Agenda and minutes

To note the appointment of Councillor Manji Kara as a Member of the Traffic and Road Safety Advisory Panel in place of Councillor Susan Hall, and in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 1.5, following notification from the Conservative Group.

The Panel was advised that Councillor Manji Kara had replaced Councillor Susan Hall as a Member of the Panel.  Councillor Susan Hall and Councillor Asad Omar had been appointed as Reserve Members.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary or non pecuniary interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Panel;

(b)               all other Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interest was declared:

Agenda Item 11 – Hatch End Controlled Parking Zone – Statutory Consultation

Councillor Anthony Seymour declared a non pecuniary interest in that he parked his car within the car park zone on a regular basis.  He would remain in the room whilst the matter was considered and voted upon.

RESOLVED:  In accordance with Executive Procedure Rule 40.1 – Part 4D of the Constitution, the Panel agreed that the following Member could speak at the meeting:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 June 2013 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 June 2013 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Executive Procedure Rule 50 (Part 4D of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put or deputations received at the meeting.

RESOLVED:  To note the receipt of the following petitions, which were referred to the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise for consideration:

Petition presented by Councillor Husain Akhtar on behalf of the residents of Dalkeith Grove, containing 98 signatures, with the following terms of reference:

We, the residents of Dalkeith Grove, are requesting an extension of the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) to Dalkeith Grove, in line with all the surrounding roads.

Following the introduction of the CPZ on DuCros Drive in April 2013, many commuters are now parking their cars on Dalkeith Grove for the whole day.  This adds to the chaos on what is already a very busy road and reduces the number of car parking spaces for parents picking up and dropping off to the two schools in the vicinity of Dalkeith Grove – Aylward First and Middle School and North London Collegiate School.

At school drop off and pick up times the road is incredibly congested and with cars parked on both sides of the road there is only space for one car to pass down in the middle of the road.  With cars coming from both directions the road often becomes impassable as most drivers are reluctant to wait and let other cars go.  In order to get the traffic moving the cars then resort to driving along the pavements often hooting at pedestrians to move out of the way.

This is a daily occurrence on Dalkeith Grove on weekdays and with schoolchildren walking along the pavements this is just a tragic accident waiting to happen.

We are requesting that the Council should:

-                      undertake a public consultation for CPZ on Dalkeith Grove

-                      introduce yellow lines with parking restrictions for 1 hour a day.

Petition presented by Councillor Ajay Maru on behalf of Hawk Heating Supplies Ltd, containing 195 signatures, with the following terms of reference:

We the undersigned support the petition to have loading bays on Kenton Road in front of Kenton Park Parade.

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise.

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise which detailed areas where concerns or complaints had been received regarding parking issues subsequent to the follow up review of the Canons Park Area parking scheme.  It made recommendations as to which roads should be considered for a follow up review.

An officer advised that:

·                     consideration could be given to any roads in the immediate vicinity of the proposed measures to be included in the public consultation;

·                     a stakeholders meeting would provide the opportunity to influence the tone and scope of the review.  Section 106 funding was available during the current financial year for schemes within a 400m radius of a development, and traffic management funding was available on a more general basis;

·                     the Panel would be advised of a timetable for an area review and the development of proposals for the whole area taking account of available resources.  Officers considered it beneficial to treat the area as one entity as there could be knock-on effects of accelerating an individual part of the scheme in isolation.  It was difficult to predict how many measures would arise from the review until the completion of the public consultation;

·                     officers were aware of parking pressures in Dovercourt Gardens and Heronslea Drive which are close to Dalkeith Grove and which could be addressed as an extension to the Stanmore CPZ as a whole;

·                     undertaking waiting restrictions only in Whitchurch Lane could be quick to implement but wider controlled parking measures took much longer because they were larger projects requiring more extensive consultation and analysis.  The petition submitted regarding Dalkeith Grove requested a residents parking scheme.

A Member who was not on the Committee reported that, as a result of representations from the Canons Park Residents Association, he had liaised with the bus company as to whether problems had been identified in the Whitchurch Lane – Donnefield Avenue to Whitchurch Gardens area.

