Agenda item - Public Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:

 

(a)      Petitions: To receive any petitions presented by members of the public to the full Council or at the meeting itself.

 

(i)           Residential parking tarmac verge

(ii)          Keep the Free Customer Parking in Preston Drove and Ditchling Road, Fiveways

(iii)         Traffic calming on Marmion Road

(iv)         Speed Bumps on Upper North St

(v)          Buller Road Cycle Storage

(vi)         Increase pedestrian safetty on Shirley Drive

 

(b)       Written Questions: To receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 15 September 2021.

 

(i)           Bristol Estate Refuse Collection

(ii)          Arundel Drive West

(iii)         Refuse Collection

(iv)         Bristol Gardens Traffic Calming

(v)          Cycle Path at Ovingdean roundabout

 

(c)      Deputations: To receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 15 September 2021.

(A)          PETITIONS

 

(1)           Residential tarmac verge

 

31.1      The Committee considered a petition signed by 22 people that requested the Council to tarmac the grass verges along Birchgrove Crescent to provide parking for residents.

 

31.2      The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you for your petition. The highway is provided so that people can pass and repass in a safe manner and not as an area for parking, the verges are provided for various important reasons including to reduce run-off of rain and domestic water, and is a key method used for flood prevention on the road. There’s also aesthetics, drainage for footways and to help as a division between the carriageway and the footway, it is our policy not to harden off verges for these reasons.

Even if the City Council were to consider the proposal in this road, the cost of these works if we were to proceed would be prohibitive and include re-kerbing the road on both sides, excavating the banks and providing retaining structures on both sides, structurally improving the verges so that they could be parked upon safely, there is also no budget provision for this type of scheme. I am sorry I cannot support this request”.

 

31.3      RESOLVED- That the Committee note the petition.

 

(2)           Keep the Free Customer Parking in Preston Drove and Ditchling Road, Fiveways

 

31.4      The Committee considered a petition signed by 1418 people requesting the Council to overturn the decision to Change the 1 hour free parking on Preston Drove and Ditchling Road, back in to Pay and Display parking.

 

31.5      The Chair provided the following response:

 

“The changes in free parking to paid parking were agreed following initial discussions at a number of Policy & Resources (P&R) Committee in late 2020 / early 2021. This was then approved by the members of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee on 19th Jan 21 and ultimately at Full Budget Council on 25th Feb 21. This was all part of the Council’s budget saving proposals for the financial year 21/22 and from a parking perspective involved over 200 different charging proposals which involves changes needed to all machines throughout the City and the IT system for PaybyPhone.

We do appreciate that any increase in parking charges can be challenging for all concerned and none of us enjoy having to increase parking charges across the city. As a Council we have had to make significant savings for the current 21/22 financial year and these changes were introduced to ensure there is better enforcement of these bays to allow more short term parking to support local businesses”.

 

31.6      Councillor Platts moved a motion to call for an officer report on the matter.

 

31.7      Councillor Nemeth formally seconded the motion.

 

31.8      RESOLVED- That the Committee receive a report to a future meeting responding to the petition request.

 

(3)           Traffic calming on Marmion Road

31.9      The Committee considered a petition signed by 167 people requesting the Council introduce traffic calming measures on Marmion Road to improve safety.

 

31.10   The Chair provided the following response:

 

Thank you for your petition. 

The collision history on Marmion Road for the previous three years has been studied and this shows that there have been no recorded injury causing collisions in either School Road or Marmion Road in this period. However, we of course note that that doesn’t mean that roads feel safe and that speeding doesn’t happen, nor that residents aren’t legitimately concerned. On 14th September, officers also conducted a site visit to monitor traffic during normal conditions. It was found that at the School Road end several vehicles that were attempting to enter Marmion Road from School Road had to give way to traffic exiting Marmion Road because of the narrowness of the road caused by parked cars. It was further observed that traffic then driving through Marmion Road had to give way to traffic approaching from the opposite direction at any point where there was a gap in the parking to allow vehicles to proceed past them. This parking was in effect traffic calming and observations suggested that because of this vehicle speeds remained low from when vehicles first entered the road.

