Agenda and minutes

Councillor Jane Palmer attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor.

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

·         New housing had been built in the area, with further developments in progress, which would increase the traffic problems in the area.

·         Breakspear Road North had a 30 mph speed limit, but this was not often adhered to.

·         There was no pavement on the left hand side of Breakspear Road North only a white line, which caused concern for pedestrian safety.

·         There was a cricket and football club further along Breakspear Road North, which were used for fund raising events, which increased the volume of traffic in the area.

·         Large Lorries delivering to the shops increased the safety concerns on this road.

·         The installation of traffic calming measures to slow the traffic and or a zebra crossing were felt to be the only solution to the resident's concerns.

A Ward Councillor attended and made the following points.

·         Agreed with the case put forward by the lead petitioner.

·         Harefield was a rural area with long straight roads, which lent itself to speeding traffic.

·         Traffic speeds around the village were constantly above the speed limit.

·         Breakspear Road North was difficult to cross, with no pavements, and with no pavement pedestrian safety was a concern especially with the speed of traffic in the area.

·         There were concerns in relation to safety / lack of visibility on Breakspear Road North.

·         The current situation was likely to increase as further development takes place in the area.

The Cabinet Member, Cllr Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns and responded to the points raised. 

Cllr Burrows explained to the petitioners the recommendation in the report in relation to the Vehicle Activation Signs and that in other areas this had in many cases reduced traffic speed.  The speed survey that was to be undertaken would collect data regarding the types of vehicles, the speed a vehicle was travelling and the volume of traffic. This would then provide the Council with information on what safety measures would be best for the area and establish a case and viability for a formal pedestrian crossing. The information collected would be shared with the Ward Councillors.

Resolved -

That the Cabinet Member:

1.     Noted the information in the report, and the views of the

petitioners at the meeting and considered the suggested actions set out in the report.

2.     Asked officers to add Breakspear Road North to future phases of

the Council's Vehicle Activated Sings Programme.

3.     Instructed officers to undertake an independent 24/7 vehicle

speed and classification survey at locations to be agreed with the petitioners and the Ward Councillors.  The information from the survey to be discussed with the Cabinet Member and the Ward Councillors to consider further investigations under the Road Safety Programme and to establish the case for a formal pedestrian crossing.

Councillor June Nelson attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor.

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:-

The petitioner provided a presentation for the Cabinet Member on the concerns that had been raised as part of the petition, which included:

·         Vehicles do not adhere to the speed limit in Sipson Road/Sipson Lane.

·         Drivers ignore the fact there is a roundabout at the junction of Sipson Road / Sipson Lane.

·         There was a restricted view for drivers approaching the roundabout.

·         Vision was obstructed by parked cars, the position of the building and pavement barriers.

·         Parked cars reduced the road to a single lane on a blind bend.

·         A number of properties had parking in the front garden but no vehicle crossover.

·         Parking takes place on the grass verges in the area.

·         Coaches had difficulty accessing the National Express Coach premises in Holloway Lane, often mounting the pavement to do so.

·         The shrubbery on the entrance to Sipson Road obstructed driver's visibility approaching the roundabout.

Ward Councillor

·         The petitioner had given an in depth presentation and the experiences given was a daily occurrence.

·         Complaints had been received by all Ward Councillors in relation to the Sipson Lane and Sipson Road junction.

·         The speed of cars, parking and the mini-cabs in the area were a continuing nuisance and caused chaos in the village.

·         Asked the Cabinet Member to consider changes being made to make the area safer for everyone.

The Cabinet Member advised the petitioner that minicabs had been an issue in the area and although Parking Enforcement Officers (PEO) visit the area, the perpetrators move on as soon as they see the PEO's arriving.

The Cabinet Member noted that although a previous survey carried out had shown that the speed of vehicles had reduced, the petitioner had questioned the location of the speed survey tubes. Officers were asked to check the location of the previous survey tubes in relation to the roundabout at the Sipson Road/Sipson Lane junction and report back to the Cabinet Member.  If it was felt that there was justification for a further survey to be undertaken officers would be authorised to carry out a further independent 24/7 survey.

Officers were also asked to carry out a traffic study by the roundabout at the Sipson Road/Sipson Lane junction, in regards to the concerns highlighted by the petitioner and report the findings back to the Cabinet Member.

The Cabinet Member advised the petitioner that the information given in the presentation in relation to parking in front gardens where there was no dropped kerb would be passed to planning, for further action.

 Resolved

That the Cabinet Member:

1.     Noted the information in the report, and the views of the petitioners

at the meeting and considered the suggested actions.

2.     Noted that the Council had undertaken 'before' and 'after' traffic

surveys on a 24/7 basis to determine the impact the traffic calming scheme had, had upon vehicle speeds.  The results showed a fall in the 85^th percentile speed from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

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

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

·         The number of people in attendance showed the strength of feeling residents had about road safety in Northgate.

·         The request was to reduce speeding in the road and enforcement of the no right turn onto Ducks Hill Road to be undertaken.

·         The Ducks Hill Road and Northgate junction was a known traffic black spot.

·         Motorists flout the no right turn regularly, without thought for others.

·         Examples were provided of the near misses and accidents that had occurred at the junction of Ducks Hill Road /Northgate and in Northgate itself.

·         A letter had been received from the local Police Sergeant advising that a camera was required at this junction to monitor the situation.

