Agenda and minutes

It was confirmed that the meeting would take place in public.

Please note that individual petitions may overrun their time slots.  Although individual petitions may start later than advertised, they will not start any earlier than the advertised time.

Councillor Janet Gardner and Mo Khursheed attended as Ward Councillors in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns and suggestions from petitioner included the following:

• Local roads were overcrowded by commuter parking and there was little parking available for residents.
• Residents requested that a parking management scheme be introduced and for this to operate Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and for there to be free parking on Saturday and Sundays.
• Residents were aware that vouchers were used to allow persons other than the householder to park within the scheme for a limited period i.e delivery drivers or trades people. A request was made that all day parking should be free for visitors.
• It was hoped that the introduction of a parking management scheme would reduce crime locally.
• A request was made for double yellow lines to be introduced at either side of the gateway so that residents could perform a three point turn which could be included as part of a future detailed design if appropriate.
• A request was made that where parking bays were introduced, the bays should be laid out in a diagonal pattern to maximise the number of spaces available.

Councillors Gardner and Khursheed both spoke in support of the petitioners’ request and raised the following issues.

• Local parking was very problematic and needed to be addressed.
• Local roads were used by commuters
• Flight crew and employees at Heathrow Airport were known to park locally and leave their vehicles for long periods.
• Local crime would be addressed with the introduction of a parking management scheme as this would limit vehicular movements.
• The most affected roads within the proposed area of the scheme included Black Rod Close, Albert, Keith and Clayton Road, Nestles Avenue and Dallas Terrace.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised. The Cabinet Member agreed that Black Rod Close and the surrounding area was used by people to park and use the nearby train station and he asked for to area to be added to the Council’s overall parking programme for investigation. Councillor Burrows also requested that Dallas Terrace also be included in the consultation.

Councillor Burrows explained that it was essential for all residents to respond to the consultation so that he would have a clear mandate to take action. Officers advised that the usual timeframe for a consultation was about 6 months. However, in this case, he confirmed that as the proposed area was relatively small he would have further discussions with officers to see whether this could be done sooner.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1.                  Meets and discusses with petitioners their request for a Parking Management Scheme.

2.                  Subject to the outcome of the discussions with petitioners, asks officers to add the request to the Council’s overall parking programme for subsequent investigation in an area agreed with ward councillors.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

Discussions with the petitioners will allow the Cabinet Member to fully understand the concerns and whether it is considered appropriate to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

Councillor David Benson and June Nelson attended as Ward Councillors in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner included the following:

• Parking was very difficult. Local roads were overcrowded and most residents owned at least two vehicles.
• Local hotels, including the Crown Plaza had started charging for parking. As a result, guests had started to park in local roads causing congestion to local residents.
• Persons working at the Airport or travelling abroad parked in Blossom Way to avoid expensive parking charges. These persons were often collected by taxis which caused further nuisance by keeping their engines running very early in the morning. Litter and food waste was also associated with taxi collection and drop off points.
• Taxis also posed a dangerous hazard by parking on the entrance to Blossom Way / Cherry Lane which restricted the vision of motorists turning from Blossom way into Cherry Lane.
• Motorists often drove at very high speed along Cherry Lane and traffic calming measures were required to reduce speeds as there was a local Primary School and Youth Club in the area.
• Parking Wardens which operated locally were not consistent and did not universally apply penalty notices. Often, only a few vehicles were ticketed rather than all of those in breach of the parking conditions.
• Petitioners requested that a parking management scheme operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
• It was highlighted that many properties had dropped curbs. Residents requested that these should still be available to be parked on if the parking management scheme is implemented.
• It was hoped that the introduction of a parking management scheme would reduce crime locally.
• The Police had been called on previous occasions to move parked vehicles so that residents of Blossom Way could use their driveways.
• Residents had noticed that taxis drivers often waited in their cars for long periods either between jobs or waiting for customers and loitering cars which did not belong to local residents made them feel unsafe.

Councillors Nelson and Benson both spoke in support of the petitioners’ request and raised the following issues.

• Both Councillors agreed that a parking management scheme was required and requested this also include Vine Close.
• There was an issue with speeding vehicles in Cherry Lane.
• It was noted that residents had to park on the pavement due to the width of the road so that vehicles could pass each other.
• Both Councillors agreed that taxis had posed problems to residents and that overall if nothing was done, the parking issue would only worsen.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised. The Cabinet Member agreed that Blossom Way was suffering from displaced parking and there were a number of road safety issues stemming from the high speed of some drivers using Cherry Lane. Cllr Burrows explained that in many cases speed surveys conducted with radar guns were ineffective as the user of the gun was obligated to wear a high visibility vest  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

At the beginning of the item, Councillors Burrows explained that he had been contacted by Councillors Judy Kelly and Shirley Harper O’Neill both of whom were unable to attend the meeting but that they had sent emails addressed to the Cabinet Member expressing their support for the petition.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner included the following:

• There was insufficient space on West End Road for cyclists to use the road safely and allow for traffic to pass by on either side of the road.
• Cyclists often used the pavement in and around Sainsbury’s in South Ruislip which was both illegal and posed a danger to pedestrians.
• The petitioner had spoken to school children and their parents and they had confirmed that more people would cycle if there were better local provision.
• Motorists tended not to provide cyclists with sufficient room on the busiest roads and this posed a danger to them and a general road safety concern given the increased probability of accidents.
• It was suggested that local cycle paths should be linked from West End Road to the A40.
• Cycle storage provision was required for bikes outside London Underground stations. This needed to be positioned so that it did not pose a danger to partially sighted or disabled Underground users.

The Cabinet Member listened to the concerns and responded to the points raised. Councillor Burrows agreed that efforts should be made to ensure cycling was made as safe as possible for all road users. He confirmed that officers regularly reviewed cycle schemes as a matter of course to see how these could be improved and see where external funding might be accessed.

Councillor Burrows explained that the Council did have funding for cycle improvement schemes and urged the petitioner to meet with officers and their ward councillors when they undertook further studies of how cycling routes might be improved.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1.         Meets with and listens to the petitioners’ request for the provision of cycle paths along West End Road, Station Approach and Victoria Road, South Ruislip.

2.         Subject to the above, asks officers to consider the petitioners’ request, undertake further studies and report back to him.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

The petition hearing provided a valuable opportunity to hear directly the concerns and suggestions of petitioners.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

These were discussed in greater detail with petitioners.