Agenda item

Councillor David Benson and June Nelson attended as Ward Councillors in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns and suggestions from the petitioner included the following:

• Parking was very difficult. Local roads were overcrowded and most residents owned at least two vehicles.
• Local hotels, including the Crown Plaza had started charging for parking. As a result, guests had started to park in local roads causing congestion to local residents.
• Persons working at the Airport or travelling abroad parked in Blossom Way to avoid expensive parking charges. These persons were often collected by taxis which caused further nuisance by keeping their engines running very early in the morning. Litter and food waste was also associated with taxi collection and drop off points.
• Taxis also posed a dangerous hazard by parking on the entrance to Blossom Way / Cherry Lane which restricted the vision of motorists turning from Blossom way into Cherry Lane.
• Motorists often drove at very high speed along Cherry Lane and traffic calming measures were required to reduce speeds as there was a local Primary School and Youth Club in the area.
• Parking Wardens which operated locally were not consistent and did not universally apply penalty notices. Often, only a few vehicles were ticketed rather than all of those in breach of the parking conditions.
• Petitioners requested that a parking management scheme operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
• It was highlighted that many properties had dropped curbs. Residents requested that these should still be available to be parked on if the parking management scheme is implemented.
• It was hoped that the introduction of a parking management scheme would reduce crime locally.
• The Police had been called on previous occasions to move parked vehicles so that residents of Blossom Way could use their driveways.
• Residents had noticed that taxis drivers often waited in their cars for long periods either between jobs or waiting for customers and loitering cars which did not belong to local residents made them feel unsafe.

Councillors Nelson and Benson both spoke in support of the petitioners’ request and raised the following issues.

• Both Councillors agreed that a parking management scheme was required and requested this also include Vine Close.
• There was an issue with speeding vehicles in Cherry Lane.
• It was noted that residents had to park on the pavement due to the width of the road so that vehicles could pass each other.
• Both Councillors agreed that taxis had posed problems to residents and that overall if nothing was done, the parking issue would only worsen.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised. The Cabinet Member agreed that Blossom Way was suffering from displaced parking and there were a number of road safety issues stemming from the high speed of some drivers using Cherry Lane. Cllr Burrows explained that in many cases speed surveys conducted with radar guns were ineffective as the user of the gun was obligated to wear a high visibility vest which often prompted motorists to momentarily slow down. To counter this problem, Councillor Burrows suggested that officers organise a speed survey using rubber strips across the road and for the results of this to be reported back to him.

In addition to displaced parking and a speed survey, Councillor Burrows also requested officers to investigate cases of inconsiderate parking on the concrete areas in Blossom Way.

Councillor Burrows explained that it was essential for all residents to respond to the consultation so that he would have a clear mandate to take action. Officers advised that the usual timeframe for a consultation was about 6 months. However, in this case, he confirmed that as the proposed area was relatively small he would have further discussions with officers to see whether this could be done sooner.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1. Meets and discusses with petitioners their request for a Parking Management Scheme and their concerns associated with existing parking behaviour.
   
   
2. Subject to the outcome of the discussions with petitioners, asks officers to add the request to the Council’s overall parking programme for subsequent investigation in an area agreed with Ward Councillors.
   
   
3. Subject to the feedback from petitioners, asks officers in the Council’s Anti-social Behaviour Team to investigate the allegations of antisocial behaviour by taxi drivers, taking necessary actions and referring back to the Cabinet Member.

4. Instructs officers to look at parking on tarmac areas and report back to the Cabinet Member.

5. Instructs officers to undertake a 24 hours per day, 7 days per week traffic speed survey on Cherry Lane and to report back to the Cabinet Member.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

Discussions with the petitioners will allow the Cabinet Member to fully understand the concerns and whether it is considered appropriate to add the request to the Council’s Parking Programme.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

These were discussed in greater detail with petitioners.