Agenda and draft minutes

At the request of petitioners, and with the agreement of the Cabinet Member, it had been agreed prior to the meeting that this item would be deferred for consideration at a future petition hearing.

The lead petitioner was not in attendance but had submitted a written representation which was read out for the attention of the Cabinet Member. Key points highlighted included:

• Petitioners expressed concerns about the increased traffic on Dulverton Road over the past 3-4 years. They noted that the road was often used as a cut-through, causing congestion, noise, and pollution.
• Various types of vehicles, including SUVs, trucks, lorries, delivery drivers, and food delivery bikes, had been passing through.
• Residents were distressed by the reckless speed of vehicles, making it unsafe to cross the road. They had difficulty reversing out of their driveways due to the high traffic volume.
• The high traffic volume posed a significant risk to the safety of residents, especially children and the elderly. Parents found it dangerous to cross the road during rush hours. Mobility scooters had been honked at by motorists, causing distress.
• Motorists had been harassing and hooting at Council bin collection trucks to try and make them speed up. Several minor accidents had occurred, with a major concern about potential accidents involving children.
• Residents had lost the right to a peaceful night due to constant noise from speeding motorists. Those working night shifts found it difficult to sleep during the day. Keeping windows open was a challenge due to traffic noise.
• The petitioners highlighted various possible solutions, including speed bumps, chicanes, narrowing roads, speed cameras, radar signs, lowering speed limits, pedestrian crossings, restricting certain vehicle types, public awareness campaigns, and increased enforcement.
• They urged the relevant authorities to take their concerns seriously and take prompt action to restore the safety and tranquillity of Dulverton Road.

The Cabinet Member thanked petitioners for their submission. In response to questions from the Cabinet Member, officers confirmed that two accidents in the area had been recorded. However, it was noted that officers only had access to Police data where the emergency services had been called out; minor scrapes and bumps were not recorded.

The Cabinet Member acknowledged that Dulverton Road was sometimes used as a ‘rat run’ to avoid busy areas. He noted the proximity of Lady Bankes School and suggested that it might be helpful for the Safer Neighbourhood Team to introduce a community watch scheme.

At the request of the Cabinet Member, the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager explained that the proposed 24/7 traffic surveys would record the speed and types of vehicles using the road and would help to identify any patterns. It was confirmed that the pneumatic monitoring tubes would be in place to capture this information over a period of 10 days (school holiday times would be avoided). These surveys would provide officers with inciteful data and enable them to consider all the possible options available to them to address any issues identified. It was confirmed that officers would subsequently engage with residents and local Ward Councillors to discuss a way forward.

It was agreed that the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager would suggest where  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

The lead petitioner was not in attendance but had submitted a written representation on behalf of petitioners which was read out for the attention of the Cabinet Member. Key points highlighted included:

• Increased traffic and speeding along North Hyde Road and the A312 had been observed over the last 5–10 years, particularly due to the opening of Costco and other businesses, as well as the development of the Nestlé Avenue flats. This had led to more vehicles using Crane Gardens as a cut through to bypass traffic.
• The combination of increased traffic and speeding posed serious safety hazards to pedestrians, cyclists, children, and elderly residents.
• Many residents had experienced property damage, such as broken mirrors and scrapes, but incidents often went unreported due to rising insurance costs.
• Increased traffic resulted in higher noise and air pollution levels, affecting the quality of residents' lives.
• The continuous flow of non-local traffic in a small residential road created unnecessary disturbances, and parking pressure was exacerbated by builders and contractors parking in Crane Gardens.
• Any proposed traffic-calming measures must not result in further loss of parking spaces which would only worsen the situation for residents.
• The petitioners requested the Council to explore measures to calm traffic on Crane Gardens and supported commissioning an independent traffic report.
• They also suggested comparing Crane Gardens with similar residential roads where speed-calming measures had been implemented and emphasised the need for solutions that did not compromise parking availability.
• Petitioner's appreciated the Council's time and consideration and expressed a willingness to work together to find a solution that enhanced safety and improved the quality of life of all residents.

The Cabinet Member thanked petitioners for their submission and noted the importance of not compromising current parking availability in Crane Gardens.

In response to questions from the Cabinet Member, officers confirmed that one accident in the area had been recorded. However, it was noted that officers only had access to Police data where the emergency services had been called out; minor scrapes and bumps were not recorded.

The Cabinet Member acknowledged that there had been a lot of development in the area which had resulted in increased volume of traffic and had added to parking stress.

At the request of the Cabinet Member, the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager explained that the proposed 24/7 traffic surveys would record the speed and types of vehicles using the road and would help to identify any patterns. It was confirmed that the pneumatic monitoring tubes would be in place to capture this information over a period of 10 days (school holiday times would be avoided). These surveys would provide officers with inciteful data and enable them to consider all the possible options available to them to address any issues identified. It was confirmed that officers would subsequently engage with residents and local Ward Councillors to discuss a way forward. It was acknowledged that some measures could result in a reduction of current parking space, but this aspect would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

Petitioners were not in attendance, but Ward Councillors Janet Gardner and Peter Curling spoke in support of the requested traffic calming measures on Pump Lane, Hayes.

Key points highlighted included:

·         The area formed part of a larger ‘racetrack’ in Hayes Town used by ‘boy racers.’ Car meets also caused unacceptable noise disturbance to residents and lead to antisocial behaviour.

·         The Police had been called to investigate the matter in the past but, by the time they had arrived, the offenders had already moved on. However, residents were encouraged to call the Police to ensure their concerns were recorded.

·         The situation was concerning as people often drove at speed in a very dangerous manner.

·         It was noted that a bus service along Pump Lane was proposed.

·         The current width restriction had a large gap in the middle which was sometimes used by boy racers. Others used Pump Lane car park to bypass the width restriction which was very concerning and dangerous.

·         Problems in Pump Lane had been the subject of discussion for many years and traffic calming measures had been proposed in the past. Given the new development in the area the need for these was even more pressing. 

·         Any traffic surveys would need to capture all the relevant data – concerns were raised that an accident could easily happen given the level of dangerous driving in the area.

In response to questions from the Cabinet Member, it was confirmed that some of the car meets in the area appeared to be organised events while others were groups of local young people congregating in the area.

The Cabinet Member noted the need for further investigation of the current Pump Lane car park layout given that it was reportedly being used as a cut through. He underlined the importance of Police involvement.

The Transport and Aviation Team Manager informed the Cabinet Member that a new bus service was planned which would run from Southall, along Pump Lane and terminating at ASDA in Hayes. It was possible that the current width restriction would need to be removed to accommodate this bus route. However, it was noted that the current width restriction arguably acted as a traffic calming measure hence this would need to be taken into account when considering which measures to introduce.

In response to further requests for clarification from the Cabinet Member it was confirmed that, were the current width restriction to be removed, CCTV cameras would be installed to ascertain whether heavy goods vehicles were using the road for legitimate purposes or whether they were using it as a short cut.

The Cabinet Member noted the importance of ongoing monitoring of the situation in Pump Lane.

It was agreed that 24/7 speed and traffic surveys would be undertaken, and Ward Councillors were invited to recommend where these should be positioned.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member:

1)    Met with and heard from Ward Councillors regarding the 20mph zone and traffic calming measures on Pump Lane, Hayes as proposed by petitioners; and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.