Agenda and minutes

None.

RESOLVED: That the meeting would take place in public.

Councillors Brian Crowe and Philip Corthorne attended the meeting and each spoke as Ward Councillors.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner included the following:

• The petition had been signed by 6 out of the 21 households in the road.
• Parking pressures meant that it was extremely difficult to park in Withy Lane at any time.
• Withy Lane was regularly used for commuter parking.
• Numerous employees of several local firms parked all day in the cul-de-sac.
• The proximity of the Lido meant that it was regularly congested with visitors to Ruislip Woods and the Lido.
• The close proximity of the Fire Station was significant as the congestion impacted on the access and egress of emergency vehicles.
• There were a significant number of houses in  Withy Lane without allocated parking. This meant there was a significant amount of displaced parking.
• Many residents had to park in adjacent roads which caused further displaced parking.
• The residents of houses 3,4,5,16,17, 18 and 19 all supported the concept of having one allocated parking bay per property outside their properties and highlighted residents desire to participate in a trial of this arrangement.

Ward Councillors spoke with regard to the petitioners’ requests and raised the following issues:

·         The Ward Councillors highlighted that there was no automatic right to an individual parking space on the highway and such action was beyond the remit of the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling.

·         Ward Councillors were acutely aware of the issues in Withy Lane. As a new over flow car park at the Lido had been built, this demonstrated that local concerns had not been ignored.

·         Ward Councillors acknowledged that motorists regularly parked on both sides of the road in Withy Lane which made access and egress of service and emergency vehicles extremely difficult.

·         Moving forward, Councillors suggested that consideration might be given to imposing restrictions on one side of the road.

·         A further option which was suggested included asking officers to explore increasing the amount of off street parking by the increased use of dropped curbs.

The Cabinet Member, Councillor Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns raised, noting that a formal consultation on a detailed design for Parking Management Scheme was undertaken in 2007. During this consultation a petition signed by 16 households of Withy Lane, which at the time represented 84% of the properties in the road, was submitted opposing the scheme.

Since this consultation, it was noted that improvements to the Lido had brought about increased traffic flows. It was also acknowledged that local businesses found Withy Lane an attractive place to park and the houses in  Withy Lane had created a parking pressure as many of these did not have allocated parking.

With regards to the comments made by Ward Councillors, the Cabinet Member confirmed he was not able to allocate individual pays to specific households. However, having taken into account the small area covered by Withy Lane, the Cabinet Member confirmed he would instruct officers to assess this area only and requested that Ward  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

No Ward Councillors attended the meeting.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner included the following:

·         The petitioner had lived in the area for 30 years.

·         The petition asked the Council to consider proposals for a residents' parking scheme along Victoria Road.

·         As many of the properties along this section of road had limited or no off-street parking facilities, residents were regularly competing with non-residents to find somewhere to park.

·         Local redevelopments such as the Focus and Arla sites had increased traffic flows.

·         Additional congestion would be created when the Lidl store, near the Eastcote Arms opened for business.

·         Victoria Road would be used for heavy vehicles when HS2 construction started.

·         It was noted that as well as the restaurants at the Arla site, this also incorporated a cinema complex which meant that local roads would become even more congested, especially in the evenings.

·         It was anticipated that the Braintree Industrial site would displace commuter car parking down Bideford Drive.

·         The design of some of the terraced housing locally meant that dropped curbs were not an option for the householder due to a combination of street furniture and trees which had been planted thus restricting access. Significant further residential development was anticipated in the wake of the Arla redevelopment.

The Cabinet Member, Councillor Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns raised and noted the timing of the petition in relation to planned future development. He explained it was opportune that a number of local concerns had been raised with him through the petitions process while there was still an opportunity to take mitigating action.

With regards to the operating hours of a Parking Management Scheme, he highlighted that usual operating hours were Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5pm, however these hours could be flexible.  The Cabinet Member explained he was very conversant with Victoria Road as a main thorough fare and agreed that the petitioners' request could be taken forward.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member:

1. Listened to the petitioners request for a Parking Management Scheme to be introduced along the section of Victoria Road, Ruislip between the junctions of West Mead and Braintree Road.

2. Subject to the outcome of the above, agreed the request for a Parking Management Scheme in this part of Victoria Road and possibly the surrounding area should be added to the Council’s future parking scheme programme for further investigation and more detailed consultation when resources permit.

