Trouble at Mill

Clearly trouble at Mill (Field Close) due to the mix of residential and business. The CBC customer service report carries a complaint: "Speeding lorries on the small close that leads to local company, are putting children at risk as they U turn over the footway to get back out of the close. I have also passed this to Amey Road Safety team to see if they can assist too.

"Access to Mill Field Close is used by a variety of delivery vans/staff/trucks etc to a local company. An incident occurred last night that could have resulted in children getting hurt, due to the  continuous amount of deliveries. Could an health and safety assessment be carried out to ensure that our children our safe, Last night 01/10 a delivery van mounted the pavement and nearly caused an accident."

Highways response so far is : "Request logged by Transportation Team, to be investigated."


I'm sorry to labour this but is this a preview of Flitt Leys Close once the construction traffic starts going up and down? We had to stand sentinel over working practices at Home Farm particularly around weekend  and bank hol working and starting in the morning. Tipper trucks moving into the Close from the High Street  at 8.30 in the morning as the school procession is getting under way doesn't bear thinking about. Not to mention the sheer congestion. 

Dedicated campaigner

The opponents of traffic calming, the High Street insurgents, the traffic talibans will not let up. On this occasion I am on the opposite side but I take my hat off to this complainant, recorded in the Beds Highways customer service bulletin (carefully anonymised I would add). They are determined...

I am writing a letter of complaint about the speed humps that run though Cranfield... Bedford rd/High street.  5 ramps I have to bump up and down 6 trips in+out of cranfield a day that's 30 up and downs to my car suspension daily.  I have just purchased a new car I have had this Car for 1 week +3 days and its now broke .... COIL SPRING !!  The car is a few yr old with 20k on the clock In normal cases this is far to soon for a coil spring to go.   I consider my self a careful driver especial with my new car and do take the ramps at slow speed, My car is not the only one my neighbour 2 doors away has a land rover who's suspension has gone on the right hand side of his vehicle (visibly).   These Ramps need to be assessed!  I have now fitted cctv in my car to record my every movement any more suspension problems with my new car I will take legal action.

Black holes

Black holes aren't just in other galaxies. We have plenty in Cranfield known as potholes. Here are some of the latest reports on the highways customer services bulletin. The previous blog post about uni road closure obviously links in with the last item. I won't witter on about doing a job properly.




•  10 May: 3 to 4 fairly deep potholes that are growing larger each day Location of pothole: in middle of road, outside no 11 Springfield Way, and at the exit of Springfield Way No update

• 9 April: letter rec'd, forwarded to Beds Admin. 2 potholes, one junction with Lordsmead, the second halfway between Lordsmead and Mill Road.  
order raised to repair a pothole.

• 17 April: 30 ft tree has come down due to the wind over the footpath, road and path, Numerous trees are doing the same thing, it looks like more are about to fall down
landscape team to attend to location, remove fallen tree and dangerous dead trees


• 19 April: A very half-hearted job of filling in potholes on main road through university. Still pothole near eastern 30mph sign, still potholes on first mini roundabout, still potholes outside bookshop, still potholes on second mini roundabout and still potholes between second mini roundabout and Trafficmaster roundabout. 2 out of 10 but improvement needed. A pothole has now appeared around a drain cover near one of the speed humps on the dual carriageway at the front of the Trafficmaster building. we are arranging a road closure to repair these.

Customer service

Flooding is showing up some issues with the recently installed  traffic calming. 

However the churned up grass verge is nothing to do with flooding. See below extracts from the most recent  CBC customer service bulletin with Amey's response in red.


Flooding during heavy rain at the newly installed "raised platforms" at the junction of Bedford road  and Crane way.

this is being assessed.

High Street opposite Marshall's hardware shop and in front of some cottages there was a flood over part of the road- this is not far from the new raised platform at the Merchant Lane junction.

thanks, this is being assessed.

Following traffic calming works, footpath was extended and grass verges implemeted as well. A lorry from Cranfield Haulage mounted the pavement, churned the newly laid verge dragged a lot of mud around, and drove off. This verge is now an eyesore, can this be inspected with a view to be re instated?

work is in hand to repair this.

Pots and parking

Here's the latest from the Highways customer service bulletin. The issues about the poor quality of the Springfield Way road surface have already come up and as a former resident (quite a while ago) I would agree with that assessment. The issues about parking are ongoing and very frustrating for those who live in the areas affected. 

On the Parish Council we are constantly pushing for at least 2 cars per house parking space for new developments but in the past there has been a lower ratio. Flitt Leys is a real mess with the hot food takeaway parking. This was pointed out four years ago when the development first came up. Did anyone listen? Of course not.





Customer Service Bulletin
During my routine inspections I came across at large pothole at the junction of Springfield Way, Cranfield and Mill Road.  Could this be looked at please?


People are constantly parking in the turning area at the top of the close (Maltings), meaning people have to reverse out onto Merchant Lane which is a blind corner due to parked cars anyway. Recently an ambulance was called for the customer and that had to reverse out into Merchant Lane almost having an accident. Please investigate the possibility of parking restrictions in the turning area.


Customer would like some parking restrictions placing on Lordsmead, as residents are parking vans on verges and are blocking junctions and vision splays. email fwd to Transportation team

Request to assess new layout of bus stop at this location.  Resident concerned that when bus is at bus stop other traffic has difficulty  passing & vision is obscured. Why wasn't a bus lay by constructed, which would allow traffic to pass safely ? Instaed bus stop protrudes into carriageway.