Agenda item

Councillors Raymond Graham and Michael White attended as Ward Councillors in support of the petitioners. 

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

• Councillor Raymond Graham spoke on behalf of the petitioners.
• The petition submitted considered the thoughts of the residents and had acquired 78 signatures, but this figure could have been higher.
• The area proposed within which petitioners were requesting a pedestrian crossing was near St Swithun Wells Primary School.
• The surrounding area carried a lot of traffic and this traffic travelled at a considerable speed.
• There was much traffic to and from the school nearby.
• There was a slight hill on Queens Walk which led drivers to drive at a fast speed.
• The Ward Councillor fully supported the petitioners in their request for a pedestrian crossing just north of West and East Mead junction.
• There had been a number of accidents in the road.
• An overriding factor for the request was child safety; it was a very busy crossing place.
• A pedestrian crossing was a necessity,
• There had been a lot of near misses on the road and the main thought was the safety of people crossing.
• Cars were coming from four different directions at the junction.

Ward Councillor Michael White spoke on behalf of petitioners:

·        Councillor White stated that Queens Walk had particular features that distinguished it; it had width restrictions at one end and a hill in another part.

·        There had been several accidents on the road.

·        A pedestrian crossing could be a safeguard for children and the elderly.

·        It would visually slow down traffic and would have traffic calming measures.

·        The crossing was a need; Councillor White echoed the concerns of the petitioners and Councillor Graham.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised: 

·        The Cabinet Member asked officers to check the number of Killed & Seriously Injured (KSI) reported on the road.

·        The Safer Neighbourhood Team could look at ‘hot spots’.

·        A feasibility study was required and would be undertaken.

Officers advised that:

·        They would engage with the Police and Emergency Services and take their views into account.

·        The school had included in its Travel Plan an aspiration to have a crossing and therefore they had supported the petitioners’ request. The school would be involved in discussions.

·        Officers would discuss timings of a speed survey with the Safer Neighbourhood Team.

·        Realistic timing for the installation, if carried out, could be in the half term of October/November.

·        The Council had to follow legal/statutory processes; therefore views from residents who lived in the area would be sought.

·        Road safety would be the overriding concern for the Council.

Resolved - That the Cabinet Member:

1.                  Met and discussed with petitioners their request for the installation of a pedestrian crossing on Queens Walk, near the junction of West Mead.

2.                  Asked officers to undertake a feasibility study for the possible installation of a pedestrian crossing taking into account the School Travel Plan Programme under the Road Safety Programme and report back to the Cabinet Member.

3.                  Instructed Officers to contact the SNT and discuss the issues raised by petitioners.

Reasons for recommendation

To allow the Cabinet Member to discuss in detail with petitioners their concerns.

Alternative options considered

These were identified from the discussions with the petitioners.