Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered two separate petitions; one requesting a parking management scheme in Meadow Way and one requesting measures to prevent speeding in Meadow Way and Hawthorne Avenue.

A petitioner spoke in support of the two requests. Councillors Lavery and Haggar also attended the meeting as Ward Councillors and expressed their support for the requests of the petitioners.

Concerns and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

·         The lead petitioner stated that the principal concern was that of safety as Meadow Way was home to a large number of young families and it was becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous to cross the road;

·         The Cabinet Member was advised that it was at times extremely difficult / impossible for residents to reverse out of their own drives due to the large commercial vehicles parked along the street which reduced visibility and due also to the speeding vehicles passing along the road;

·         There had been a number of vehicle accidents along the road and road rage was becoming a problem;

·         The large commercial vehicles parked along the street did not belong to residents and were sometimes left there for days at a time;

·         Surrounding roads had parking management schemes in place which meant that Meadow Way appeared to have become a free car park for many people;

·         It was felt that the majority of residents would favour the introduction of a parking management scheme;

·         Residents of Hawthorne Avenue already had a restricted parking zone in place but expressed concern regarding speeding vehicles along their road. They were also unhappy with the white lines painted across their drives and did not understand the purpose of these;

·         It was reported that both Meadow Way and Hawthorne Avenue were being used as a 'rat-run' to avoid the high street traffic lights in Eastcote particularly during rush hour (6-10 a.m. and 4-7pm);

·         The petitioners had produced a list of suggested measures to reduce speeding which were handed to officers and the Cabinet Member;

·         The lead petitioner reported that her neighbour had been knocked down by a speeding motorbike approximately two years ago and was badly hurt;

·         Councillor Haggar stated that all the Ward Councillors supported the request of the petitioners for permit parking and recognised that there was a problem in the area. Most of the surrounding roads had parking management schemes in place which meant that Meadow Way and Deane Way were attractive places for non-residents to park. With this in mind, Councillor Haggar requested that Deane Way should also be considered as part of the proposed parking management scheme;

·         Councillor Haggar also supported the request to commission speed surveys in both Meadow Way and Hawthorne Avenue as speeding vehicles along these road was an area of some concern;

·         Councillor Lavery referred to the traffic surveys commissioned by the Council in March 2016 at locations on Hawthorne Avenue and Morford Way which ascertained that restrictions were not required at the time. Councillor Lavery suggested that new surveys should be commissioned as the situation could have changed since then.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the residents and responded to the points made. Councillor Burrows outlined the importance of the 85^th percentile and explained that the Council was governed by the Highways Act which meant that any decisions taken had to be backed up by surveys which clearly indicated that there was a speeding issue. In response to the petitioners' query regarding white lines painted on the road, David Knowles, Transport and Projects Senior Manager, explained that these were used to stop people parking across dropped kerbs; they had no power in law but the Council had a register of dropped kerbs in the Borough and could potentially ticket cars parked across the white lines.

The petitioners and Ward Councillors indicated on a map where in Meadow Way and Hawthorne Avenue the speed tubes should be placed to monitor traffic flow. It was confirmed that the issue of speeding vehicles would be considered separately once the proposed parking management scheme was in place (subject to residents' agreement). The data from the speed surveys would be shared with Ward Councillors who would in turn relay the information to the petitioners.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling:

1.    Met with petitioners and listened to their request for the introduction of a residents' only parking scheme on Meadow Way, Eastcote;

2.    Asked officers to add the request to the Council's extensive parking programme for further informal consultation on a possible area agreed with Ward Councillors (to include Deane Way);

3.    Discussed with petitioners their concerns over vehicle speeds in Meadow Way;

4.    Asked officers to undertake traffic surveys, at locations agreed by the petitioners and local Ward Councillors and then report back to the Cabinet Member.

Reasons for recommendations

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss with petitioners their concerns and, if appropriate, add their request to the parking schemes programme and ask officers to undertake traffic surveys.

Alternative options considered / risk management 

These will be discussed with petitioners.