Agenda and minutes

Petition Hearing - Cabinet Member for Public Safety & Transport - Wednesday, 11th August, 2021 7.00 pm

Venue: Committee Room 5 - Civic Centre. View directions

Contact: Liz Penny  01895 250185 or Email: epenny@hillingdon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

15.

Declarations of Interest in matters coming before this meeting

Minutes:

None.

16.

To confirm that the business of the meeting will take place in public

Minutes:

It was confirmed that all items were in Part I and would be considered in public.

17.

To consider the report of the officers on the following petitions received:

18.

Ninth Avenue, Hayes - Petition Concerned With Safety When Exiting Ninth Avenue on to Longmead Road, Hayes pdf icon PDF 574 KB

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents raising safety concerns when exiting Ninth Avenue on to Longmead Road, Hayes. The Lead Petitioner was in attendance and made the following points: 

 

·       Exiting Ninth Avenue onto Longmead Road was extremely dangerous due to very poor visibility;

·       The yellow lines on the corner had been re-painted but cars still parked on them;

·       At times residents had been obliged to call out the out of hours Traffic Warden because people had parked on the double yellow lines. The illegally parked cars restricted the road making it difficult for emergency vehicles to pass / gain access;

·       Mirrors were requested to aid visibility;

·       A large car was often parked in the disabled parking space on the corner which further restricted visibility.

Ward Councillor Allen was in attendance and spoke in support of the petitioners making the following points:

 

·       Double yellow lines on the corner of the junction were largely ignored;

·       A large number of vans were often parked along Longmead Road thereby restricting visibility;

·       Cars tended to speed around the corner adding to the danger;

·       Nearby Central Avenue was a 20mph zone while the smaller roads, including Longmead and Ninth Avenue, were 30mph zones. This seemed illogical and 20mph zones were requested along all the smaller avenues in the area.

Ward Councillor Curling was also in attendance and highlighted the following concerns:

 

·       The roads in the area were very narrow;

·       The main concern was the lack of visibility when exiting Ninth Avenue into Longmead Road – it was a miracle that there had been no serious accidents to date;

·       A mirror appeared to be a good solution as they seemed to work well in other locations;

·       The extension of the double yellow lines on the corners and speed limits of 20mph along the smaller roads were suggested as possible solutions.

The Cabinet Member and the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager listened to the concerns of the petitioners and were keen to mitigate the issues raised.

 

The Cabinet Member commented that there were some very large bushes on the corner of Ninth Avenue / Longmead Road which further restricted visibility. It was suggested that the Green Spaces team be requested to cut these back if they fell within the remit of the Council; if not, residents should be requested to do this. The petitioners were informed that, unfortunately, mirrors could not be used in this location as they would be in contravention of Department of Transport regulations. Moreover, regrettably 20mph speed limit zones would not be helpful as these were not enforceable (Councillor Allen questioned this statement and asked officers to check its validity). The Cabinet Member recommended that the double yellow lines already in place on the corners of Ninth Avenue be extended further – a consultation process would be required prior to implementing this. It was noted that ‘Concealed Entrance’ signs could also be helpful in this location. Officers were requested to conduct a thorough site visit, consider all the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

19.

Ickenham Station, Glebe Avenue, Ickenham - Petition Requesting a Zebra Crossing Outside the Station pdf icon PDF 433 KB

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting a Zebra Crossing outside Ickenham Station. A petitioner was in attendance and made the following points: 

 

·       a zebra crossing had been requested not only to access the station but also for safety reasons i.e. to slow down the traffic;

·       crossing the road was a major issue as traffic moved very quickly and few traffic calming measures were currently in place;

·       the survey mentioned in the officer’s report would be costly and seemed superfluous given the existence of a petition which already indicated that local residents supported the request;

·       clarification of the cost of installing a zebra crossing was requested.

The Cabinet Member confirmed that, prior to the hearing, Ward Councillors had indicated that they felt the installation of a zebra crossing would be challenging given the narrowness of the road and the reduced sight lines and believed alternative options should be explored. It had been suggested that TfL could potentially create alternative exits so people using the station did not need to cross the road.

 

The Cabinet Member, the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager and the Senior Transport Planner listened to the concerns of petitioners and were keen to mitigate the issues raised.

 

The Cabinet Member commented that there were two main issues to consider – the speed of the traffic coming over the bridge and the safety of people crossing. It was noted that there was no capacity for pavements on both sides of the road as it was too narrow. Officers observed that a zebra crossing had to meet the requirements of national legislation and would not be feasible in the requested location given its topography. It was confirmed that officers were currently working with TfL to support their work at the station – it was possible that an alternative type of crossing / other access arrangements could be considered as part of this work. Traffic and pedestrian surveys would be critical to provide the data needed to ascertain the most appropriate traffic calming measures to install in this location. It was hoped that both sets of surveys would be conducted around the same time in September 2021. It was noted that the ‘Slow’ signs on the roads needed to be repainted. The Senior Transport Planner would advise the Council’s Highways team accordingly.

 

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport:

 

1.    met with petitioners and listened to their concerns in regard to safe crossing for pedestrians in the area of Ickenham Station and the request for the provision of a zebra crossing;

 

2.    asked officers to undertake 24/7 automated traffic counts at locations along Glebe Avenue agreed with petitioners;

 

 

3.    asked officers to undertake pedestrian surveys at, and close to, the station to understand current pedestrian desire-lines;

 

4.    asked officers to consider and incorporate as appropriate the request into the current investigations into improving accessibility and road safety in the area around the station, as detailed within the body of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

20.

Bourn Avenue, Hillingdon - Petition Requesting Traffic Calming Measures pdf icon PDF 525 KB

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting traffic calming measures in Bourn Avenue, Hillingdon. The Lead Petitioner was in attendance and made the following points: 

 

·       Bourn Avenue was a small road yet was being used as a rat run with motorists regularly travelling at speed along the road. Reduced visibility on the bend made the situation even more dangerous, particularly when cars were parked there;

·       There were no double yellow lines on the corners at the junction with Lees Road therefore parked cars reduced visibility;

·       There had been a number of accidents along Bourn Avenue due to speeding;

·       Children often walked to school along Bourn Avenue which was another concern.

The Cabinet Member and the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager listened to the concerns of petitioners and were keen to mitigate the issues raised.

 

The Cabinet Member commented that double yellow lines on corners were recommended to preserve sightlines and for safety reasons. A consultation on this proposal would be initiated. It was confirmed that traffic surveys would also be undertaken in September 2021 and the preferred locations of the survey cables were agreed with petitioners. Furthermore, it was agreed that officers would review parking restrictions in the wider area to ensure signage, double yellow lines etc were in good condition and fit for purpose.  

 

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport:

 

1.    met with petitioners and listened to their road safety concerns and suggestions for traffic calming measures for Bourn Avenue;

 

2.    asked officers to undertake traffic surveys at locations agreed by the petitioners and Ward Councillors and to review the current parking restrictions in Bourn Avenue;

 

3.    instructed officers to investigate the suggestions for parking restrictions proposed by petitioners; and

 

4.    instructed officers to consider double yellow lines at the junction of Bourn Avenue and Lees Road, review other parking restrictions on the road and ensure the signs and road markings are in good condition and fit for purpose.

 

Reasons for decisions

 

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

 

Alternative options considered / risk management

 

None at this stage.