Agenda item

          The Head of Highways and Transport submitted a report setting out an update on a range of Highway, transport and maintenance issues raised by the public during a consultation exercise on issues, falling under the remit of the Committee, that the public wanted to raise.

          The Head of Highways and Transport noted that the areas set out within the report fell broadly under the following areas:

·       A review of Parking Strategy.

·       A review of Bus Lanes.

·       The state of un-adopted roads and footpaths.

·       A summary of Road Safety.

Following a presentation of the current approach of addressing issues raised by the public the Committee considered issues raised by the public and responses to questions from Councillors including:

·       The review of Member and public requests for additional parking through examination of challenges faced in individual areas and the management of spaces.

·       Current parking problems arising in Redhouse Way, Swindon and on-going public meetings and door to door Ward Member consultations over the previous four years to identify a solution to the problems faced in this area.

·       The lack of consensus amongst residents in the locality of Redhouse Way on a preferred solution to parking problems being experienced.

·       The use of yellow line parking restrictions in areas that suffered from parking on pavements and the likely reasons for parking on pavements, including residents wanting to park in sight of their homes and the rise, in some areas, of the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation and garages being too small to comfortably house new cars.

·       That should members wish to escalate the process of resolving parking issues in their ward this should be done through an approach to the Head of Service or the Cabinet Member for Communities and Place or the Cabinet Member for the Economy and Skills.

·       Remedial action in Witchelstowe to alleviate parking problems within this area and whether they would offer solutions to similar issues around the Borough.

·       The need for the Council as a Development Authority to address increasing parking problems across the Borough association with new housing developments and an increase in the number of houses in multiple occupation.

·       The ability of Local Authorities to address issues such as parking within new developments under national guidelines.

·       The need to review bus lanes and the use of bus gates on a regular basis both within a local and strategic transport framework.

·       The possible use of lined spaces for car parking bays in areas with high pressure demands on parking availability for guidance.  The Committee noted that this might have both positive and negative affect on the number of cars that might park in any given area.

·       The use of differing planning guidance across the Borough to address particular issues in localities such as parking.

·       The likelihood that parking issues would become worse as new proposed housing developments came on stream.

·       The use of community self-funding of parking solutions and the creation of a schedule/guideline for anticipated costs for any such application to the Council and proposed mechanisms to facilitate such discussions and the need for a clear and transparent appeal process should such schemes be permitted in the future. (It was noted that this might be carried forward through the automating request process curtly being undertaken).

·       The comments of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Place regarding the possibility of trialling community self-funding of parking schemes.

·       The powers available to the Council and Wiltshire Police in dealing with obstruction and inconsiderate parking on pavements. 

·       The possibility of using Public Space Protection Orders to deal with parking on pavements and grass verges and seeking feedback from other Local Authorities that have undertaken trials of such measures.

·       The streaming of the measures for the easier creation of Traffic Regulation Orders for parking related issues and the need to lobby Government and local Members of Parliament for such changes.

·       The need to review the Penzance Drive Bus Lane and bus gates for facilitate easier access for local residents.  The Committee noted the comments of the Cabinet Member for Communities and Place regarding the need for any such review to include strategic issues.

·       The future use of the Copse site park and ride car park and in the absence of any imminent use of this facility the remarking of the road network to assist with better traffic flow.

·       Whether the hours of bus lanes might be reviewed to allow non-authorised vehicle use from 16:30 hours to 09:30 hours. The Committee noted that opening bus lanes would not necessarily mean increased traffic flow as bottle necks tended to form around the capacity of key road junctions.

·       A request that Ward Councillors be included in on-going traffic and road related discussions regarding Bridgemead.

·       The high level vision for Wellington Street and Fleming Way developments.

·       The current Transport Plan covering the period 2011 to 2026 and the possible role of a Committee Task Group to consider its current viability and future development.

·       Resident’s commitments associated with un-adopted roads, including financial liability for repairs and street lighting (although the Council had no plans to make residents pay for street lighting on such roads).

·       Mechanisms for adopting roads and the future inclusion of Ward Councillor feedback (possibly through Ward Councillor/Officer site visits) prior to the acceptance of any new un-adopted roads within the Borough.

·       The use of developer bonds under Section 220 of the Highways Act 1980 to ensure improvements to roads can be undertaken, if required, prior to their adoption (it being noted that roads would not have to be adopted by the Local Authority until they were satisfied they were of an appropriate standard).

·       Indemnity Insurance for residents in the case that work was required to un-adopted roads and legal checks that potential buyers should undertake to identify potential financial risks for un-adopted roads.

·       Whether the Council should be using its website to increase residents’ awareness of their liabilities should they purchase a property in a road that has not been adopted by the Council.

·       The need to lobby the Government for additional funding for the maintenance of roads within the Borough which by capitalising the cost of borrowing to bring the Borough’s roads up to stand would be in the region of £1.75 million.

·       Work on the Council’s Incentive Fund submissions to maximise current Government Funding for targets that were achievable within the current financial constraints for achieve level three next year.

·       Other Council traffic management and road safety schemes submitted to the Government for funding contributions.

·       The funding of CCTV cameras on Thamesdown Drive and whether these offered value for money to the Council or whether alternative option such as cameras for capturing and identifying drivers going through red lights would be more appropriate.  The Committee requested additional information to be reported back to the next meeting on how the CCTV cameras were funded and the benefits arising.

·       The use of dashcam footage from members of the public in prosecutions by Wiltshire Police for Road Traffic offences.

·       Safety Training for young people using motorbikes.

          Resolved - (1) That Cabinet be requested to investigate the use of an anti-social parking PSPO (Public Spaces Protection Order) to tackle problem pavement and verge parking, lorries parking overnight in residential areas, and parking issues outside schools along with other reported concerns of members and residents.
          (2) That the Cabinet Member for Communities and Place, the Cabinet member for the Economy and Skills and The Head of Highways and Transport be requested to investigate the publishing, on the Council’s website, the standard costs of highways work such as pothole repairs, dropped kerbs, crossings, and ways to address verge parking.

            (3) That the Cabinet Member for Communities and Place be requested to investigate introducing a community Highway scheme, where residents and organisations like Parishes can contribute to the cost of highways work in their area, with a pilot by April 2018. 

          (4) Officers review the feasibility of planning conditions in requesting road construction standards and adoption timelines be provided before first occupation.

          (5) That the Cabinet Member for Communities and Place and the Cabinet Member for the Economy and Skills be requested to write to Swindon's MPs, the Roads Minister and Chancellor highlighting how Swindon receives £4.8m from government for Highways, but the town requires £8m per year for road conditions to remain at standstill and a backlog of £25m already exists for roads to be in a "good" condition, and request talks of how Council and Government can fund the £1.75m required annually to finance a £25m investment.

          (6) The Committee noted The Cabinet Member for Communities and Place’s offer to raise the issue of parking problems in Redhouse Way, Swindon with officers and relevant Cabinet colleagues to progress a solution.

          (7) The Committee noted The Cabinet Member for Communities and Place’s offer to review the status of the Liden Drive Bus Gate following a change to local planning conditions.

          (8) That the Cabinet Member for Communities and Place and the Head of Highways and Transport be requested to submit a report to the February meeting of this Committee setting out a report on polices affecting the movement of traffic within the town together with any areas that this Committee might assist in the review and evolution of the current Local Transport Plan for Swindon.