The most civilised dog in Cranfield

A recurrent theme of this blog is what are foot paths for? well.. foots, obviously, and paws (belonging to guide dogs)  but you wouldn't believe that from the 4x4s which park on the "foot"path at the coop obstructing buggies, mobility scooters and people with sight impairment. Not all 4x4 drivers are to blame =- some of them are embarrassed and one recently pointed out to me on facebook that I should raise this with any driver I see doing it instead of blaming everyone.

When I saw one yesterday at the COOP I discussed it with a staff member who said they had tried to object but to no avail. She then pointed out that the driver had come back. So I felt a discussion was in order. It was one of the village posties. She said she parked there cos all the bays were full. There is a steely logic to all that which makes us go back to whether there is enough parking at the Coop. If the current shop was a planning application CBC wd defo says "not enough parking space"  and they would be dead right. But of course if they let highways design a great 10-lane footpath that sort of solves the problem.  Sort of. Unless you are my friend Gill and Fran  the most civilised dog in Cranfield. I wouldn't blame Fran is she felt a bit less civilised. And Gill. But it would be better to solve the parking space issue first.

The most civilised dog in Cranfield

Egging them on

Puff of the week - The Coop. Click here for 
Great Easter Deals 

Parking at the Coop

A parishioner raises a concern about In and Out at the Coop:

"From what I have seen so far, its just not going to work - those coming from Mill Road prefer to use the Out as an entrance & those from Bedford road use the In, just as they have always done, of course.

What's needed to enforce it is the aggressive solution adopted over at TrafficMaster - they have hinged plastic teeth on the exit from the car park & notices warning that it will damage your tyres if you attempt to enter via the exit! Probably wouldn't stop a 4x4 driver though, they will attempt to drive through or over anything ...

Workmen arriving in larger vans often use the island to park on as its easier than trying to manoeuvre in the car park , where there is now less room than before."


I have to say it suddenly hit me, not long after the signs were painted,  that when I drive up Mill Road I have to turn right into the High Street and then right again into the Coop to park. I suppose the alternative is to simply do the five minute walk and stop driving to the shops. The healthy option.

Coop food quality

I got this strong message from the Coop this morning. (Below) I think it shows good candour about past failings, encouraging news about current supplies and determination about the future.



"I wanted to update you following the completion of independent testing on our own-brand minced beef products.

In total, 101 of our products were tested for contamination as part of a mass testing exercise called for by the Food Standards Agency. None of these products, which cover the totality of our current minced beef food range, have been found to contain any trace of horse DNA.

Previously, you may recall, we did discover two lines of our frozen beef burgers that did contain horse meat and we immediately removed these from our shelves.

We are obviously pleased with the latest test results which demonstrate the existing stringency of our food supply chain. However, we are far from complacent about a matter which has so clearly shaken customer confidence in the food you eat.

Our independent testing will continue on a rolling basis to ensure on-going scrutiny. In the meantime, we are reviewing all of our meat supply chain and putting in place an enhanced process with greater transparency to ensure that we know the full provenance of all of our meat products. In fact, our testing across all of our food products is to be stepped up.

Let me repeat the sincere apology I made to our customers and members last week and assure you that we will do all we can to reinforce the integrity of our products and the trust that we have spent generations building up. "
Peter Marks
Group Chief Executive

Ko-op Hokey Kokey

I

In out in out, shake it all about. 

The "In" and "Out" signs have now been done in the Coop car park. You go IN from the High Street and OUT onto Mill Road. Has everyone got that? Even the sleepy boys at the back of the class?

In and out of the Coop

Cllr Sue Clark has been working hard chasing Amey about de-snagging post  traffic calming. The areas of concern are  lorries churning up the grass at the Coop corner in Cranfield and the need for white 'in' and 'out' signs on the Coop car park entrance and exit. 

She also reminded Amey that they agreed to put bollards on the smaller areas of grass near Budgens to stop traffic running over them. 


The company has responded to the Parish Council as follows:


An order is with our lining contractor to install white ‘in’ and ‘out’ markings at the Coop and I will chase this up with them.
The installation of bollards and any additional ‘kerbing’ works will all need to go through our transportation and safety teams for approval before anything can be completed on site. I will be seeing these teams next week and will discuss the options with them and get back to you.

ATM machine

A parishioner writes:

You may like to include this in your next newsletter to ensure lots of support as we really could do with a 24hr ATM

 

Planning Application CB/12/02861/FULL submitted by Co-Op Cranfield on 8/8/12

 

Proposed installation of 24 hour ATM cash machine into elevation.

 

It would also be useful if the Parish Council could have some dialogue with the ATM provider to establish that this will be free to use machine, just like the two at Marston.

 

I couldn't agree more and thanks for bringing this to our attention.  I think machines that nick £1.85 to give you your own money are an outrage. And given that we don't actually have a bank in the village its needed all the more.