Agenda item

Councillor John Oswell attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Although not present at the meeting, Councillor Neil Fyfe had provided a written statement in support of the petition, which was read out by Councillor Keith Burrows.

Concerns and suggestions at the meeting included the following:

·         The petitioners commented that the extension of the double yellow lines was not beneficial to residents, and would impact on residents' parking.

·         Traffic flow on the road had been monitored by an independent survey which found the road was quiet between the hours of 8-10am and 3-4pm on Friday, 10am-12pm on Saturday, and 7-9am and 5-6pm on Monday with a maximum of 11 cars both entering and exiting Westacott during those hours.

·         Residents stated that the junction was wide and accessible, which meant cars parking on either side of the road was not an issue, but it was suggested that high-sided vehicles be banned from parking on the road as an alternative, which would improve visibility.  

·         The petitioner commented that the report noted several signatures on the petition were from residents who lived on Park Lane, and not Westacott, however, some of those properties ran along Westacott despite the different address.

Councillor Oswell commented that Westacott was a very quiet road, and questioned if it was worth making a change that residents were opposed to, while on-street parking often narrows the traffic down to a single lane, but that was very common in the Borough. Councillor Oswell confirmed his support for the residents' petition.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. The potential extension of the double yellow lines was a result of a Road Safety Form being submitted to the council, which compels the Council to look at the listed area in case changes to parking arrangements are required. It was confirmed that a ban on high-sided vehicles was not a possibility, as vans are not above the overnight weight limit in London, but it was noted that this remains a problem in the Borough. Councillor Burrows confirmed that emergency access to Westacott was his greatest concern, and before any decision was made, the emergency services would be asked to ensure that they can access the road, and once this issue is determined, the Council could make a decision on the proposed extension of the double yellow lines.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Considered the issues / concerns raised regarding the proposed waiting restrictions;

2.    Noted that although the waiting restrictions concerned were in Westacott, the vast majority of signatures to the petition were from another road;

3.    Asked officers to seek the views of the emergency services; and,

4.    Asked officers to report the outcome of this meeting and the comments received to the formal consultation of proposed waiting restrictions on Westacott and to include all these views in a separate subsequent report for his consideration.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss in detail the matters raised above with petitioners.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

Options were discussed with the petitioners.