·         Felt that the signage in the area needed to be increased to highlight the no right turn and reduce speeding in the area.

·         Suggested that the area could be made a 20 mph zone.

A Ward Councillor attended and made the following points.

·         Supported the petitioners and the points they had put forward as she had a personal experience of a near miss.

·         The no right turn onto Ducks Hill Road was put in as recommended by the Ward Councillors due to the number of accidents at this junction.

·         Initially the no right turn had been monitored, but now it was not monitored the problem had slowly worsened and the no right turn was being ignored.

·         Felt that a camera would be a solution to the increased number of incidents occurring.

·         There was a blind bend on Northgate and speeding traffic caused a dangerous situation for other road users.

The Cabinet Member advised the petitioners that it was not the policy of the Council to carry out CCTV enforcement.  This policy had been re-considered in 2013 and there were no plans for this to be re-introduced CCTV enforcement at this stage.

The Cabinet Member referred to the recommendation on a speed and traffic volume survey and set out the detail of what this would entail.   This would provide the Council with information that could justify a way forward.  The information would be with the Ward Councillors.

The petitioners were informed by the Cabinet Member that Recommendation 4 would require officers to ask the Police to carry out ad hoc enforcement when their resources permit as ignoring the no right turn was a traffic violation.

The Cabinet Member agreed to ask officers to inspect the current signage and report back with a view to this being increased to highlight the no right turn.

In answer to a question raised officers advised the petitioners that the speed and traffic volume survey would be carried out in term time.

Resolved

That the Cabinet Member:

1.     Noted the information in the report, and the views of the petitioners at the meeting and considered the suggested actions.

3.    Noted the original reason for the banned right turn being introduced.

4.    Asked officers to add  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Councillors Ian Edwards attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor.

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

·         There were 62 dwellings in Fairfield Road, with parking bays for 6 vehicles and 2 disabled parking bays.

·         Residents from Fairfield Road were unable to park in Otterfield Road as most properties had dropped kerbs.

·         Staff from Kirk House parked in Fairfield Road, which led to less parking for residents and businesses. .

·         Resident had the right to park in close proximity to their property to ensure their vehicles were safe and not damaged.

·         Opinions of residents of Fairfield Road had not been taken into account when the Parking Management Scheme was introduced in Colham Avenue and Albert Road.

·         A permanent parking solution needed to be found for residents and businesses in Fairfield Road.

·         A majority of spaces in Colham Avenue were empty; suggested allowing residents from Fairfield Avenue to be allocated parmits in Colham Avenue.

A Ward Councillor attended and made the following points.

·         Supported petitioners as Fairfield Road was a vibrant and busy road.

·         The road was used as a cut through to other roads.

·         There needed to be a balance between business and residents parking

·         Felt that in the short term Colham Avenue allowing parking.

The Cabinet Member, Cllr Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns and responded to the points raised. 

The Cabinet Member noted that there had been two consultations carried out with residents of Fairfield Road in 2013 and 2014. The consultations had not received the necessary mandate for a Parking Management Scheme to be introduced in Fairfield Road at that time.

The Cabinet Member advised the petitioners that he was willing for a further consultation to be undertaken with residents of Fairfield Road, but if the required mandate was not reached the request for a PMS would not be able to be taken forward.  The Cabinet Member would have a discussion w with offices at a regular weekly meeting they have to see how the resident's concerns could be moved forward quickly to be integrated into the work currently being undertaken in the area.

If a positive feedback was received when the consultation was carried out, officers would work closely with residents and Ward Councillors to move the process forward quickly.

Resolved -

That the Cabinet Member:

1.    Noted the information in the report, and the views of the petitioners at the meeting and considered the suggested actions.

2.    Noted that previous consultations for a Parking Management Scheme in Fairfield Road had been carried out in 2013 and 2014.

3.    Instructed officers to carry out a further consultation, as soon as practicable following a meeting between the Cabinet Member and officers, on the petitioners request for a Parking Management Scheme in Fairfield Road.

Councillor Ian Edwards attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor.

The lead petitioner was invited to attend the petition hearing but failed to attend or send a representative to the meeting.  The petition was therefore heard in their absence.

A Ward Councillor made the following comments:

·         The road was used as a cut through.

·         Speed restrictions had already been installed in ? of the road.

·         Children played in the road, which increased the risk of an accident occurring.

·         Considered a 20mph speed limit in the area would reduce the risk of an accident.

The Cabinet Member explained that a speed survey had already been undertaken in the area, which showed that all speeds were below the speed limit for the area.  When consideration was being given to traffic calming measures there needed to be a justification for it.  In this case the figures returned from the survey did not support traffic calming measures being installed.

The Cabinet Members advised that officers would be instructed to refer the concerns of the petitioners to the local police who may consider carrying out ad hoc enforcement when their resources permitted.

Resolved

That the Cabinet Member:

1. Discussed the petitioners concerns with the Ward Councillor in relation to the speed of traffic in Whitethorn Avenue.

2. Noted that the Council had undertaken an independent traffic and speed survey at three locations in Whitethorn Avenue which showed that the 85% percentile speeds were significantly below the posted speed limit.

3. Instructed officers to refer the concerns of the petitioners regarding

anti-social behaviour by a minority of road users to the local police, in order that the police may in turn consider their own investigations and possible ad-hoc enforcement in relation to traffic speed if and when their resources permit.