A further Member who was not on the Committee drew attention to the petition from residents of Dalkeith Grove, stating that following the introduction of the CPZ to DuCros Drive, commuters were parking their cars on Dalkeith Grove for the whole day.  Whilst a CPZ solved some problems, it created others.  He sought the inclusion of Dalkeith Grove in the Canons Park Controlled Parking Zone.

With the consent of the Panel the Chairman allowed representations of CAPRA and residents of Dalkeith Grove to participate in the discussion.

Following discussion, Members considered that the area around the Canons Park public consultation boundary with the addition of Dalkeith Grove should be treated as one scheme together with any further roads in the vicinity that the officers considered appropriate (Dovercourt Gardens / Heronslea Drive due to potential displacement).  The exception to this was Whitchurch Lane which would be treated as a priority as part of the local safety parking schemes programme.

The Portfolio Holder for Environment and Community Safety referred to the lack of resources available for such schemes and reported  ...  view the full minutes text for item 189.

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise.

The Panel considered a report that set out the results of a localised statutory consultation undertaken in Devonshire Road during May 2013 on proposals to extend the existing Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) U to include all of Devonshire Road.

Resolved to RECOMMEND:  (to the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety & Environment)

That the parking scheme as outlined in Appendix A be implemented as set out below:

1.                  permit parking for residents in controlled parking zone U operating Monday to Friday, 11.00 am – 12.00 noon be extended to include all of Devonshire Road up to and including no. 74 Devonshire Road and the eastern flank wall of no. 1 Sussex Road;

1.                  waiting restrictions operating Monday to Friday, 11.00 am – 12.00 noon be introduced across the vehicular access adjacent to no. 61 Devonshire Road;

2.                  the existing waiting restrictions operating ‘at any time’ on the western side of Devonshire Road (northern end) be extended for a distance of approximately 6 metres (southwards) to aid through movement / access at the bend for safety reasons;

3.                  waiting restrictions ‘at any time’ be introduced at the north eastern corner of Devonshire Road opposite the boundary wall of nos. 2 and 4 Sussex Road south eastwards for a distance of approximately 5 metres to aid through movement / access at the bend for safety reasons;

4.                  the Service Manager - Traffic & Highway Network Management be            authorised to take the necessary steps to implement the above            recommendations;

5.                  that objectors to the proposals and residents within the consultation area be informed of this decision.

Reason for Recommendation:  To recommend for implementation an amended scheme for controlled parking in zone U having considered the results of statutory consultation.  To introduce measures to prevent long term commuter parking in Devonshire Road and accommodate residents requests for changes to the existing parking arrangements and also maintain road safety and accessibility for all traffic.

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise.

Consideration was given to a report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise which provided the results of the statutory consultation exercise undertaken in June 2013 regarding the introduction of parking controls in some residential roads in Hatch End.

A revised appendix A was circulated.

Resolved to RECOMMEND:  (to the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety & Environment)

That:

(1)               the objections to the scheme received during the statutory consultation for the following roads be overruled and a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) operating  from Mon – Sat,  10.00 am – 11.00 am and  3.00 – 4.00 pm be implemented as shown on the plan in Appendix B;

(2)               Dove Park;

(3)               The Avenue  -   from the junction of Uxbridge Road to the junction of Royston Grove;

(4)               Westfield Park Area  (Westfield Park, Oakdene Close, Thorndyke Court, Cherry Croft Gardens and St Cuthberts Gardens (public highway section);

(5)               a statutory Consultation exercise be carried out for suitable parking control measures in Walpole Close (by The Avenue);

(6)               the parking proposals in Anselm Road and Devonshire Road (including Avon Mews) not be implemented and the objectors be informed;

(7)               all residents in the consultation area be informed of the decision once agreed by the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Environment.

Reason for Recommendation:  To control parking in the Hatch End area as detailed in the report.  The measures are in direct response to residents’ requests for changes to the existing parking arrangements in their area and in order to maintain road safety and parking access.

Pinner Road – Speed  camera, signing and carriageway condition; Green Lane – objection to elements of the 20 mph zone scheme; Rayners Lane - Concerns about new yellow lines affecting businesses; Surrey Road North Harrow- Petition to address parking in road; Harrow on The Hill - request for CPZ; Donnefield Avenue, Canons Park Zone DA - request to change parking controls; North Harrow - Cambridge Road Car Park / on-street parking -objection to removal of 1 hour free parking; Greenhill Way, Harrow Town Centre - objection to changes to parking layout.

