Agenda item

Councillors Neil Fyfe and John Oswell attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillors in support of the petition.

Concerns and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

·         Petitioners confirmed that their concerns were related to the speed of vehicles travelling down the road.

·         The road was used as a cut-through, with a steep curve at one end, and multiple areas of double yellow lines. Elsewhere, the road widened, which encouraged vehicles to speed up.

·         The officer's report stated that no police reorded collisions had been recorded along the road. Petitioners asserted that this was not the case, and reference was made to a resident being involved in an accident wherein both cars were written off. The accident was caused due to parked cars, which had resulted in poor visibility of the road when pulling out, together with the travelling vehicle's speed.

·         Residents had had a number of cats killed by speeding vehicles.

·         Resident safety, and particularly that of children, was a key concern.

·         A local car park was the site of antisocial behaviour using vehicles.

Councillor Oswell addressed the Cabinet Member, and stated:

·         The road was long, straight, and wide, which encouraged motorists to drive at excessive speeds.

·         The road was used a 'rat run' from Lansbury Drive.

·         Speed tables or similar measures would deter speeding.

Councillor Fyfe addressed the Cabinet Member, and stated:

·         Previous petitions, and resultant speed checks, had not resulted in a solution to the issues in Grosvenor Avenue.

·         Visible displays of speed limits or vehicle activated signs (VAS) were not effective in curbing speeding.

·         Speed cables were not wholly effective, as motorists often slowed down before crossing them.

·         Two collisions had occurred at the junction of Grosvenor Avenue and Kings Hill Avenue, and perhaps a stop sign was required.

·         Speed tables were felt to be effective at deterring speeding.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised. Regarding the accident statistics referred to within the officer's report, petitioners were advised that Police records for accidents only listed incidents where someone had been killed, or had been seriously injured (KSIs). With regard to VAS, these had been seen to be effective across the Borough, thought it was accepted that these may not work in every area.

Councillor Burrows understood the petitioner's concerns, and therefore moved the following recommendations:

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member:

1.    Considered their concerns regarding vehicle speeds in Grosvenor Avenue, Hayes;

2.    Noted the results of the four previous speed and traffic surveys undertaken in Grosvenor Avenue, Hayes;

3.    Instructed officers to undertake further classified traffic volume and speed survey(s) at location(s) to be agreed with petitioners and the relevant Ward Members; and

4.    Instructed officers to report the stated antisocial behaviour within the local car park to the ASBIT team for investigation and reporting back to the Cabinet Member.

Reasons for recommendations

To allow the Cabinet Member the opportunity to hear directly from the petitioners of their concerns and suggestions.

Alternative options considered / risk management 

None at this stage.