Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting a solution to resolve non-residential parking and excessive vehicle speeds on Coleridge Way, West Drayton. The lead petitioner was in attendance and made the following points:

• There were lots of instances of speeding, including late-night speeding by young people, which also caused noise pollution.
• There had been previous incidents where animals had been killed and a child knocked down in the road.
• Reference was made to traffic congestion, where residents of nearby terraced houses with their own parking spots did not make use of these spots and parked elsewhere, taking up alternatives spaces. This had lead to residents of Coleridge Way having to park elsewhere, where they could not monitor their vehicles; some residents had received parking tickets.
• Parking away from their houses had also lead to the petition organiser being threatened with being reported to the DVLA when having to park outside another residence; windscreens being damaged; tyre trims being stolen; attempted stealing of vehicles where police had been called, and an instance when faeces was thrown onto a car grille.
• Having to leave home early and return home late due to work commitments had added to the problem of the lack of available parking.

A written representation was received from Councillor Milani, in support of the petition, on behalf of all Heathrow Villages Ward Councillors. Key points highlighted included:

·       This was an area of concern for many residents. Coleridge Way was an area of both dense residential housing (both flats and terraced houses) and some local independent shops;

·       Most of Coleridge Way currently had no parking restrictions, other than a few disabled parking bays, meaning that any vehicle could park anywhere in the road. This meant that there was often no space in front of - or anywhere near - residents' properties to park. As many residents were key workers, they often came home and had to park a considerable distance away, or move their cars multiple times in one evening to find an appropriate parking location;

·       There had been multiple instances of vandalism, theft and damage to vehicles. As residents often had no sight of their vehicles, they had also had number plates stolen, tyre trims stolen and nicks and dents to their vehicles with no ability to supervise;

·       Permit holder bays within specific areas of Coleridge Way would not only free up parking in the area, but would also mean greater safety as residents could monitor their vehicles from their properties. The introduction of ‘resident/ permit only’ bays would ensure residents had greater access to the parking spots on the road. Given the geography of the area, this should also have no adverse impact on the local shops;

·       There had been multiple complaints of speeding and racing within the area. This was particularly a problem with bikes and mopeds.

Councillor Burrows noted that Ward Councillors would be asked about the possibility of including surrounding roads in a consultation.

Councillor Burrows explained the use of speed surveys and the petition organiser agreed with officers best locations for these surveys.

A resident in attendance enquired as to the timeframe for a resolution, and it was explained that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic halting progress and dependent on the size of the consultation, progress in respect of a parking management scheme could take some months, though it was noted that the issue of speeding may be resolved quicker.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member for Planning and Transportation:

1.     Met with petitioners and listened to their concerns over non-residential parking and vehicle speeds;

2.     Asked officers to add the request for a parking scheme to the Council's extensive parking programme for informal consultation in a possible area with Ward Councillors; and

3.     Decided that officers should commission independent 24/7 traffic and speed surveys at locations agreed with petitions and Ward Councillors.

Reasons for decisions

The Petition Hearing provided a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the petitioners of their concerns and suggestions.

Alternative options considered / risk management

None at this stage.