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise.

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise which set out details of the petitions that had been received since the last meeting of the Panel and provided details of the Council’s investigations and findings where these had been undertaken.

An officer made the following points about the petitions listed below:

Pinner Road – speed camera, signing and carriageway condition

·                    it was the practice that 30 mph signs were only erected at the commencement of the section of road designated as 30 mph.  This was in accordance with the Department of Transport’s Traffic signs Regulations and General Directions.  Consideration was being given to the introduction of a vehicle actuated speed message with an information notice about the speed limit;

·                    there was strict criteria for speed cameras, which were administered by TfL, which was not met in this instance.

A Member who was not on the Panel expressed the opinion that prevention was important and welcomed the measures as a start.  The situation in one section of Pinner Road was particularly hazardous.  A further Member stated that due to traffic conditions it was often difficult to exceed 30 mph, although once traffic turned into Headstone Lane acceleration caused hazards which had been raised a number of times by residents and SNTs and required some measures to be put in place.  The proposed flashing sign would be a good measure.

In response to questions the officer stated that the 34 mph trigger speed for speed cameras, was controlled by the police.  Harrow was one of the safest boroughs in London.  Information from speed surveys would be shared with the police.  Funding was concentrated on accidents that had occurred and data was constantly analysed to identify and deal with hotspots.  As the Council had signs in stock it just needed an electrical connection if the sign was justified and met the criteria for its introduction.  A Member suggested the painting of the word ‘slow’ on the road by the sign.

Green Lane, Stanmore, St John’s Church of England School – 20 mph zone scheme

The officer reported that the results of the public consultation that had taken place in June were being examined and some minor changes had been made to the scheme in consultation with the Portfolio Holder as a result.

The Chairman stated that any resulting displaced parking would be examined when a review took place.

Rayners Lane – Concerns about new yellow lines affecting businesses

The comments in the petition were noted.  However, the officers had been unable to identify any of the changes to parking in Rayners Lane highlighted in the petition.  The lead petitioner had been contacted to ascertain the background to the petition but no response had been received.

Surrey Road, North Harrow – Petition to address parking and related issues

The issues raised in the petition were being considered as part of the annual programme of parking reviews.

Harrow on the Hill – Request for Controlled Parking Zone

Discussion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 192.

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise.

The Panel received a report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise which provided an update on the current programme of transport schemes and initiatives funded in the 2013/14 programme.  This included schemes funded by Transport for London grant and the Harrow capital programme.

Members drew attention to the raised pedestrian crossing facilities at the Pinner Bridge Street junctions with High Street and Station Approach stating that both could have an impact on the traffic.

An officer responded to questions raised by Members and reported that:

·                     a meeting was due to take place with the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Enterprise regarding the consultation for Belmont School 20 mph zone in Wealdstone;

·                     officers were due to meet with the Mayors Cycling Commissioner to discuss releasing funding for design work in connection with a network of cycle routes throughout the Borough.  The CTC Advisor stressed that it was important to support cycling initiatives for the wellbeing of residents as there was funding available

·                     the projects on page 158 of the agenda were progressing and statutory consultation would shortly commence.  The Harrow-on-the-Hill High Street project was a work in progress with outline sketches;

·                     he would investigate the drainage of the linear greenway on page 157.  A meeting would be held with TfL on quiet ways and how these areas could be developed and enhanced;

·                     investigation had taken place into the feasibility of a pedestrian island in Roxeth Green Avenue but it had not been physically possible.  A member suggested that a ‘keep clear’ sign on the road surface of the new roundabout to avoid the tailback of traffic from Alexandra Avenue causing ‘grid-lock’ on the roundabout;

·                     roads were gritted during appropriate winter conditions but not shared footpaths and cycle paths;

·                     the Queensbury CPZ stakeholder meeting had already taken place and officers were aware of the situation in Reynolds Drive.  Exhibitions were planned in November to discuss further what measures could be considered to address the problems in Reynolds Drive;

·                     as part of the Town Centre regeneration scheme the Council was looking to increase bus standing space in Kymberley Road to take the pressure off the bus station.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.