Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents in regard to speeding near Cranford Drive and Crowland Avenue.

The Lead Petitioner was present and made a number of points, including:

• Had spoken to many residents and acknowledged that 20 signatures would have sufficed in order to validate the petition; however, the Lead Petitioner wanted to convey the strength of feeling from residents towards the matters contained within the petition.
• Noted that she had sent in additional photographic evidence in support of the petition.
• Remarked that she was surprised at the fact that none of the accidents witnessed had been included in any police reports.

The Chairman enquired as to whether the problems were originating from both directions and whether parking on the road was unrestricted.

The Lead Petitioner responded that problems were coming from both directions and also referred to the photo evidence she had submitted, which served to reinforce her argument. The Lead Petitioner also informed the Chairman that pedestrians had been struggling to cross the road and that it was only small/narrow, which amplified the problems caused by reports of HGVs and vans parking on the road. The Lead Petitioner stipulated that extending the existing double yellow lines could help combat this primary interest of hers.

The Chairman accepted the concerns of the Lead Petitioner and mentioned that 20mph zones and speed tables had been previously employed to remedy similar concerns, but that there had been several significant drawbacks to the installation of these. It was also emphasised by the Chairman that there would be substantial difficulty to finding an appropriate solution that would completely eradicate the problems reported.

The Chairman invited a fellow petitioner who was present to speak. They made the following points:

·         Reaffirmed her support for the Lead Petitioner.

·         Disclosed that she had witnessed an incident on the road where an emergency vehicle could not get through.

·         Had experienced these issues from a pedestrian perspective and that safety had been her main worry in this regard. These concerns were extended to children and families who were present in the area.

·         Declared that the yellow lines warranted examination by the Council as they were alleged to have been causing problems, particularly on the bend / ‘blind corner’ between 16-20 Cranford Drive, as seen on the site map attached to the officer report.

·         Suggested that a Residents Parking Scheme could alleviate some of the issues at hand.

The Chairman recognised the points made by the co-petitioner and accepted the assertation that extending yellow lines would have cleared the roads in question. However, the Chairman highlighted that this would have also likely resulted in increased speeding as cars parked on both sides tends to serve as natural speed-calming for motorists. The Chairman pledged further investigation into the matters raised by petitioners and also acknowledged the support for the petition from Pinkwell Ward Councillor’s that was communicated by Councillor Kuldeep Lakhmana via email prior to the hearing.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport:

1.        met with petitioners and listened to their concerns regarding speeding near Cranford Drive and Crowland Avenue [Hayes].

2.         Subject to the outcome of the above, asked officers to undertake 24/7 speed and vehicle classification surveys to determine the extent of the issues on Cranford Drive and Crowland Avenue [Hayes]; and,

3.         subject to the outcome of surveys, instructed officers to investigate the possible measures to calm traffic on Cranford Drive and Crowland Avenue.

Reasons for decision

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

Alternative options considered and rejected

None at this stage.