Agenda and minutes

It was confirmed that all items on the agenda were Part 1 and would therefore be considered in public.

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the meeting included the following:

§         Residents could not reverse out of their driveways onto the busy road with ease due to the fast flowing traffic

§         There had been a number of traffic incidents in Great Benty

§         Vehicles had had their wing mirrors damaged due to the narrow width of the road

§         Emergency vehicles could not travel down the road with ease due to the narrow width of the road

§         Residents were concerned that one day an emergency vehicle would need to access the road but would not be able to due to the narrow width of road caused by cars parked on either side of the street

§         Residents said parking was a problem throughout the day due to commuters leaving their vehicles there.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised stating that residents could register their driveways with the Council so any obstructions could be reported to the Council. Cllr Burrows clarified with residents that parking was a problem throughout the day. Cllr Burrows passed on a message from the Ward Councillor for West Drayton who sent his support for the petitioners.

Resolved:

The Cabinet Member:

1. Met and discussed with petitioners their request for removal of grass verges to be replaced with parking bays.

2. Asked officers to carry out a parking stress survey in Great Benty and report back to the Cabinet Member before considering any further actions.

Reasons for recommendation

To investigate in further detail the request of petitioners.

Alternative options considered / Risk Management

None were identified from the discussion with the petitioners.

A Ward Councillor attended in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the meeting included the following:

§         The roads were no longer capable of dealing with an increasingly heavy flow of traffic along Charville Lane and Grosvenor Avenue

§         It was common to see cars overturned along the road due to the route being used as a rat run around the area

§         Radar guns were not being used by the SNT to catch drivers speeding along the roads.

A Ward Councillor spoke and raised the following points:

• SNT’s should make good use of radar guns to catch drivers speeding.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised stating that SNT’s were equipped with radar guns and Officers would be instructed to investigate whether they were being used effectively. Cllr Burrows said he had recently heard a petition sent by the children of a school on Charville Lane regarding the safety of the road. Since the hearing Cllr Burrows informed petitioners that funding had been allocated to improve the road safety of Charville Lane and Grosvenor Avenue.

Resolved:

The Cabinet Member:

1. Met with the petitioners and considered their request for traffic calming measures on Charville Lane and Grosvenor Avenue.

2. Noted the ongoing works to develop proposals for traffic calming measures in Charville Lane

3. Asked officers to include this request on the Council’s Road Safety Programme for further investigation and the development of possible options

4. Instructed officers to liaise with the Police and local Safer

Neighbourhoods teams to investigate and if appropriate undertake some local enforcement

Reasons for recommendation

The petition hearing will provide a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the petitioners of their concerns and suggestions.

Alternative options considered / risk management

None were discussed with petitioners.

 A Ward Councillor attended in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the meeting included the following:

• The road was used by a number of children and families
• There was an issue of speeding along the road with drivers using the route as a rat run
• Most houses along the road had driveways but residents found it very difficult to reverse onto the busy road
• The road was becoming increasingly dangerous and the road safety must be improved,

A Ward Councillor spoke and raised the following points:

• Speed bumps along the road might help reduce the number of drivers speeding along the road
• It was becoming increasingly dangerous to drive or walk down Long Drive due to the high volume of speeding vehicles.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised stating that he was aware of the road safety issues along Long Drive. Cllr Burrows said the speeding aspect must be addressed and with that in mind he would instruct Officers to add Long Drive to the Road Safety Programme.

Resolved:

The Cabinet Member:

1. Considered the petitioners’ request and discussed with them in detail their concerns with speeding;

2. Asked officers to conduct a 24 hour / seven day speed and volume survey in the section of Long Drive between Queens Walk and The Fairway and report back to the Cabinet Member and Ward Members:

3. Asked officers to investigate possible options under the Road Safety Programme when resources permit.

Reasons for recommendation

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss in detail with petitioners their concerns. The success of traffic measures which address speeding are largely acceptable to local residents.

Alternative options considered / risk management

None were discussed with petitioners.

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the meeting included the following:

§         The lead petitioner had a bus stop placed outside her house and said it was usually a problem to find parking around her dwelling

§         Residents of the High Street had not been included in the Northwood Parking Management Scheme and therefore found it difficult to find parking along their road

§         Commuters were using the road to leave their cars for hours and in some circumstances days.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points stating that Parking Management Schemes were only considered when the residents of the road in questions asked for it.

Resolved

The Cabinet Member:

1. Met and discussed with petitioners their concerns with parking in High Street, Northwood.

2. Asked officers to add the request to the Council’s overall parking programme so consultation can be carried out on a parking scheme when resources permit.

Reasons for recommendation

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with petitioners their concerns.

Alternative options considered / Risk Management

None at this stage, as residents have requested a residents parking scheme.

A Ward Councillor attended in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the meeting included the following:

§         Candover Close was becoming a dangerous nightmare for people parking or walking along the road.

§         Refuse collectors could not access the road due to vehicles being parked on either side of the road

§         Residents were concerned that emergency vehicles would not be able to access the road should the need occur.

§         The mouth of the junction into Candover Close had double yellow lines which had put a further constraint on parking in the area.

§         People using Heathrow Airport were leaving their cars in Candover Close for days on end adding to the demand for parking there.

A Ward Councillor spoke and raised the following points:

• All three Ward Councillors supported the petitioners
• Children could not be safely dropped off at the school on Candover Close as commuters were parking along the road leaving no space for parents to drop their children off.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised stating that he was familiar with Candover Close and the issues around parking due to commuters leaving their vehicles there. Cllr Burrows said the double yellow lines on the mouth of the junction could not affect the parking situation, as under the Highways Act vehicles were not able to park along the mouth of the junction.

Resolved:

The Cabinet Member;

1. Met and discussed with petitioners their concerns with parking in Candover Close, Harmondsworth.

2. Asked officers to include the request in a subsequent review of the Heathrow Parking Management Scheme.

3. Instructed Officers to check with Refuse Collectors the issues over refuse collection along Candover Close

4. Instructed Officers to discuss the issues of access with Emergency Services.

Reasons for recommendation

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with petitioners their concerns and if appropriate to include Candover Close in a subsequent review of the Heathrow Parking Management Scheme.

Alternative options considered / Risk Management

None at this stage

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by petitioners at the meeting included the following:

• Petitioners had recently visited Hinkley Close and Sedley Close where they found that both pathways has been gated up.
• The pathway was notorious for anti-social activity.
• Petitioners were happy to work with the Council in undertaking a full consultation of the area.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised stating that a full consultation would give the Council a foundation of evidence on which they could decide the course of action regarding the pathway. Officers said the evidence they had at the moment was from a consultation which was undertaken 14 years ago, and Officers could not be sure who was consulted. Therefore, Officers felt it was necessary to undertake a fresh consultation with Airdrie Close, West Quay Drive and the surrounding vicinity.

Resolved That the Cabinet Member;-

1. Meets and discusses with petitioners their request for the adopted public footpath to be ‘stopped up’.

2. Considered the Petitioners request together with the advice given in the report by Officers and the Councils Legal Team and instructed Officers to carry out an informal consultation with residents to establish a wider residential view and report the results to the Cabinet Member.

Reasons for recommendation

To allow the Cabinet Member the opportunity to discuss with the petitioner the concerns over the Council’s legal obligation as the Highway Authority to protect the rights of the public to use the adopted public highway.

Alternative options considered

There are no alternatives to consider as the Council will have taken all appropriate steps to ensure that the views of all persons who may be affected by a decision have been consulted before taking the appropriate action.