Travesty Cllr Howells Equality Impact assessment

There have been Machiavellian gutter tactics here in the attempt to push this through.

Cardiff Council ‘information’ material does NOT clarify that the proposed access bridge is more than 28 feet wide, and will be raised on pillars, and that sections of the current eight-foot path would be more than doubled in width and turned into a lorry roadway raised on an embankment. Nor does it say it would be still wider on curves to accommodate the largest lorries and that still more of the meadow would be converted to a lorry waiting bay.

EXAMPLE of BAD PRACTICE

I did ask why there had been no Equality Impact assessment. So they produce a phoney one which they composed this month, which can not be considered valid as this document purporting to be an EqIA is a travesty as the idea is to engage with the community before the policy is developed. Only a handful of organisations have been approached and many issues not addressed. Cllr Howells writes "The new access bridge will provide an alternative vehicular access for thepark and will therefore there are no disability access implications which specifically relate to it" Doesn’t mention the raised road that pedestrians will share with articulated lorries and the risks that that poses.

The equality impact assessment does look at the huge articulated Lorries which will give rise to complaints made about noise and exhaust emissions. Pedestrians will feel their safety is compromised, especially on this unsuitable raised path/road. Also the noise and vibration will cause alarm and distress plus concerns about fumes.

• In a survey*:33% hearing lorries were bothered by them
• Heavy Lorries are 13 times more noisy than cars in congestion
• Vibration correlated best with lorry flows
• 37% consider lorries produce worse fumes

Other options were not consulted on, some of these should have been

- no articulated lorries in the park

- moving the nursery

- park and ride for articulated lorries

It is also impossible to understand why the Heritage lottery Fund has asked for this £1.4 million bridge to be put in place and a road built for lorries as a condition of funding for 'restoring the park' except that there emphasis is on the castle rather than the park.

Cllr Nigel Howells, Exec member has the scheme in his portfolio
Reports from council officers were 'sexed down' to minimise the impact.
The Highways “Options Appraisal” was altered (between the January and August versions) to support the Parks’ claim of the present situation being ‘unsafe’ and the Project being ‘essential

** Decisions Planning committee

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cardiff.gov.uk%2Fobjview.asp%3Fobject_id%3D9508&ei=LFAESY-3Lpm-eO3u-esN&usg=AFQjCNHq04Z8X5InpOGdTFH1w2EYHVkFXw&sig2=GSjjyWmdqsa96cYWJv7UJg