Agenda item

Councillors John Oswell, Beulah East, Neil Fyfe, Wayne Bridges, Pat Jackson and Alan Chapman attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillors.

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

·         The petition was raised by concerned parents.

·         Son attended Abbotsfield School and her daughter was due to start Swakeleys School in September 2015.

·         On 12 September 2014 a child was hit by a bus at the top of Charville Lane.

·         The left hand side bend on Pole Hill was dangerous.

·         The bus stops were positioned near the bend in the road.

·         Had to apply brakes on 3 occasions due to children crossing inappropriately.

·         There was nowhere safe for the children to cross.

·         159 people had signed the petition, which included local police officers, the ward panel members, local parents and even both Headteachers from the local schools.

The police officer in attendance also made the following points:

·         Supported petitioners' request.

·         Was an officer that covered Charville Ward.

·         There were safety issues.

·         The area was like a car park at school closing times.

·         Several damage collisions had been reported.

·         It was dangerous for children.

Ward Councillors for both Charville and Hillingdon East Wards made the following points:

·         Supported petitioners' requests.

·         Glad that both schools supported the petition.

·         Schools should encourage children to get involved with these issues.

·         The petition spoke for itself.

·         Request that Ward Councillors be invited on site with officers to decide positioning of the proposed crossing.

·         Could the school travel plans be adapted to include a 20mph speed limit?

The Cabinet Member, Cllr Keith Burrows, listened to the concerns and responded to the points raised.

Cllr Burrows sympathised with the views of petitioners and Ward Councillors.  Cllr Burrows advised petitioners that it was important to position a crossing in a safe place, not just for pedestrians but also other road users, as clear visibility was needed.  The Council conducted independent safety audits to ensure that the crossing would be positioned and sited in the appropriate place.

Cllr Burrows highlighted that both himself and officers were aware of the accident that took place involving a young child last year.  It was further explained that the analysis at point 5 of the officers' report only included data from the police relating to those who had been killed or seriously injured (KSI), the Council was not dismissing other collisions that had took place.

Cllr Burrows informed petitioners that Hillingdon Council was one of the only Councils in London that had a budget dedicated to road safety improvements.  Petitioners were invited to indicate on a plan where they would like speed surveys to take place.  Cllr Burrows had explained to petitioners that the speed surveys would collect data regarding the types of vehicles, the speed a vehicle was travelling and the volume of traffic.  

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1.     Met with petitioners and considered their request for a new pedestrian crossing.

2.     Asked officers to add the petitioners’ request to the Council’s Road Safety Programme for further investigation.

3.     Asked officers to undertake classified traffic volume and speed survey(s) at location(s) to be agreed with the petitioners and the relevant Ward Councillors.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

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

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

None at this stage.