However, I note that you of course want to see more done. Unfortunately, we have a great many request for traffic calming schemes and within our budget and what we have to do, we are looking at ways to manage this, and this can also mean prioritising areas where collisions have sadly been recorded. This is frustrating for all of us. I am pleased to update that there are a number of schemes planned to take place in the vicinity that should help to further reduce traffic volumes and speeds in this area. This includes the upcoming school streets scheme for School Road. If taken forward, this scheme is likely to consider a combination of signage and traffic calming to improve safety on the school approach. We are also progressing plans to implement road safety improvements along Portland Road as part of our S106 programme. These works are planned to take place this year and will include the implementation of a raised entry treatment at the junction of School Road and Portland Road. In combination, we believe these schemes will positively impact on the speed and volume of traffic in this area and will therefore address some of the concerns raised within this petition.

Considering the upcoming schemes in this area and the casualty record at this location it is not considered appropriate to take any further action at the current time. However, we would welcome feedback from the residents in Marmion Road once these schemes have been implemented to see whether there has been noticeable changes in the volume and speed of vehicles as a result of these changes. Once they are in place, please share your views via transport.projects@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Thank you so much for raising this important issue and we will continue to work to address concerns around traffic”.

 

31.11   Councillor Platts moved a motion to call for an officer report on the matter.

 

31.12   Councillor Wilkinson formally seconded the motion.

 

31.13   RESOLVED- That the Committee receive a report to a future meeting responding to the petition request.

 

(4)           Speed bumps on Upper North Street

 

31.14   The Committee considered a petition signed by 5 people that requested the Council introduce speed bumps on Upper North Street to reduce traffic speed.

 

31.15   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you and of course I completely acknowledge your worries about road traffic collisions. We receive a large number of requests for traffic calming across the City. Unfortunately, taking into account budget and other considerations, priority for such schemes is given to locations that already have a high casualty risk level. In the past three years there have been two slight and one serious injury causing collision in Upper North Street and one slight and one serious in Montpelier Terrace. Whilst no casualty is ever acceptable, there are many other roads within the City with higher risk factors that would need to take priority at the current time.

We do however take your concerns very seriously and have recently installed a mobile vehicle activated sign in this location to influence driver behaviour and to capture traffic volume and speed data. The vehicle activated sign was installed in Montpelier Terrace in January 2021 and recorded an average speed of 21.03mph with a maximum speed recorded of 45mph at 20.50 on the 18th January. Although this maximum speed is totally unacceptable it is not something that the Police, as enforcement authority for speed limits, could be prepared for and take action against. However, in addition to the vehicle activated sign, the Police have also deployed a speed indicator device at several points along the road to remind users of their speed in an attempt to keep travelling at the posted 20mph speed limit.

Based on the data available at the current time it would not be possible to prioritise this location above and beyond the current agreed programme of works. However, we will continue to liaise with the Police regarding their findings and should the situation change then officers would be happy to review this at a later date, and we are grateful to you and other residents for flagging issues of concern”.

 

31.16   Councillor Platts moved a motion to call for an officer report on the matter.

 

31.17   Councillor Wilkinson formally seconded the motion.

 

31.18   RESOLVED- That the Committee receive a report to a future meeting responding to the petition request.

 

(5)           Buller Road Cycle Storage

 

31.19   The Committee considered a petition signed by 20 people that requested a covered cycle storage container on Buller Road.

 

31.20   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Thank you for your petition and it’s great to hear of the demand for cycle storage from residents in your area.

While we are still in the early stages of setting up a cycle hangar scheme in Brighton and Hove, we will take note of the petition and will take the road into consideration when selecting locations. 

We will be launching a survey in the coming weeks asking for residents to express interest in having a cycle hangar near them and we encourage the residents of Buller Road to also participate in this survey”.

