Agenda and minutes

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)             after notifying the Chair at the start of the meeting.

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

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from all Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members in relation to the business transacted at this meeting.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:  That (1) in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the following agenda item be admitted late to the agenda by virtue of the special circumstances and grounds for urgency detailed below:-

(2) all items be considered with the press and public present.

That the signing of the minutes of the meeting held on 10 March 2005 be deferred until the next Ordinary meeting of the Sub-Committee.

RESOLVED:  That the signing of the minutes of the meeting held on 10 March 2005 be deferred until the next Ordinary meeting of the Sub-Committee.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 8.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 9.

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at the meeting under the provisions of Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.

The Sub-Committee received a tabled report of the Director of Organisational Performance, which set out the background to the consultation on the Transport Local Implementation Plan (LIP).

The meeting proceeded to consider the Harrow draft Local Implementation Plan and the comments of Sub-Committee Members on different chapters of the document. The following issues were discussed in detail.

Borough Policy Statement (Chapter 3)

Sharing Road Space Policies: The Chair welcomed the reallocation of road space to promote public transport, but recognised that motorists might oppose the initiative.  A Member suggested that a policy to let cars use empty bus lanes be implemented to alleviate the problems.

Policies and financial measures: The Chair voiced concern that charges on road users and parking levy schemes in inner London could have an effect on the outer Boroughs, and was pleased to see that the draft LIP made provision to minimise the impact of these costs locally. 

Policies regarding phasing:  The Sub-Committee endorsed the draft Plan’s ‘carrot’ over ‘stick’ policy in terms of phasing schemes in.

Equalities Impact Assessment, The New Harrow Project and The West London Transport Strategy:  The Sub-Committee endorsed these chapters of the Plan.  The Chair noted, particularly with regard to the West London Transport Strategy, the importance of Harrow working jointly with other authorities.

LIP Programmes for Mayoral Transport Strategy Priorities (Chapter 7)

Public Transport: The Sub-Committee endorsed the bus priority initiative and welcomed the plans to improve bus stop accessibility. It was also agreed that improvements to bus shelters be encouraged and that the Council should look into the possibility of providing countdown information at bus stops.

Safety: In response to a question from the Chair about increasing the number of zones with a 20mph limit, officers replied that although zones such as town centres had been considered, there was only a limited budget available and difficulties around enforcing the speed limits would also have to be taken into consideration.

Local Traffic Management Schemes: Officers advised that these schemes were used to address issues of local concern which required a prompt response.  Members noted that the budgets included were not guaranteed across years and asked that funding be included in the medium term budget strategy as long as this was balanced with the needs of other initiatives.

Town Centres: The Sub-Committee supported the bid to Transport for London for town centre improvements in Harrow, although it was recommended that local Councillors be asked to consider the matter in more detail.

Travel Awareness: The Sub-Committee recognised the importance of a Travel Awareness Officer to encourage the use of public transport and alternative means of travel, and it was felt that the allocated budget for this initiative might not be sufficient.

The Chair noted that the Council’s own Travel Plan had been planned for some years with no noticeable steps being taken to implement it.

Walking: The Sub-Committee suggested that all guard railings be removed and that only those railings which had been set up for safety reasons should be maintained.

Cycling:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 155.