Agenda item - Items referred from Council

(a)          Petitions: To receive petitions referred from the meeting of Full Council of 17 July 2014:

(i)            Preston Park toilets

(ii)          Road Surface, Coombe Road

(iii)         Matlock Road parking restrictions

(iv)         Pedestrian Crossing, Bexhill Road

(v)          Traffic in Woodingdean

(a)          Petitions

(i)            Refurbishment of the public toilets adjacent to the Rotunda Café in Preston Park- Lee Wares

30.1      The Chair provided the following response:

“May I again thank the petitioners for bringing this petition to the Council. The petition was fully debated at the Council meeting on 17 July where it was resolved to call for an officer report to be presented to this committee meeting. We will be considering that report later in the meeting under item 47”.

30.2      RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

(ii)          Road Surface, Coombe Road- Councillor Meadows

30.3      The Chair provided the following response:

“Coombe Road has been identified as one of the roads in the city which needs attention and is therefore on our Forward Works Plan.

However, Coombe Road is a long road that will require substantial funds to resurface its entire length.

I’m afraid that this financial year, we are prioritising our funds on certain stretches of road which are experiencing structural failure and need very urgent attention.

However, subject to more detailed budget allocation and providing no more urgent priorities arise, it is proposed to carry out resurfacing works in the next financial year.  This would probably be programmed for August 2015 to avoid the school term-time.

In the meantime, Coombe Road is regularly inspected by the Highways team, who also respond to public reports about potholes or other hazards, and who will arrange for safety repairs to be carried out as required”.

30.4      RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

(iii)         Matlock Road parking restrictions- Councillor K Norman

30.5      The Chair provided the following response:

“Lead Members and officers have considered the issues being raised here by businesses and their customers, and ward members representing Matlock Road. Committee will be considering proposals responding to these concerns under agenda item 40. We will certainly take all your views into account when we have that discussion”

30.6      RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

(iv)         Pedestrian Crossing, Bexhill Road

30.7      That Chair provided the following response:

“Following the introduction of the Skate and Play Park in late summer 2012 inspections were carried out by officers to assess safety and access issues, none were identified at that time or over the subsequent period. In the last three years there have been no related collisions on Bexhill Road opposite the Skate and Play Park.

The council have a points based system by which we use to assess and prioritise pedestrian crossing requests.  Each crossing request is assessed based on 12 criteria which not only covers collisions but also considers access to public transport and other services & local environmental conditions.

Surveys have been carried out on Bexhill Road in Woodingdean to determine its priority and suitability for a pedestrian crossing point.  However the location did not meet our initial criteria and therefore is not a priority on the Council’s pedestrian crossing list.  More information on the pedestrian crossing process can be found on the councils webpages where the full priority list can been viewed.

The council is however consulting on proposals for phase 3 of the 20mph scheme in Woodingdean.  If introduced on Bexhill Road opposite the play & skate park reduced speed limits could assist pedestrians crossing the road safely”.

30.8      RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.

(v)          Traffic in Woodingdean- Councillor Wells

30.9      The Chair provided the following response:

“The city council's cross-party transport committee unanimously agreed plans on 2nd October 2012 to make transport improvements to the Lewes Road corridor. This followed an extensive public consultation exercise where the majority of those who responded indicated they were in favour of the proposals.

The scheme included measures to improve public transport services and safety for pedestrians and cyclists as well as the upgrade of traffic signals at key junctions to improve the efficiency of the route for car drivers.

In order to monitor the impact of this scheme on the surrounding areas, 7-day traffic counts were undertaken before construction on a range of residential roads that could be considered possible ‘rat runs’ or alternative routes, including Falmer Road on the approach to Woodingdean. These surveys were replicated following the completion on the scheme in October 2013.

These initial survey results suggested that there had been no appreciable increase in traffic using alternative routes. In the case of Falmer Road, a reduction of around 50 vehicles on average per day has been recorded since the Lewes Road scheme was completed.

Further surveys are being programmed to take place in the new year following the completion of the improvements at the Vogue Gyratory. Should these surveys show an increase in traffic in any of the surrounding areas then further action will be considered at this time.

In the meantime, an officer of the Council would be happy to meet with a representative of the petitioners should they wish to elaborate on their concerns in relation to specific roads”.

30.10   Councillor Theobald stated that there was a widespread perception that traffic was now worse in Woodingdean due to the work carried out and ongoing on Lewes Road and he would like to receive traffic counts for the area.

30.11   The Chair stated that the work at Vogue Gyratory was ongoing and it would be logical to receive traffic count data after that work was complete.

30.12   Councillor Mitchell stated that the original report and accompanying leaflet gave a commitment that the Lewes Road scheme would be monitored, including traffic counts, after six months but that had not yet happened and was long overdue.

30.13   The Head of Transport clarified that there was a commitment for further monitoring of the scheme and the impact on traffic in the wider area once the works at Vogue Gyratory had been completed and that would be reported to Committee.

30.14   Councillor Theobald stated that he would like to receive previous traffic counts associated with the scheme.

30.15   The Head of Transport stated that he would pass this information to the Committee and Woodingdean ward councillors.

30.16   RESOLVED- That the petition be noted.