 

31.21   RESOLVED- That the Committee note the petition.

 

(6)           Increase pedestrian safety on Shirley Drive

 

31.22   The Committee considered a petition signed by 524 people requesting a 20mph speed limit and pedestrian crossing be introduced to improve pedestrian safety on Shirley Drive.

 

31.23   The Chair provided the following response:

 

“Officers have been in touch with the petitioners directly to confirm that Shirley Drive near the junction with The Droveway has been included in the most recent round of assessments under the Pedestrian Crossing Priority Programme. This information is currently being processed and the outcome will be published as part of the pedestrian crossing priority list report that will be presented to the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee later this year.

 

We receive a large number of requests for speed limit reductions across the City. The Police would need to support any proposed reduction in speed limit and they are unlikely to do this without physical measures being put in place to reduce and manage speeds along the entire corridor. This would require a detailed design, full consultation and an appropriate budget and resource to be identified in order to take it forward. As things stand, though we fully share residents’ concerns around traffic speeds and the desire for more liveable neighbourhoods, priority for such schemes is given to locations that already have a high casualty risk level that specifically relate to speed related collisions. Based on the current casualty history for Shirley Drive it would not be possible to prioritise a speed limit reduction scheme of this type above and beyond the current agreed programme of works. 

I appreciate that this is not the response that you were hoping to receive however we can only work with the budgets and workstreams that are in place and agreed. The only exception to this is where there is a recorded history of injury. In these instances, we can justify prioritising a scheme above and beyond the current agreed programme of works. I’d like to thank you for raising this and your concerns”.

 

31.24   Councillor Bagaeen moved a motion to call for an officer report on the matter.

 

31.25   Councillor Platts formally seconded the motion.

 

31.26   RESOLVED- That the Committee receive a report to a future meeting responding to the petition request.

 

(B)          PUBLIC QUESTIONS

 

(1)           Bristol Estate Refuse Collection

 

31.27   The questioner was not present to put the question.

 

(2)            Arundel Drive West

 

31.28   Greg Moore put the following question:

 

“Heavy and constant traffic flows on the A259 mean that exiting Arundel Drive West in Saltdean is a dangerous and stressful experience for pedestrians crossing to the bus stop and for all types of vehicles including buses and bicycles. As part of its initiative to increase active travel, would the council please conduct some research into the viability of new traffic lights here?”

 

31.29   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Thank you for raising this. The Council receives a large number of requests for pedestrian crossings facilities across the City on a yearly basis. To manage this demand, we operate a pedestrian crossing priority request list.

We will ask officers to add this location for consideration in the next round of assessments”.

 

(3)           Refuse Collection

 

31.30   Leela D’Arcy put the following question:

 

“I live in a block of flats called Teynham House in Saltdean. In total there are 3 refuse bins, 2 recycling bins and 2 glass bins which we share with Curzon House. The bin collections teams regularly miss us out and we simply can’t understand why, as there must be a schedule.

Please would you assign a member of staff who ensures that our bins are emptied every week?”

 

31.31   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Thank you for your question and apologies for the disruption you have been experiencing.

Upon changes to the bins whereby each block of flats received their own, lockable bins, there was some confusion as to collection crews and days.

I can confirm that Teynham House is on a collection schedule for the refuse, recycling and glass bins to be emptied on a weekly basis”.

 

31.32   Leela D’Arcy asked the following supplementary question:

 

“I would like to ask the council to pay a private contractor to empty our block?”

 

31.33   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“We’ll take that away and I’ll personally ensure Teynham House is focussed upon in the coming weeks”

 

(4)           Bristol Gardens Traffic Calming

 

31.34   David Trangmar put the following question:

 

“In November 2019 I presented a petition requesting the installation of traffic calming measures, /options for Bristol Gardens to prevent motorists using the road as a rat run. Since then I have asked a number of times for a progress report but have received no update on what's happening if anything. Please would you give me an update including likely timescales?”

