Easy Week, Relatively Speaking

We are into week four of the Rock Walk road closure. This week has been a little easier as it is half term for the local schools. No morning and afternoon school runs and less traffic on the roads as the four wheel drive individual school buses, known in London as Chelsea Tractors have stayed out of our way.

One really good piece of news I read in the local paper this evening is that St Marychurch Rd is to reopen on Monday. This road is a back road that runs parallel to the main road from Newton to Torquay. For the last 3 weeks it has been closed for resurfacing. A spokesperson said,” We were surprised at how many cars used this road and the impact closing it made on the main road through Kingskerswell." (20 minute journeys became 50 minute journeys). What do you mean? You're the Highways department and you didn't know how many people use the road. Why bloody not? And why close such an important road at the same time an other major road is closed a few miles away?

It is expected that some time next week the sea front will be open but only on one side of the duel carriageway. We will not be able to use it as it is only 20 feet wide, a bus is 8ft 6 ins wide and there are trees, that are nothing to do with Rock Walk that overhang the road by a foot or so. Also we could not make the left turn at the end onto Cary Parade. So when the road is half open things will get worse for us because the Strand, normally one of Torquay's busiest roads has been dead quiet for the last 3 weeks. Once the road is partly open cars will return but we will still have to make the through town diversion. No light at the end of the tunnel yet. At least people are getting used to the diversion, fewer now get on the wrong bus, though it does still happen. It will be interesting to see what happens when the diversion ends and passengers, and drivers will have to get used to the old ways once again.

Rock Walk with all the bushes stripped away. They were dark evergreens and lacked interest. And gave the drug users somewhere to hide.