All throughout this City of Culture year the Clowns of Hull will be performing on Holderness Rd in Hull giving regular evening performances. This show takes place nightly near the Woodford Leisure Centre and near to the Skate Park and it is something not to be missed. The Clowns provide a regular spectacle performing death defying feats and tricks that more often than not require a high level of audience participation whether you like it or not. If you are passing you just can’t help getting involved yourself. The Clowns provide the tricks and entertainment as they cycle down the wrong side of carriageway towards oncoming traffic with no lights on their stunt cycles and wearing only dark clothing. This is a stunt that only Clowns would be capable of doing. They cycle towards oncoming traffic in death defying stunts pulling wheelies and sometimes they will even perform this as a group act. They will pounce out in front of traffic at a moments notice. It takes you by surprise I can tell you and you have to keep your wits about you when you visit this spectacle. Not only do these Clowns put their own lives at risk for your entertainment – they put yours at risk as well and basically anyone passing by at the time. You just cannot help yourself you have to get involved. So come and see this spectacle it’s all a part of the regular entertainment taking place as a part of the City of Culture events this year – and it’s absolutely free. If you are intending to come and see the Clowns well why not bring a policeman with you if you can find one which is yet another piece of entertainment in our City during the City of Culture year.
Tag: The Things that Hull City Council don’t want to tell you about Hull
There are things about Hull that the City Council would prefer to hide from visitors to Hull in this City of Culture Year 2017. These posts explore some of the more unpleasant aspects of Hull which the casual visitor rarely sees.
Hull’s Newland Avenue’s Pedestrian Crossings pose new dangers
Here is a copy of the details from a recent complaint email that I sent to the Hull City Council regarding the improvisation of a new pedestrian crossing system in Newland Avenue in Hull.
hello – I a writing in to complain about an issue in relation to the new road surfacing that is taking place on Newland Ave. In particular I am concerned about the markings made on the road on Newland Ave. There seems to have been an attempt to put in new crossing points for pedestrians. However there does not appear to be any legal precedent in the Highway Code 2007 for these markings to appear. Drivers are confused, as these are not pedestrian crossings nor pedestrian rights of way and there is no evidence of such crossings or road markings in the Highway Code I believe that this matter of confusion is therefore putting both pedestrians and drivers in danger because of the confusion. It is already difficult enough with the numerous crossings that do exist and the road furniture that already exists in Newland Avenue without adding to the chaos and confusion. We already have people walking out into the road when in drink and we certainly do not need any more hazards of the Council’s creation. Please could you respond with how these markings are documented in the Highway Code with reference to the exact numbered item in the Code where it mentions this type of crossing. Otherwise I suggest that the Council stick to the binding authority and letter of that said Code and refrain from this type of dangerous improvisation by getting rid of these nuisance crossings forthwith before someone gets killed in an accident.
I also sent a link to them to refresh their knowledge in relation to some of the more commonly used types of crossings and road markings available.
I would like to hear from anyone else who has thoughts on this matter
24/10/17 Update
The Hull City Council have still not satisfactorily responded to my complaint and questions as to the legality of these crossings still remains unclear. What the Council did say is that they want me to contact the actual contractor- Wright’s Engineering- to find out for myself. This is simply not good enough since Hull City Council has the ultimate responsibility to oversee the work of any contractor that it hires to do work on it’s behalf to make sure that it fits and complies with the legal framework. So they have basically tried to dodge the question by asking me to find out the answer myself to something that they should already know before the work was passed off as completed. This obviously has not been done in this case and the Council is therefore negligent in it’s responsibilities in this area. You would think that on works of such importance to public safety that they would be more careful – they may be putting lives at risk.
Hull City Council need to make the streets safer as a priority
Hull the City of Culture 2017 has spent so much money promoting itself as the City of Culture that it has simply overlooked it’s main priority: keeping it’s citizens safe and providing a safe place for them to live and work. Surely this should have priority over presenting the City as something that it is definitely not. I live and work in Hull and I travel extensively in the City and I have to say that Hull has some of the worst and most dangerous areas that I have ever encountered in a small city.
Quite simply the problem is arising through a lack of community policing which has been brought about by the Police and the Council closing the majority of police stations in the localities, satellite areas and concentrating their resources in the Clough Rd area where they are simply not needed. After all what is the point in putting the main policing resource so far out of the city on a limb in an area where there is only a small population. To pay for this swanky state of the art building in Clough Rd the local areas have seen the police stations closing or being sold off to developers. To name just a few that have closed Bransholme Centre as a police station although it has some police staff working from there it is no longer a police station. Holderness Rd Tower Police Station now sold off to developers and where is any police presence on Orchard Park or Preston Rd. These are also (probably not coincidentally) the 3 areas of the city that are the worst for crime particularly from youth vandals & drug dealers.
The Deception of Hull City Council providing visitors with a false impression of the City
Delinquent Youths riding un-licensed and un-roadworthy motorcycles without lights in parks and on pavements further endangering lives: this is the reality of Hull, the City of Culture 2017, this is the reality behind the facade, behind the fiasco or spectacle that the Hull City Council are providing as a false impression to deceive the visitors to this City. I am a taxi driver and these areas are becoming no go areas to work in because of the high risk that you stand of getting missiles thrown at your car as you travel through these areas. These areas have simply been abandoned by both the Hull City Council and the Police, abandoned to youth crime and arsonists. Holwell Rd, Preston Rd/ Annandale Rd and Hall Rd all need a large contingent of Street Cameras to prevent the mindless thugs from throwing missiles at vehicles and endangering lives added to this the area needs a stronger police presence. It is no good allowing police officers to congregate around an area where they are not needed and a long way away from the areas of crime after all not much goes on around a Bingo Hall. These officers are needed on the streets and parks and wasteland areas of Orchard Park and Bransholme. As I said I am a taxi driver yet I have not seen a police vehicle in those areas for weeks. The police need to provide a daily if not hour to hour service in those areas. Believe me the criminals, thugs and drug dealers are just laughing at the police and I know this firsthand because I have witnessed it. Meanwhile people who live or work in these areas, who are decent and trying to make a living through hard work, find that their lives, their livelihood and wellbeing is being put a risk through a Council that has it’s priorities elsewhere.
It’s all well and good making the streets in the city centre clean and tidy for visitors but the real clean up is needed far and away from these areas in the areas where the majority of people actually live.