Individual Executive Decision Making Meeting

Executive Member for Transport15 September 2009

INDIVIDUAL EXECUTIVE DECISION MAKING MEETING

EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT

RECORD OF DECISION

An Individual Executive Decision-Making meeting was held on 15 September 2009

PRESENT:

Councillor Charles Rooney

**OFFICIALS:

Andrew Humble, Derek Gittins and Susie Joscelyne

UNIVERSITY RESIDENTS PARKING SCHEME

The Acting Director of Environment submitted a report that sought approval for the administration of small business employee permits and visitor scratchcards within the University Residents parking area.

The report stated that on 23 June 2009, approval was given to the introduction of the Residents Parking Scheme for the University area. However, two elements of the scheme were deferred for further consultation. These related to small business employee permits and scratchcards.

During the consultation, concerns were expressed by local small businesses regarding the availability of parking for their employees. Residents parking zones within the town centre currently did not provide employee parking, as it was considered that the town centre provided sufficient convenience parking within its public car parks. The businesses would qualify for up to two free business permits for their operational vehicles, but proposals submitted to the Executive included the provision for a small number of permits to enable predominantly local shop workers to park within the zone for an annual fee of £80.

The report stated that the main business in the area, the University, had agreed to purchase 81 permits for its staff who were distributed throughout the zone. The parity reasons, it was considered reasonable to also charge a fee for employees of small businesses within the zone.

The second area to be deferred related to charges for visitor scratchcards. The proposal included a ‘free’ 45 minute parking period in the majority of streets within the zone. If visitors wished to stay for a longer period, then a scratchcard system would need to be introduced which would allow for parking all day. The report to the Executive stated that the first book of 20 (per year) would be free of charge, then a charge of £5 per book thereafter. Ward members wished for these two elements of the scheme to be deferred for further consultation.

It was outlined that a meeting took place with the ward councillors on 30 July where the outstanding issues were discussed and a preferred option was agreed.

The options relating to the parking permits for employees of businesses situated within the Town were threefold, wither:

Provide no facilities for employees parking with in the zone; or
Provide free permits parking for employees; or
Provide charges permit parking for employees.

The options relating to visitor stays longer than 45 minutes were as follows:

To issue visitor permits (as in existing residents zones)
To issue scratch cards- which had been recommended as being the more secure way of reducing permit fraud.

Further details of the options were outlined in the report.

ORDERED

1.That the inclusion of employee permits at a fee of £80 and the provision of scratchcards with the first book of 20 scatchcards to be issues free of charge to each property each year and subsequent books to be uses for fee of £5 per book be approved.

REASON

The decision was supported by the following reason:

Following further consultation and detailed consideration of options for implementing Residents Parking Scheme, it was considered that the proposals offered a fair and workable scheme, which would provide benefits to residents and businesses in the area.

network management plan for middlesbrough

The Acting Director of Environment submitted a report that sought approval for the Middlesbrough Network Management Plan.

The report stated that the Traffic management Act 2004 (TMA) introduced a Network Management Duty on local traffic authorities. Section 16 of the Act set out the requirement of the duty as follows:

“ It was the duty of a local traffic authority to manage their road network with a view to achieving, so far as was reasonably practicable having regard to their other obligations, polices and objections, the following objectives:

a)Securing the expeditious movements of traffic on the authority’s road network and;

b)Facilitation the expeditious movement of traffic on road networks for which another authority was the traffic authority.

The report outlined that whilst there was no statutory requirement to develop a Network Management Plan, this document enabled the Council to set out the processes that would employ to meet this duty, The Plan also demonstrated high level commitment to the duty and provided both a framework for consultation with stakeholders and a performance monitoring regime to drive improvement and enabled reports to the DFT through the Local Transport Plan monitoring process.

The TMA give the Government powers to ‘intervene’ if it considered an authority was not performing its duties satisfactory.

The report outlined the key elements of the Council’s first Network Management Plan and sough endorsement of the principles outlined in the document. The draft plan had been produced from a common template agreed with the local Traffic Authorities in the North East region.

The plan also highlighted the key transport corridors across the Borough that generally carried the highest volumes of traffic and were therefore designated as ‘traffic sensitive” for the purposes of planning and co-ordination road works.

They plan itself was available for viewing in the Members Library and is considered to be a “live” document which would require regular updating as local and national circumstances change.

ORDERED

1.That the content and publication of the Middlesbrough Management Plan be approved.

REASON

The decision was supported by the following reason:

Through the adoption of a Middlesbrough Network Management Plan the Council could demonstrate that it was meeting its legal requirements with respect to the Traffic Management Act 2004. In addition m it set in place the foundation on which to improve the proactive management of transport networks.

quarterly report – autumn 2009

The Acting Director of Environment submitted a report that provided a quarterly brief on current transport issues and outstanding requests from Ward Members for priority works. The report covered the following issues, details of which were outlined in the report:

Eagle Park Bus Station;

The report stated that in the last revision of bus services by Arriva they removed the Number 27 half-hourly service into Eagle Park. Arriva were asked to review this and proposed to divert one of their Number 29’s via Eagle Park, which would provide links with James Cook Hospital, Middlesbrough Bus Station and Great Ayton and Stokesley, this would be subject to a DeMimimus agreement. The Joint Public Transport Group considered the proposals and agreed it. Arriva would make the change on 2 November 2009. It was proposed that this DeMinimus service be introduced for a trail period of six months to determine usage.