Cllr Graham attended the meeting and spoke as a Ward Councillor.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner included the following:

• The petitioner lived and worked in the local area.
• The petition highlighted that the density and speed of traffic made crossing Vine Lane at St. Andrews Road very difficult.
• The crossing point was used by many different people including parents and children to get to and from two local schools- ACS Hillingdon International School, and John Locke Academy.
• A number of statistics were cited by the petitioner which provided pedestrian flows at different times of the days to indicate the popularity of the crossing point.
• The petitioner explained the most difficult times of the day to cross the road was during the morning commute, afternoon school run, and evening commute.
• Vine Lane was a common cut through from Uxbridge Road to Hercies Road, which led to a lot of traffic during those specific times.
• The bend of the road in Vine Lane made it more difficult to cross safely.
• The new housing development at St Andrews Park had increased traffic flows and the number of vehicles locally.
• The intake at local schools meant that footfall would increase and the danger to children would be ever present.
• The petitioner provided the Cabinet Member with a copy of a letter in support from the Head Teacher at ACS Hillingdon International School.

A Ward Councillor spoke with regard to the petitioners’ requests and raised the following issues:

• The Ward Councillor supported the petitioners' request and agreed there was a clear need to a safe crossing point especially at the busiest times of day.
• Vine Lane was often used by motorists to by-pass Long Lane and so was very busy.
• If a crossing point was introduced, adequate signage would be required to alert motorists in good time.

The Cabinet Member, Councillor Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns raised and thanked the petitioner for the comprehensive presentation they provided.

Referring to the new housing development, he explained that an independent Stage 3 Road Safety Audit Report for the RAF Uxbridge development had recommended the provision of an uncontrolled crossing point at the end of the new footway on Vine Lane immediately south of the junction with St Andrews Road.

In response to the recommendations in the Road Safety Audit Report, the existing footway on the western side of Vine Lane was extended and a dropped kerb provided to assist with pedestrian movements.

However, investigations undertaken by the Council and an independent consultant did not recommend the provision of a formal footway on the eastern side of Vine Lane as part of the RAF Uxbridge Development.

The Cabinet Member explained that given local residents concerns, the petitioner's request for a pedestrian crossing near St Andrews Close would be added to the Improvement and Projects Team Road Safety Programme.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member:

1.  Considered the petitioners 'concerns regarding road safety on Vine Lane near St Andrews Road.

2. Noted the previous work associated with the St Andrew's  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

Councillor Davis attended the meeting and spoke as a Ward Councillor.

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner included the following:

• The petitioner explained that residents had been having disagreements with members of the public over the inconsiderate and indiscriminate parking along the access way/drive way in High Street, Yiewsley. These confrontations had resulted in several instances of alleged anti-social behaviour.
• The relocation of Iceland meant that the residents' parking was converted to retail parking until the residents contacted a private parking company to manage the car park.
• The main issue stemmed from shoppers, parking /waiting/stopping at shops adjacent to the access way.
• Delivery vehicles regularly parked on the kerb near the entrance way for loading and unloading which caused an obstruction.
• Having discussed the parking issues with UK Car Park Management, the petitioner had been advised that the front of Dades Stores to the High Street was Council owned land and it was responsible for the maintenance of the highways as well as for any enforcement action.
• In view of the inconsiderate parking in the immediate vicinity of the access way, the petitioner requested that the Council   act as soon as possible.
• Specifically the petitioner requested that the Council officers responsible for parking enforcement use continuous CCTV and install a yellow box junction from the turning off the High Street all the way to the start of Dades stores.
• Further action included the installation of a "no Parking At Any Time" sign displayed along the access way and a Council operated street light to illuminate the access way at night especially during the height of winter when darkness falls"   

A Ward Councillor spoke with regard to the petitioners’ requests and raised the following issues:

• The Ward Councillor supported the broad concerns raised by the petitioner.
• The Ward Councillor agreed that the current parking restrictions were inadequate.
• With regards to the alleged instances of ASB, the Ward Councillor explained he would liaise with Cllr Ahmad-Wallana to move this forward, as this was beyond the remit of the petition hearing.

The Cabinet Member, Councillor Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns raised.

Referring to the parking issues which had been highlighted, Councillor Burrows explained that it was an especially difficult problem to solve as there would always be some inconsiderate motorists who chose to ignore signs and road markings. Discussing current enforcement action, he explained that Parking Enforcement Officers were legally obliged to give motorists an observation period before a ticket could be issued, and was often the case, motorists moved off to avoid a  penalty charge notice, only to return to the same spot after a short period.

Noting that the petitioners had also requested a "Council operated street light" in the access road to their parking area. He explained that Whilst the Council appreciated the request, the Council's Street Lighting Team had advised him that as this access road was privately maintained then it was the land owners' responsibility to provide adequate lighting. As a result, the Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

RESOLVED:

At the request of the petitioner and with the agreement of the Chairman, the petition relating to Black Rod Close, Hayes was deferred and will be considered at a future meeting.