Agenda item - Chairs Communications

23.1      The Chair provided the following communications:

“The School Enforcement report was due to come to this committee, however, at the moment we have only the first two weeks of enforcement data for July from new enforcement officers as it took a while to recruit them so we don’t have any more data until recently when the new academic year started.

A report will come to the January committee this will give officers far more data up to November 2018 which will provide a more accurate picture of how things are going.

We will also then allow us to include information to be compiled on parking restrictions and also information from the Transport Projects team such as body cams for school patrol officers, how 20mph limit is working outside schools, the schools keep clear considerations and a  public transport and school travel plan update.

At the previous meeting, I mentioned that local authority officers from the Swedish government had visited to see what we were doing in relation to cycling. There has actually been a return visit, timed to look at more general transport planning and Martin Harris from Brighton & hove Bus Company also participated in that and that visit went very well.

Officers have also responded to the government’s call for evidence for its forthcoming guidance on the forthcoming document ‘Future of Mobility’ and in particular, active travel.

Regrettably, we were not successful with our Transforming Cities Fund bid. There were 30 applications for 10 funding awards but we have been encouraged by feedback that our proposals are potentially appropriate for similar future funding opportunities.

As the committee will know, I represent the council on the Transport for the South East and I am know on a sub-group that is looking at potential powers and responsibilities that Transport for the South East may wish to call for when it submits its proposal to central government to become a statutory body.

Transport for the South East have also been undertaking recruitments and as a result, I am afraid to say we will be saying goodbye to Rob Dicken one of our transport senior officers. Rob has been appointed on a two year secondment for the role of Transport Manager at Transport for the South East. He’s worked here for twelve years and has led on very many successful bids to further active sustainable travel in the city and of course, he’s been heavily involved in the BikeShare scheme that is now successfully expanding. So I am sure the entire committee would like to wish Rob well and we hope to see him back in two years’ time”.