Agenda item

Councillors Jonathan Bianco and Andrew Retter attended the meeting as Ward Councillors.

Concerns and suggestions raised by petitioners included the following:

• Petitioners had no problem with the implementation of the Stop and Shop scheme or the procedure that was followed for the implementation.  However, concern was expressed that the angle of the chevron parking bays was dangerous;
• For more than 40 years prior to the commencement of the Stop and Shop scheme, the bays had been angled in the opposite direction so that drivers were easily able to drive into them and back out;
• Petitioners had found the revised parking layout to be dangerous as vehicles travelling along Joel Street were given little indication that a car was driving out of a bay – the previous layout meant that oncoming vehicles would see the reversing lights when vehicles reversed out of the bays;
• Concern was expressed that the petitioners had no knowledge of a formal risk assessment being undertaken when the layout of the bays was changed to force drivers to back in and drive out of bays;
• Photographs of the difficulties experienced when driving out of the bays were shown to the Cabinet Member and petitioners advised that it was not always safer to drive out of the bays.  The new layout also meant that drivers’ vision was obscured when parked next to a high sided vehicle;
• It was acknowledged that it was not possible to avoid accidents completely;
• Petitioners believed that individuals within the Metropolitan Police Service and the Fire Brigade might be sympathetic to their concerns but that the organisations as a whole would not agree to reverse the bays; and
• Petitioners requested that the bays be reversed back to the way they were before the installation of the Stop and Shop scheme for a trial period and then reviewed.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised.  He noted that the risk assessment for the changes that were implemented in Joel Street would have been undertaken by the Department of Transport in conjunction with road safety practitioners. 

Ward Councillors advised that, although the Stop and Shop scheme had been working well since it was implemented, there were concerns about the angle and width of the bays (they were thought to be too narrow) and the need for additional/clearer signage.  Officers advised that the width of the bays was 10cms narrower than the maximum permitted but that they would visit Joel Street to ensure that bays there were marked up correctly.

The Cabinet Member advised that, when asked for their opinions in the past, the Police and Fire Brigade had not been afraid to express their independent views.  Consideration would also need to be given to the Council’s aim of reducing the amount of unnecessary street furniture. 

Officers were asked to provide the Cabinet Member with the accident statistics for before and after the Stop and Shop scheme had been implemented in Joel Street. 

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Member:

1. met and discussed with the petitioners their concerns with the current parking arrangements in Joel Street.

2. asked officers to seek the formal views of the Metropolitan Police and Fire Brigade on petitioners’ concerns and report back findings to Ward Councillors and the Cabinet Member.

3. instructed officers to check the current signage and report back to the Cabinet Member and Ward Councillors.

Reasons for recommendation

To give the Cabinet Member an opportunity to discuss the petitioners’ concerns.  The addition of the third resolution would enable the Cabinet Member and local Ward Councillors to review the situation.  

Alternative options considered

These will be discussed with petitioners.