester.

Councillor Sebastian Field is calling for the shelter to be erected by the Costa coffee shop at the Old Log Pond on Bristol Road.

He says it is an important route into Gloucester and passengers waiting for buses at this stop would benefit from a shelter to keep the wind and rain out.

He has written to the county council and had a favourable response from the Integrated Transport Unit.

They said that while there was ‘unfortunately… no developer condition to install a new bus shelter serving the Log Pond’ and therefore there are no funds being held over for installation, they agreed that because ‘the majority of Bristol Road bus stops are supplied with shelters’ there is ‘no reason to exclude this stop, especially since it benefits from a real time passenger electronic  display’.

The officer added: ‘I am therefore happy to add your request to my list and will do my best to action this financial year.’

Councillor Field said: “I am hopeful that the funds can be found for this shelter, as it is very much needed. 

“I have used this bus stop myself to get the bus into the city for work, and I know from personal experience that it can be quite miserable waiting for a bus in the freezing cold and rain. 

“The wind can really whip around the corner at that location. 

“It would be a positive step for customers at the Old Log Pond, and residents, to have a shelter here.”

The next step will be for the transport infrastructure officer to visit the site and take measurements to see what is possible.

Councillor Field added: “I have thanked the officer for their favourable initial response and offered to meet them at the site if required. 

“I will continue to campaign for better bus services and infrastructure for Podsmead.”

I asked the city council to repair this damaged street sign on Ramsdale Road and it was done very swiftly. Apart from some damage to the paintwork it looks pretty good.

Replacing the whole sign would probably have been unnecessary and wasteful.

If you know of any other signs in our area that need attention please let me know.

I received the following email from the county council department responsible for bus stops and shelters:

Good morning Cllr Field,

Unfortunately there was no developer condition to install a new bus shelter serving the Log Pond so we are not holding any funds for install. That being said the majority of Bristol Road bus stops are supplied with shelters and I see no reason to exclude this stop especially since it benefits from a real time passenger electronic display. I am therefore happy to add your request to my list and will do my best to action this financial year. The first step will be for me to visit and take some measurements to see exactly what is possible. From memory the location itself should be able to accommodate a shelter at the back of the footway providing we are careful not to compromise footway width for pedestrians or obscure visibility from Log Pond access. Will keep you posted.

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Although this is not a guarantee, I am hopeful that the money might be found, and a shelter can be installed here. I will update residents as soon as I have more news.

I am always happy to hear from local people, community groups, charities and projects if they have something they need publicising. I am especially keen to hear about Podsmead events and groups.

I have an email newsletter which goes to local residents who have signed up for it. You can join my mailing list here.

I am on social media as well, and can reach a good number of people via Facebook (Sebastian Field – Gloucester) and Instagram (sebastianfieldgloucester).

I am also always keen to help promote businesses in Podsmead, so if you would like me to come and see your business, do let me know.

There is a recruitment event for emergency services volunteers on Saturday 22nd April, 10.30am-3pm at the Mariners Church at the Docks.