Decision details

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1)    Welcomes the conclusions and findings from the former Property, Highways and Transport Committee's review into road safety initiatives and activities around schools, as set out in this report.

2)    Agrees that officers, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport, consider how to best take forward the following specific recommendations from the Committee set out below (a-g):

a)    Promote projects and events throughout the year through social media highlighting the Youth Travel Ambassador programmes and the Dragons’ Den event.

b)    Explore ways on how communications can be better developed with schools that do not engage. This may include introducing working groups amongst schools, encouraging Ward Councillors to highlight the benefits of working with the Transport team and issuing advisories for schools to be shared with parents at the start of the academic year about safe drop-off and pick-ups.

c)    With the improvement in technology in CCTV cameras, the Committee recommends that Cabinet reviews the current cameras used outside schools and looks at improving the cameras as an ongoing programme of works to ensure pupils and the public remain safe outside schools where there are restricted parking areas and/or consider other enforcement options.

d)    Cabinet instructs officers to continue making relevant applications to Transport for London for funding to improve road safety across the Borough, ensuring that the roads across Hillingdon are safe for all users and that there is appropriate signage and road markings outside schools.

e)    Cabinet reviews the feasibility of parking enforcement officers attending the schools on a reasonable rotational basis.

f)      Cabinet instructs officers to investigate those schools that could benefit from 20mph speed limits, where appropriate, and to work with schools to identify safer crossing routes if appropriate.

g)    Cabinet requests officers to investigate, where feasible, raising pavements and installing bollards outside schools to improve safety.

Cabinet Member recommendation

3)    Notwithstanding recommendation 2(f) from the Committee's review, Cabinet confirms that the London Borough of Hillingdon, in considering whether to introduce a 20 mile per hour speed restriction, will, as Council policy, adopt the approach set out in statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to section 18 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. In exercising this, Cabinet and/or the responsible Cabinet Member will expect to be provided with evidence that introducing a lower speed limit will have a beneficial effect on community safety (for example, outside schools) and that the proposals are supported by residents. 

Reasons for recommendations 

Cabinet received a report from the former Property, Highways and Transport Select Committee which had undertaken a review into the Council’s Road Safety Initiatives and activities around the Borough’s schools.

The Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport thanked the former Select Committee for their thorough work on the road safety review, highlighting key recommendations for operational improvements. The Leader of the Council recognised the importance of the issue and the need for legal changes to enhance enforcement, endorsing the proposed recommendations for adoption.

Alternative options considered / risk management 

The Cabinet could have decided to reject some, or all, of the Committee’s recommendations or pursue alternative routes by which to progress the objectives of the review.