Agenda item

Councillor Douglas Mills attended the meeting and spoke as a Ward Councillor.

The lead petitioner was in attendance at the meeting, and stated a number of concerns and suggestions, including the following:

·         Due to parents dropping off, or picking up, children at Lady Bankes School, residents have experienced gridlocked traffic, parents parking on dropped kerbs, not using the one-way system and waiting outside homes with engines running, leading to parking and pollution concerns;

·         Cameras introduced to stop parents parking on the zig-zagged lines outside the school have worked well, but the single yellow line between the zig-zagged lines, which was requested by the school for coaches, remains a problem, as parents park on it and often the coach cannot get down the road due to traffic;

·         At certain times, residents find it difficult to park outside their own homes and do not wish to go out as a result of this, and residents have also been verbally abused by parents if they ask them to move their cars;

·         Dawlish Drive is also used for commuter parking;

·         Residents would like clarification on the timings of operation of the zig-zagged and yellow lines, and also requested consideration of a Residents’ Parking Scheme to avod a serious accident taking place; and,

·         Any solutions from officers, the school, residents or parents would be welcome.

Councillor Mills, Ward Councillor for Manor, noted that parking issues are getting worse in Dawlish Drive and a solution is warranted. However, he cautioned that the introduction of parking controls in one road can have a ‘domino effect’ upon other roads, and felt it would be wise to begin with some small steps that would address specific concerns presented by the petitioners. One possible measure would be to revisit parking arrangements on the junction with Dulverton Road, as coaches cannot turn into the road due to traffic. There is also a trend of parents leaving the car engines on while they wait, which is damaging to the environment, but a London-wide standard to educate and enforce on this may be necessary.

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling confirmed that Cabinet had looked at the issue of idling engines outside school at the last meeting and a standard across London was being sought.

The Head of Transport and Town Centre Projects noted that signage for the single yellow lines would be checked and the Cabinet Member confirmed that the schools in the area were very proactive in working alongside the Council’s School Travel Teams.

The Cabinet Member stated that, as noted in the officer’s report, when the single yellow line was introduced, many residents were concerned a parking management scheme would be introduced, so a consultation was necessary before any steps could be taken, and also noted that a review of the junction between Dawlish Drive and Dulverton Road would be necessary.

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

1.    Listened to the petitioner’s request for the introduction of “residents’ permit only parking” scheme for Dawlish Drive, Ruislip Manor;

2.    Noted previous concerns expressed by some residents about the prospects of such a scheme;

3.    Asked officers to add the request to the Council’s extensive parking programme for further informal consultation on options to manage parking in a possible area agreed with local Ward Councillors; and,

4.    Requested officers to review the junction of Dawlish Drive and Dulverton Road and report back to the Cabinet Member for any further decision.