 

31.35   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Thank you for your question. The early proposals for Bristol Gardens were put on-hold, along with a number of other schemes from the Local Transport Plan programme, at the start of the pandemic so that staff resources could focus on the delivery of the Transport Covid Action Plan. The delivery of this plan is still on-going as the team deliver the second tranche of the Emergency Active Travel Fund programme which is due for completion in 2022. The design process for Bristol Gardens however will commence once resources are available then any proposals that are taken forward will be subject to consultation with the local community.

Thankfully there have been no casualties on Bristol Gardens within the last three years and a speed survey was carried out in 2019 in response to the petition. The survey recorded an average speed of 15mph eastbound and 18mph westbound.  However, this doesn’t of course mean that residents don’t witness speeding or feel that more needs to be done. Whilst we understand the concerns of residents in this location, however as previously stated in other questions unfortunately we are unable to justify prioritising this scheme above and beyond the current agreed programme of works based on the information that is available, as we must prioritise areas with high casualty rates. However, I fully appreciate your comments and would encourage responses to the consultation on the design process for Bristol Gardens”.

 

(5)           Cycle path at Ovingdean Roundabout

 

31.36   Kevin Tilson put the following question:

 

“I recently had a serious accident whilst riding along the cycle path at Ovingdean roundabout.

Having revisited the area, I believe my accident was a result of the poor

condition of the cycle lane both in terms of design and in terms of maintenance such as foliage growing over the cycle lane and a lack of signage. Please would the council meet me at the site to discuss how the bike lane here can be improved? As I would hate to think of someone else suffering in the way I currently am”.

 

31.37   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Thank you for your question, I am very sorry you suffered an injury on the cycle path and hope you are making a good recovery, I can confirm that Officers would be happy to visit the site with you. 

Please pass on your details after the meeting and officers will be in touch to arrange that”.

 

(6)           Communal Bins

 

31.38   Dinah Clarke put the following question:

 

“If residents taking part in the waste management consultation in Brighton, reject communal bins, or the street does not have suitable places for communal bins, what other ways are you considering that will ensure that our pavements are kept free of wheelie bins and recycling bins/boxes? Has the council considered issuing these residents with hard-wearing sacks for rubbish and recycling, like the one’s residents in Lewes use and that are easily stored indoors between collections?”

 

31.39   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Thank you for your question.

There are many factors the council has to consider when determining how best to collect waste from different streets across the city.

This includes, for example, the placement of bins or boxes or bags ready for collection, the types and size of the vehicles required to complete the collection, service efficiency and health & safety.

One of the important factors, particularly in relation to the hard-wearing sacks, is manual handling.

Therefore, when determining the possibilities for waste collection – which can include bins, boxes and sacks, options appraisals are completed to ensure all factors are considered”.

 

31.40   Dinah Clarke asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Has the council considered issuing these residents with the hard wearing sacks as Lewes does for refuse and recycling?”

 

31.41   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Yes, the hard sacks have been recommended to us by both residents and councillors so that is something we are looking into as part of the options appraisal referred to in the answer”.

 

(7)           Bins at Ovingdean Café

 

31.42   Deborah Smith put the following question:

 

“This summer I have worked at the lovely cafe on the undercliff at Ovingdean.

Time and time again the 2 small bins there have overflowed - and people have asked why there aren’t any recycling bins there either.

Councillor Fishleigh told me she has requested more general waste and recycling bins there on numerous occasions.

Please can you let me know why the bins were removed and what’s the problem with replacing them?”

 

31.43   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Thank you for your question.

I am told that Cityclean is not aware of any bins being removed.

With regards to recycling bins, Cityclean is looking into how the recycling triple bins can be rolled out along the seafront in Ovingdean.

It’s not as simple as just placing the bins, as the narrow promenade makes the emptying of these bins difficult.

 

Therefore, the service is looking at how the bins can be regularly emptied in a safe way before any bins can be installed”.

 

31.44   Deborah Smith asked the following supplementary question:

 

“The lorries do come down to collect rubbish, but they don’t always stop at Ovingdean and I’m not sure why?”

 

31.45   The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“I can take that back to the team and ask about the trucks driving past the bins and not emptying the bins”