Agenda item

No Ward Councillors attended the meeting.

Concerns and suggestions from petitioners included the following:

• Motorists drove at excessive speed along the road on a daily basis.
• The petitioner had contacted the Police about speeding and within a half an hour period, six or seven motorist had been charged by the Police with speeding offences.
• Some speeds were thought to be over 50 miles per hour.
• Speed was a significant issue for road users and pedestrians; however, the proximity of Lady Banks School meant this was of added importance.
• The petitioner was aware officers had prepared a proposal for road calming measures some time ago and brought a copy of the proposal with them to the meeting.
• In addition to the suggestion of installing speed bumps, mention was made of traffic islands and the role these could play, as well as table humps for the road.
• Heavy goods vehicles, including articulated lorries, used the road a short cut to the A40.

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

Councillor Burrows referred to the accident data cited in the report and explained that only Killed or Seriously Injured Data (KSI) was included in Police reports. However, it was noted that one personal injury accident had been reported to the Police in the last 36 months and in addition, one other damage only accident had been reported by residents.

Officers highlighted that Traffic liaison meetings took place between the Council and Emergency Services on a regular basis and assured the petitioner that the Council was well aware of local road safety issues and actively took steps to improve road safety.

Speaking about historic consultations for the area which had already taken place, Councillor Burrows explained that two had been conducted in the recent past but on the basis of the feedback received, these had been split decisions and there had not been the mandate to take further action at that stage.

Moving forward, Councillor Burrows discussed the proposals associated with the recommendations in the report and duly moved recommendations 1 to 4. He explained that the Phase 1 work would be conducted during the Summer of 2015. In relation to recommendation 5 and the proposal to conduct a further traffic survey, he explained that the outcomes of the Phase 1 works would need to be assessed and a further decision would need to be taken as to whether this was justified.

That the Cabinet Member:

1.    Notes the previous consultations on various options and the nature of the concerns that were raised by residents.

2.    Notes that a scheme has been developed to introduce two traffic islands and one pedestrian refuge in Cornwall Road.

3.    Considers whether the scheme as currently proposed could form the first phase of traffic calming in Cornwall Road.

4.    Considers instructing officers to undertake a further traffic survey in the future should the currently proposed scheme be implemented, in order to allow an appraisal of a case for any further measures.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

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

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED / RISK MANAGEMENT

None at this stage.