Agenda and minutes

Petition Hearing - Cabinet Member for Public Safety & Transport - Wednesday, 6th October, 2021 7.00 pm

Venue: Committee Room 5 - Civic Centre. View directions

Items
No. Item

27.

Declarations of Interest in matters coming before this meeting

Minutes:

None.

28.

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

Minutes:

It was confirmed that all items of business would be considered in public.

29.

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

30.

Church Close, West Drayton - Petition Requesting The Introduction Of Yellow Lines Or A Residents' Permit Parking Scheme pdf icon PDF 87 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting the introduction of yellow lines or a residents permit parking scheme.  A representative from the petition was in attendance and made the following points: 

 

·         Church Close was a narrow road with a one-sided pavement.

·         Residents from nearby roads often used Church Close as parking for long periods.

·         Church Close was a popular location to park due to its close proximity to a local park.

·         There had recently been an incident where the ambulance service had difficulty accessing the road due to its narrowness and obstructive parking.

·         Residents had difficulties parking their vehicles due to the lack of space on the narrow road and driveways were often difficult to access due to inconsiderate parking. 

·         The situation had become worse due to ongoing building work and the increase of larger vehicles on the road. This reduced the already limited amount of space available.

·         Church Close was also used as commuter parking and people travelling to and from Heathrow Airport.

·         There had been a knock-on effect on the residents of Church Close as a result of parking management schemes in other nearby roads.

Councillor Stuart Mathers attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and supported the petition and comments made by the petitioners. He added that that there was increased parking pressure on the road as result of nearby roads that had parking management schemes in place. Councillor Mathers noted that that there was a car park in close vicinity of Church Close which was cost effective and secured.

 

The Head of Transport and Town Centre Projects considered that it would be sensible to progress a bespoke parking management scheme for this road alone, which would include signage making it clear that Church Close was only available for resident parking. Placing parking bays within the road would be impractical as they would take up too much space and cause a further reduction to the footway.

 

Councillor Riley listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. Councillor Riley acknowledged that Church Close was a narrow road and noted the knock-on effect neighbouring parking management schemes had had. The new developments in the area had also impacted the amount of available parking and Cllr Riley confirmed that Church Close would be added to the future parking scheme programme for informal consultation. The present financial constraints involved with funding from Transport for London (TFL) were noted, although the Council has sought alternative funding to mitigate the delays that would otherwise ensue. 

 

In considering the matters, Councillor Riley made the following decisions. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

Meeting with the Petitioners, the Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport:

 

1.    met with petitioners and listened to their concerns over non-residential parking in Church Close, West Drayton.

2.    asked officers to add this request to the Council’s extensive Parking Management Scheme Programme for a possible informal consultation.

 

Reasons for decisions

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

 

Alternative  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

31.

Rockingham Bridge Conservation Area, Uxbridge - Petition Requesting An Extension To The Operating Times Of 'Zone U4' Residents' Permit Parking Scheme And Additional Spaces pdf icon PDF 102 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting that the Council reformed the operation of the U4 parking permit area. A representative from the petition was in attendance and made the following points: 

 

·         Concerns were raised about safety of pedestrians given the heavy traffic flow, narrow road and non-residents parking in resident parking areas.

·         Rockingham Bridge was a beauty spot that attracted many visitors, and this added to the parking issue.

·         There were five unallocated parking bays, and the Council was  asked to investigate bay ownership  and whether they could be made available for resident use. People had been known to park their cars there for long periods and leave.

·         The road was a throughway to the town and there had been an increase in local burglaries.

·         Often key workers such a teachers, doctors and nurses were unable to find parking near their homes when they came home from late shifts.

·         A request was made to extend the parking permit arrangements for seven days a week from 6am to 10pm.

·         The new development in the area had also impacted the amount of available parking for residents.

Councillor Farhad Choubedar attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and supported the petition. He attested to the concerns raised by the petitioners and requested that the hours of operation for the parking management be extended as this would help the situation.

 

Councillor Judith Cooper, Ward Councillor, submitted her support by email for the petition and considered that it was a reasonable and measured request that would help to improve parking for residents.

 

Councillor Keith Burrows also attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Councillor Burrows supported the points raised by the petitioners, noting that this area was also used for parking by people who visited and worked in Uxbridge town centre. It was asked whether the request to extend the hours of operation could be expediated as there was already a parking management scheme in operation. Councillor Burrows urged officers to investigate the five unmarked parking bays alongside the commencement of the informal consultation to avoid any delay to residents. 

 

The additional photographs submitted were noted.

 

Councillor Riley informed petitioners that an update regarding the area at the top end of Victoria Road had been provided to him, and on the basis of the Land Registry information obtained it was evident that ownership was a complicated matter that required further investigation. This area, including the parking bays  there that petitioners had referred to, did not belong to the Council and Councillor Riley explained that the matters relating to this would be looked at separately from the wider work to review the hours of operation of the parking management scheme so as to avoid any delays in addressing the other issues raised in the petition. The present financial constraints involved with funding from TFL were noted, although the Council has sought alternative funding to mitigate the delays that would otherwise ensue.  Councillor Riley requested that officers consider the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

32.

Freeman's Lane, Hayes - Petition Requesting Traffic Calming And Increased Street Cleansing pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting traffic calming measures and increased street cleansing. A representative from the petition was in attendance and made the following points: 

 

·         Concerns were raised about the safety of pedestrians and residents given the excessive speeding on Freemans Lane. It was requested that the speed limit on the road be reduced from 30 mph to 20 mph.

·         There were serious concerns raised for children and adults who visited the park when crossing roads as there was no zebra crossing and drivers regularly sped.

·         The entrances to the park were narrow and it was enquired whether the number of entrances could be reduced.

·         There was a constant screeching of cars due to excessive speeding and many residents could not have their windows open due to the noise.

·         There had been many near incidents due to speed of vehicle travel and concerns were raised about emergency vehicles being able to access the road.

·         There had been incidents where people had removed the bollards to allow large vehicles to travel through the road. The bollards were also damaged, unlocked and widened no longer serving their purpose.

·         Double yellow lines were requested at turning points.

·         There was concern at the perceived lack of formal pedestrian crossing points, especially near some of the entrances into Barra Hall Park.

·         Concerns were also raised about the level of cleaning on the road. Although cleaning took place weekly there was still an excessive amount of litter especially near the park.

Councillor Lynne Allen attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Councillor Allen supported the points raised by the petitioner and added that the level of speeding was a concern for all adults and children. The Council was urged to implement a 20-mph speed limit to avoid any fatalities. It was also asked that  yellow lines be added at the turning points and for the shrubbery at Barra Hall Park to be cut more frequently. Cllr Allen added that she felt that the streetlighting in sections of Freeman’s Lane was, in her view, inadequate.

 

The Head of Transport and Town Centre Projects considered that it would be sensible to assess the complete layout of Freemans Lane to see how the road as a whole could be improved. Options such as lorry bans and the need or otherwise for retention of the existing width restriction could be considered. 

 

Councillor Riley listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. Councillor Riley accepted that speeding was considered by the petitioners and Cllr Allen to be an issue in the area and noted this from the petition and statements submitted.  It was clearly a busy road that was amongst other purposes used by many residents to access the park.

 

Councillor Riley advised that independent traffic surveys would be commissioned through a specialist company in the normal manner, and to assist this process, the lead petitioner and Cllr Allen examined a plan of Freeman’s Lane and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.