ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE 29 September 2020

Agenda Item 20(b) Brighton & Hove City Council

WRITTEN QUESTIONS

The question will be answered without discussion. The person who asked the question may ask one relevant supplementary question, which shall be put and answered without discussion. The person to whom a question, or supplementary question, has been put may decline to answer it. 

The following written questions have been received from Members:

(1) Councillor Yates- Manton Road safety

Could the Chair agree undertake to review the safety of Manton Road, Bevendean in the near future please? As a very narrow single track one way road with encroaching bushes on one side and a footway on the other side which is regularly completely obstructed by pavement parking, residents have asked for action to be taken by the council to ensure that all residents and users can share the space safely and without fear of speeding vehicles.

(2) Councillor Fishleigh- Brighton Marina and Gasworks site

Nearly 2,000 new flats will be built at Brighton Marina and the Gasworks site over the next few years.

I know that there is no master plan for transport for this area but we will need new roads, flyovers, bridges, tunnels, pavements, cycle paths and bus lanes to transport people into, around and out of the area”.

Please would you tell me what the process and timescales are for planning, financing and building these?

(3) Councillor Fishleigh- Ovingdean to Roedean temporary bus lane

The congestion caused by the temporary cycle lane from the pier to West Street was predicted to not be significant. This proved to be incorrect.

The council has also stated that a temporary bus lane between Ovingdean and Roedean won’t "significantly affect journey times for general traffic”.  

Please would you provide evidence to support this statement and tell me what effect on journey times - and the resulting pollution - you regard as significant?

(4) Councillor Wares- Valley Gardens Phase 3

On or around the 6th September various publications and social media posts referred to comments made by the Executive Director at a meeting on the 4th December 2018 in respect to Valley Gardens phase 3. The alleged comment was “to make driving in the centre of the city so difficult that fewer people do it”. That I can only presume reflects the then Labour Administration’s approach. Is this the adopted underpinning strategy for Cllr. West, the Co-Chair responsible for transport in the city?

(5) Councillor Wares- Cityclean

On the 14th July, whilst in opposition, Brighton & Hove Green councillors issued a statement that said that it was time to end missed recycling and refuse collections. It also said that it was time to end repeated excuses over missed collections. Now Cllr. Heley is in charge of Cityclean, will she please confirm that she endorses that statement and take personal responsibility for future missed collections. Will the Co-Chair also confirm that no more excuses will be given?

(6) Councillor Wares- Cityclean

At Full Council I asked if Cllr. Heley thought the agreement between the unions and the council that prevented strikes earlier in the year should be made public. Cllr. Heley was reluctant to answer. The council have responded to my Freedom of Information request to say they have the information but don’t consider it in the public interest to release the documents. Now Cllr. Heley has had time to consider the matter, please could she provide an answer today?

(7) Councillor Wares- Madeira Drive

With the Tranche 1 and 2 bids for Covid-19 transport measures there is little or no mention of Madeira Drive. Please could Cllr. West confirm how all the physical measures, the cost of traffic orders and the employment of marshals are being paid for, what is the cost to date and what is the daily cost to employ marshals?

(8) Councillor Wares- Parking revenue

The loss of parking revenue due to the Covid-19 measures implemented by the council by suspending parking is likely to run into millions. As this revenue props up a number of provisions and services such as senior citizen, disabled and school bus passes and subsidised bus routes, please can Cllr. West confirm what the council’s plan is to make up for the lost revenue, for example are you bringing in a congestion charge?

(9) Councillor Wares- North Street

In a recent press release Cllr. West referred to North Street being the 3rd most polluted street in England. North Street remains 2-3 times above the legal limit. As confirmed in council reports, North Street is primarily used by buses, taxis and delivery vehicles. Please would Cllr. West advise by what year does he intend to ensure North Street pollution levels are below the legal limit and in giving that date, will he take personal responsibility if the target is missed.

(10) Councillor Wares- Temporary transport measures

For months now I have been trying to obtain an unequivocal answer to the simple question “once a Covid-19 response to transport measures is no longer needed, will all the Experimental traffic regulation orders remain, as it appears the Experimental status doesn’t need Covid-19 as a requirement for them to remain legal”. Please could Cllr. West provide that answer as it will confirm whether or not the council intends to make the measures permanent and that the claims of “temporary” are misleading and the term “trojan horse” is more accurate as transport changes installed under the guise of Covid-19 will occur?

(11) Councillor Wares- Madeira Drive

There have been several announcements by the Administration that Madeira Drive will be reviewed to repurpose its use and potentially not be open to traffic in any form save for events that might be permitted. As the Administration’s Valley Gardens phase 3’s design and the assumptions they make, albeit to many still viewed as flawed, specifically requires Madeira Drive to be a one-way road, please could Cllr. West either confirm that regardless of future plans, Madeira Drive will always at least be open to one-way traffic  or that he agrees to suspend work on Valley Gardens phase 3 until the future of Madeira Drive has been designed, consulted upon and any subsequent proposal agreed by the appropriate committees?

(12) Councillor Wares- Pavement Weeds

Across many parts of the city, pavements are becoming dangerous due to the amount and size of weeds and other vegetation growing in and besides them. It was proposed that weeds would be manually cleared but there appears to have been very little activity. Accepting the pandemic will have influenced progress, the activity of clearing weeds could have been done is a safe manner. The concern is that pavements now have significant trip hazards and impede those using wheelchairs, mobility scooters, walking aids or prams and buggies. Also, because “pavement weeds” have been allowed to grow they will be more difficult to remove, it will take longer and thus be more costly and are quite likely causing structural damage to the pavements themselves. Please could Cllr. Heley advise what is being done to clear the weeds and will sufficient resource and funding be made available to repair and replace damaged pavements?