Agenda item

Councillors Lynne Allen and Tony Eginton attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillors. 

Councillor Keith Burrows had visited the school in 2008 when he was presented with this petition and had promised to return to the school to hold the Petition Hearing. 

Concerns and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

• Residents, governors, parents and children were concerned that the traffic issues in Avondale Drive were “an accident waiting to happen” as there had been a number of near misses in which pedestrians had nearly been in an accident;
• A number of vehicles were often parked inconsiderately making it difficult for residents to park in the road;
• There were also vehicles that parked on the road junctions which residents thought was dangerous as it obscured sightlines for other drivers;
• Drivers had also parked across dropped kerbs preventing wheelchair users from getting onto the pavement;
• Residents had been subjected to verbal abuse from inconsiderate drivers;
• It was noted that the care bus often had to park in the middle of the road to let residents of Triscott House off;
• The lead petitioner stated that the School Travel Plan (STP) had been produced for Minet Junior and Infant Schools in 2007 and, from this, an action plan had been produced.  Actions attributed to the school had been completed including the Walk on Wednesday (WOW) scheme and the creation of a wet weather shelter.  It was claimed that the Council’s actions had not yet been completed including the installation of two speed tables and a crossing, the implementation of a 20mph zone and the creation of a drop off point.  Petitioners suggested that the implementation of the Action Plan would alleviate problems experienced in crossing the road and would improve the safety of the children;
• It was noted that the timescales for the STP Action Plan had been updated and it was proposed that the Council’s actions would be completed by 2010/11;
• The school had contacted the traffic wardens on several occasions to request their presence in the road when the problems had become worse, but they only spent 1-3 days in the area before their presence was again lost.  Petitioners requested that there be a more frequent and regular traffic warden presence to ensure correct road usage;
• Although OFSTED had identified the students at Minet as having a good understanding of road safety, petitioners were concerned that the safety of these children could be improved;
• From September 2009, children as young as 4 years old would be attending the school and it was thought important to ensure their safety;
• There had been 3 accidents in the road which had resulted in children being taken to hospital;
• The school sent out newsletters to the parents and had included requests asking them to park considerately and drive safely;
• The lead petitioner requested that the Council’s Parking Enforcement team liaise with her to address the persistent problems; and
• Petitioners were keen that action be taken to encourage slower speeds on the Avondale Drive.

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised.  Although the creation of School Travel Plans (STP) was thought to be good, the Council did not receive Government funding to finance any work that was identified in the Action Plans.  Officers had contacted TfL to request funding but had been unsuccessful.  However, officers had managed to identify other TfL funding that would be used.  Issues that would be addressed included the creation of a 20mph zone and the installation of two raised tables and a crossing. 

Officers were asked to conduct a feasibility study and complete the work identified in the school’s STP by the end of the October 2009 half term school holidays.  Parking services would also be contacted to ensure a greater traffic warden presence around the school.

Resolved - 

That the Cabinet Member:

1.      Notes the petition and meets with petitioners to discuss in greater detail the concerns they have; and

2.      Asks officers to conduct a feasibility study into suitable traffic calming measures and waiting restrictions in Avondale Drive and complete the work by end of the October 2009 half term holidays.

Reasons For Recommendation

The petitioners are concerned with the hazardous journeys experienced by staff and pupils through illegal parking, excessive speeds and inconsiderate driving of vehicles using Avondale Drive during school peak times. The recommendations will enable clarification of their concerns and investigation of possible solutions to mitigate these concerns. 

Alternative Options Considered

No other options have been considered, as the recommendations ask officers to gather further information before considering feasible solutions.

Relevant Ward:

TOWNFIELD