Mindfulness Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 So what were the reasons? It can't simply be a 'flip of the coin'. Cllr Fox originally said due to 'trip hazard', until FOI requests revealed that NO risk assessments had been carried out (500 runners use the footway every Saturday, no problem - 100s have signed our petition). Then it was 'discriminatory', till we publicised double wheelchairs, side by side next to Delilah and that blind and disabled residents use the footway, again with no problem - and furthermore, ALL of them want to keep the trees. Now, apparently, it is due to 'pavement damage' - which could easily be remedied with alternative highway specifications that allow the safe retention of large crowned trees. Currently Amey are using only one Highway spec, the one they use for ALL streets, regardless of whether trees are present or not! Birmingham have had to sue Amey to tighten up their act wrt tree retention. Now Flexi-pave is being used as a workable solution: http://www.kbiuk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Tree-Surround-Case-Study-LOW-RES.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F. Sidebottom Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 So it's nothing to do with there being a hazard of collapse onto people, vehicles or property? Or the cost of maintaining them increasing with age? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcoblog Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) It's probably been said before but I can't be bothered to trawl through all the pages but just get the trees down. They're a nightmare for us runners. The roots are carving the pavements up causing a real tripping hazard. It's not like there's no other trees near is it Yeah … maybe get the countryside levelled off and tarmacked too for Health and Safety reasons! My brother's a champion fell runner representing Nottingham and he's always tripping over nasty roots and weeds and suchlike. The amount of times he's snapped his legs and spine in half negotiating dangerous obstacles such as trees doesn't bear thinking about. Edited October 20, 2015 by Alcoblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfulness Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 So it's nothing to do with there being a hazard of collapse onto people, vehicles or property? Or the cost of maintaining them increasing with age? All the trees are healthy, flourishing, just minding their own business - as they have done without issue for the last 100 years! If cost IS an issue, then the precautionary principle should be applied - to prevent further significant environmental degradation, that is permanent and irreversible. Mature trees can NEVER be replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewheeldave Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) So it's nothing to do with there being a hazard of collapse onto people, vehicles or property? Or the cost of maintaining them increasing with age? That's right Frank, as many posts in this thread have made very clear The 'reasons' given by Amey are the usual collection of lies, strawmen and blatant rubbish. ---------- Post added 20-10-2015 at 17:38 ---------- Update from the SORT campaign: Dear supporters. A federation has been set up under the name Sheffield Tree Action Groups (STAG). This is to act as a hub for people to share and access information from the many tree campaign groups across the city, ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL! The Facebook link is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/392913244219104/?fref=ts. 'All-out' elections May 2016, means that all councillors will have to stand down and every council seat is up for election - everyone's seat is up for grabs!! Voters get 3 votes instead of the usual one! So if you are unhappy with the inertia of this Labour Council and their councillors over bringing Amey to task for felling healthy trees - then this would be the time to vote for someone else. Doing so could improve the likelihood of getting a council that will commission alternative highway engineering specifications, that could enable the safe, long-term retention of many, of the thousands of larger-crowned street trees currently scheduled to be felled before 2018 . Alternative highway engineering specifications, drafted by competent highway engineers, working in cooperation with registered/ Chartered arboricultural consultants, would help preserve the ecological, economic and social benefits that street trees provide, which benefit our health and well-being. This is a generational opportunity to get rid of an entrenched, embedded Council that completely ignores the wishes of it's constituents! If you want our highway trees to be managed in a sustainable manner, or if you would like greater honesty and transparency, or if you are fed up with having all enquiries secretly converted to Freedom of Information requests, then subsequently dismissed as “vexatious” and “manifestly unreasonable” - voting may be your best opportunity to change things for the better (btw, yes, this IS the way ALL tree related enquiries that relate to the £2.2bn Amey PFI project, are now being handled!). If you want our council to adopt current and widely accepted industry guidance and recommendations, as befits “The most wooded and treed city in Britain” (SCC, 2015), or if you would like to see that officials ensure that their decisions are soundly based on available evidence and not unduly influenced by transitory or exaggerated opinions formed by vested interests, voting may be your only opportunity for positive change! You can find out more about these things online, by visiting Stocksbridge Community Forum and following the link to the SORT letter to Cllr Fox, dated 14th July, 2015: https://www.stocksbridgecommunity.org/news/streets-ahead-stocksbridge-trees. As always, thank you everyone for all of your endeavours, wherever you are, for the trees of Sheffield - each of your individual efforts are seen and very much appreciated by the rest of us! Well done those who have set this up. Thank you for battling it through and not getting sidetracked by the apologists and council excusists who've whinged throughout this thread. Thank you for defending the trees. Edited October 20, 2015 by onewheeldave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfulness Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 Well done those who have set this up. Thank you for battling it through and not getting sidetracked by the apologists and council excusists who've whinged throughout this thread. Thank you for defending the trees You're welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy76 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Signed. This vandalism must be prevented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas J Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 You can't help but get the feeling that AMEY would prefer that most streets were not lined with trees because of the costs and hassle associated with maintaining them. Errr .... yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfulness Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 Amey should not be allowed to profit from Sheffield's irreplaceable natural assets. The city's trees are rather too important to be part of an unbelievably expensive money making scheme! Say NO to unsustainable management of the urban forest and the 5yr city-wide felling programme. Sign the petition! Like us on Facebook! ---------- Post added 21-10-2015 at 00:25 ---------- Signed. This vandalism must be prevented. Thank you Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megalithic Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Why are my posts being removed? Is it because I have a genuine and meritable counter argument? Or is someone on the admin team allowing petsonal interests to cloud their judgement? A pm would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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