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.

The Lead Petitioner and Ward Councillors for this item did not attend the meeting although they had been invited on two separate occasions. 

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1)     Discussed petitioners request for traffic calming measures.

2)     Agreed that the Council takes no further action to investigate possible road safety options in Kings College Road until further notice.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

The petition hearing provided the Cabinet Member an opportunity to discuss the concerns and suggestions of petitioners.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

These were not discussed as petitioners were not present.

Councillor Neil Fyfe and Cllr Beulah East attended as Ward Councillors in support of the petitioners.  Sergeant Phillips from Charville Safer Neighbourhood Team also attended in support of petitioners. 

As petitioners were not in attendance, Cllr Burrows asked if Ward Councillors would like the petition heard in their absence.  Ward Councillors were happy for the petition to be heard.  Cllr Burrows also highlighted an email in support of the petitioners’ request from Cllr O’Connor.

Both Ward Councillors spoke and raised the following points:

• Visibility was often restricted.
• People park wherever they like.
• Speed bumps were already in place.
• There was not a School Crossing Patrol Officer.
• There were two entrances to the school, one on Raynton Drive and the other on Frogmore Avenue.
• A zebra crossing could cause more chaos.
• Works completed on Balmoral Drive end of Raynton Drive were an improvement.

Sgt Phillips of Charville, Safer Neighbourhood Team also raised the following points:

• PCSO’s had no power to ticket drivers and were often abused by drivers.
• Disabled drivers were often parking across residents’ dropped kerbs.
• The Council’s enforcement team were not available all the time.

The Cabinet Member listened to the concerns and responded to the points raised.

Councillor Burrows thanked Sgt Phillips for the work his team carried out in Charville Ward and for taking the time to attend the petition hearing.  Cllr Burrows explained that the Council was currently in the process of recruiting additional School Crossing Patrol Officers, however, these were subject to interviews and CRB checks.

Officers explained that the School Travel Plan Team updated their plans on a yearly basis.  The School Travel Plan Team encouraged people to walk or cycle to school.  Officers stated ideally there would be a School Crossing Patrol Officer at every school; however, this was determined by risk assessments and the level of footfall.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1)     Met with petitioners and considered their request for a zebra crossing outside Hayes Park Primary School in Raynton Drive. 

2)     Noted the current proposals to improve road safety in the vicinity of Hayes Park Primary School.

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

4)     Asked officers to liaise with Parking Services to review the level of parking enforcement in this area, and carry out some additional short-term enforcement in an attempt to break the bad habits of parents and relatives.

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.

Councillor Carol Melvin attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor.   

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

• The parking had got worst in the past nine months.
• Residents had previously petitioned the Council.
• Emergency services have had problems accessing the road.
• The single yellow line at the entrance of Thirlmere Gardens had reduced the number of available spaces and pushed the parking problem further into the road.
• Weekends were not so much of a problem.
• The local hospital had increased their parking charges.
• Residents requested a scheme that operated Monday to Friday 11 am until 3pm.
• Hospital staff were supposedly telling people to park in Thirlmere Gardens.

Councillor Melvin spoke in support of the petitioners’ request and raised the following points:

• All three Ward Councillors supported petitioners’ views.
• Emergency services have had access problems.
• The additional properties being constructed as part of a new development could potentially add to the parking problem.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised.

Councillor Burrows explained how residents’ parking schemes worked and why they have become popular with residents within across the Borough.  Councillor Burrows was mindful of the recent increase in parking charges within the local hospital.  Councillor Burrows was aware that residents had previously been consulted on parking proposals but the results did not indicate support for a scheme to be implemented in their road.  Councillor Burrows explained that all residents of Thirlmere Gardens would be consulted and the results would be analyzed on a house by house basis.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1)     Met and discussed with petitioners their request for parking restrictions in Thirlmere Gardens, Northwood.

1)     Asked officers to add the request to the Council’s parking programme for further investigation.

2)     Asked officers to investigate access issues in liaison with the London Fire Brigade.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

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

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

These were discussed in greater detail with petitioners.

Councillor John Hensley attended as a Ward Councillor in support of the petitioners.

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

• Ickenham underground station was a short walking distance.
• Nearby roads already had parking controls.
• Crosier Road was one of the only roads in the area with no parking restrictions.
• The footway was being damaged by parked vehicles.
• Garages were frequently blocked.
• Refuse trucks often had difficulty due to the width of the road.
• 36 households had signed the petition which represented 74% of the total number of households in the road.

Councillor Hensley spoke in support of the petitioners’ request and raised the following issues.

• Driveways were often blocked.
• Other roads in the local area have benefited from parking schemes.
• Other schemes took time to develop but did not want a scheme in Crosier Road being delayed.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised.

Councillor Burrows explained how residents’ parking schemes worked and why they have become popular with residents within the Ickenham area and across the Borough. Cllr Burrows noted that the majority of residents had signed the petition and was therefore happy to add the petitioners request to the parking programme which was currently being developed with officers.  Cllr Burrows highlighted to petitioners that he could not give them a time scale on when residents would be consulted; however, he emphasized the importance of returning the consultation document when they received it.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1)     Met with the petitioners and considered their request for parking restrictions in Crosier Road, Ickenham.

2)     Asked officers to add the request to the Council’s parking programme for further investigation.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

The petition hearing provided the opportunity to hear directly the concerns of the petitioners.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

These were discussed with petitioners.