Transporter Bridge- Public Access

The Transporter bridge had its first Sunday open day on 25 July 2009, which focused on Extreme sports. Since April to end of July 2009 the events connected with the bridge have generated 98 overnight stays in the North-East.

University Ward Residents Parking Scheme;

The Parking Orders of this scheme were subject to formal legal advertising and the expiry date for objections was 7 September 2009. A verbal update was provided at the meeting.

Safer Way-DfT consultation;

Wide-ranging proposals to attempt to cut the number of deaths on the road were set out by Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick in the consultation the road safety strategy for 2010-2020- A Safer Way: Consultation on Making Britain’s Roads the Safest in the World. The Council’s response to the consultation was contained in the appendix attached to the report.

Cleveland Safety Camera Partnership Review;

The Cleveland Safety Camera Partnership (CSCP) for which Hartlepool was the lead authority, provided camera-based enforcement of speed limits at locations in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland areas.

A review of the operations was undertaken in order to identify efficiency savings and opportunities for ‘invest to save’. The report summarised the proposals.

16-19 year old bus half fare experiment;

Officers have negotiated a one- year experiment with Arriva and Stagecoach to enable half fare travel for all 16 to 19 year olds living in Middlesbrough. A report would be bought back after the experiment.

Winter Maintenance;

The winter maintenance arrangements for the protection of highway users against the effects of snow and frost were being considered. The report set out the proposals for this year. The Winter Maintenance plan was available on the Council’s website.

It was outlined that the quarterly report format had been agreed with the Executive member, Environment Director and Head of Transport and Design Services to provide an update on current transport issues and to link into the “Working Better Together” programme of meetings and Member Surgeries to enable priorities to be set to deal with Ward Member issues/requests.

ORDERED

That the proposals to enhance the Bus Service to Eagle Park on an experimental basis be approved.
That the updated position regarding the University Ward Residents Parking Scheme and the Transporter bridge be noted;
That the response to the DfT consultation on road safety be noted.
That Hartlepool Council be informed that we support the Safety Camera Partnership Review.
That the current proposals for the delivery of the bus half fare experiment for 16-19 year olds be noted.
That the Winter Maintenance proposals for 2009/2010 be approved.

REASON

The decisions were supported by the following reason:

The recommendations in the report were made to ensure the best value in terms of existing funding allocation and priorities for Middlesbrough.

BRIDGE STREET EAST – ACCESS OPTIONS

The Acting Director of Environment submitted a report that sought approval for the appropriate access restrictions following the completion of works to Bridge Street East. The report explored the choices of opening the road up to all traffic as originally planned, keeping the road closed to traffic as had been the temporary situated or opening up for now and reviewing the situation within two years.

As part of the accommodation works for Middlesbrough College and Middlehaven generally, Bridge Street East had been closed to traffic for a lengthy period of time to allow the construction of an enhanced route into the development from the west of the site. This work has been designed in partnership with Tees Valley Regeneration, BioRegional Quintain (the developer of Phase one of Middlehaven) and paid for by the Homes and Community Agency. It was specifically used as a shared surface, using the physical appearance of the street to keep traffic speeds low and give priority to pedestrians, The physical works had been completed for some time, but the road remained closed to traffic due to delays in obtaining the Department for Transport approval for the special traffic Order to enable restricted parking to take place within this type of street treatment.

The report stated that during this period of ‘pedestrian only access’ views had been expressed as to the attractiveness of the route for students walking between the town centre the railway station and the new College. Questions have therefore been asked as to whether the route should be opened up to traffic as was the original design, or should an Order be processed to restrict traffic to enable the temporary ‘pedestrianisation’ that had been in place for the past six months.

Consultation had taken place with those directly involved. It was outlined that there were three options available (Further details were outlined in the report):

Open the road;
Keep the road closed, or;
Open the road in the short term with a view to closure in the future.

The Middlehaven partners have accepted that in the longer term the pedestrianisation of the road was desirable.

ORDERED

That the re-opening of Bridge Street East with the intention of reviewing the situation within 2 years be approved;
That officers be authorised to commence consultations with the intention of reversing the traffic flow at the entrance of Lower Gosford Street from Queens Square.
That a 6 month survey be undertaken to review the use of the area by pedestrians and traffic.

REASON

The decisions were supported by the following reason:

There were arguments both for and against opening up Bridge Street East to traffic at this time although there was a general agreement that it would be beneficial in the medium term to have a traffic free route from the Station to the College and the rest of the development.

The decision will come into force after five working days following the day the decision was taken unless the decision becomes subject to the call-in procedure.

The decision in relation to Bridge Street East Access options will come into force immediately and is not subject to call-in procedures.