Agenda item - Member Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by Members:

(a)           Petitions: To receive any petitions;

(i)             Traffic Calming and Crossing for Carlton Hill School- Councillor Childs

(ii)            Queens Park School - Safer Streets - Road Closure Order- Councillor Childs

(b)           Written Questions: To consider any written questions;

(c)           Letters: To consider any letters;

(d)           Notices of Motion: to consider any Notices of Motion referred from Full Council or submitted directly to the Committee.

(A)          PETITIONS

(1)           Traffic Calming and Crossing for Carlton Hill School – Councillor Childs

64.1      The Committee considered a petition signed by 89 people requesting traffic calming and a pedestrian crossing to improve safety around Carlton Hill School.

64.2      The Chair provided the following response:

“Thank you for raising your concerns and presenting the petition today.

I am aware that Carlton Hill School was previously part of our Safer Routes to School programme. As a result of being part of this programme a number of safety measures were introduced following discussion with the school. This included a raised informal crossing near the junction with John Street and a raised table to slow traffic near the school entrance. We also installed two electronic school warning signs and ‘slow’ markings on the carriageway.

Consideration would have been given to introducing a signalised crossing at the time but the number and frequency of people using the crossing would not meet the minimum criteria for the safe installation of a controlled crossing. If signalised crossings are introduced at locations that do not have consistent demand throughout the day, then this can increase the risk of a failure to stop incident occurring and therefore reduce safety. In addition to this, there would be insufficient footway width at the site of the existing informal crossing to accommodate the required signal equipment whilst still providing minimum footway widths for accessibility. 

I appreciate that this may not be the response that you were hoping for and I know that you know we’re in a really difficult position after years of austerity but as traffic calming and electronic signage are already in place at this location, it is really difficult for us to offer further physical measures in this instance. In light of the concerns you have raised today, we will however review the current lines and signs and ensure that they meet current standards in terms of condition and location so that we can maximise safety within the current road layout.

As I mentioned earlier in a previous response, later this year we will be having a report about this unfair approach to how we allocate traffic calming measures, but I also want to emphasise that the agenda items today on the climate assembly and liveable city centre aim to tackle road safety in a much more forward thinking approach. Reducing the amount of cars on the road and allowing people to choose sustainable, active and public transport will help make our roads safer for all users, and that is a major priority for us as an administration”.

64.3      RESOLVED- That the Committee note the petition.

(2)           Queens Park School - Safer Streets - Road Closure Order – Councillor Childs

64.4      The Committee considered a petition signed by 107 people requesting the introduction of a school street closure order on the street/s adjacent to Queens Park Primary School due to regular incidents of dangerous driving and parking.

64.5      The Chair provided the following response:

“Thank you for bringing this petition to the committee.

As you will be aware, we are fully committed to introducing School Streets across the city having brought an amendment to the ETS Committee on 23 June 2020. Following the successful implementation of 9 road closures through the Emergency School Streets Programme, I have asked officers to look at how School Streets can be delivered as part of a future programme which can delivered within budget allocations starting in the next financial year.

We are keen to support a School Streets closure at Queen’s Park and I can assure you that it will a priority school for a closure under any future programme. However, these schemes do rely heavily on volunteers for setting up and operating the road closures at both ends of the day so it is very resource intensive and therefore relies on volunteers from the schools to come forward so we will be looking to you and fellow petitioners from the community to make this possible. Officers will always seek to improve road safety where possible and through a future School Streets programme, we will be able to explore where physical measures can be introduced to reduce the pressure on schools to recruit high numbers of volunteers. Proposals will be discussed with ward councillors and schools as well as the wider community.

I hope that gives you and can give your residents some assurances that your school is being worked through and you will be contacted by officers at the earliest opportunity with some proposals”.

64.6      Councillor Wares asked if reports would be submitted to the committee on the matter.

64.7      The Chair confirmed a report would be received by a future meeting with the funding and budget implications outlined.

64.8      Several committee members expressed support for a road closure order around Queen’s Park Primary School and hoped funding could be found to help it to be progressed.

64.9      RESOLVED- That the Committee note the petition.