Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

The minutes of the meeting held on 30^th July 2018 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Further to minute 21/18 headed ‘Petition – Seymour Close, Request to Remove Kerb and Grass and Create Parking Area’, officers confirmed that work on the double yellow lines had been completed and were as set out in the Traffic Regulation Order. Officers also confirmed that they had investigated the land ownership issue and reported back to the Cheylesmore Ward Councillors who were now working with the petitioners regarding their concerns.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider the above petition, bearing 555 signatures which is being supported by Councillors Bailey and Brown, both Cheylesmore Ward Councillors, who have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning a petition bearing 555 signatures which was submitted by Councillor R Bailey and Councillor R Brown, Cheylesmore Ward Councillors, who attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the petitioners along with the petition organiser Mr Doug Lowe, who was also in attendance. The report had been requested by the petition organiser following receipt of a determination letter. The petition requested road safety measures in Whitley, especially around the three schools including speed reduction measures, additional school warning signs and double yellow lines.

The determination letter advised of the importance of prioritising road safety measures in the city. Coventry was continuing to work towards becoming a safer speed City and, to ensure funding was targeted carefully, used personal injury collisions reported to the Police. A review of the Whitley area showed that one injury collision had been recorded in the last three years. Safety schemes were prioritised in locations where there had been six or more recorded injury collisions in the previous three years. The determination letter also advised of the measures that had already been undertaken since receipt of the petition, including the installation of double yellow lines for junction protection at the requested locations, the installation of new school warning signs and ‘SLOW ‘carriageway markings, and the installation of a mobile vehicle activated sign on Abbey Road. Contact details were also provided should residents wish to get involved in the Community Speed Watch initiative.

Mr Lowe spoke on behalf of the petitioners and thanked the Cabinet Member and Officers for the road safety measures that had been already been undertaken and requested that consideration be given to further safety measures for the estate, including a 20mph speed limit. Mr Lowe described the Whitley Triangle as a unique self-contained enclosed community with 3 schools located in the area. He referred to Abbey Road as almost a ‘one-way street’ owing to parked vehicles and there were 2 rat-runs on the estate with dangerous speeding vehicles. He indicated that local residents had met with Ward Councillors, Officers and School Heads to discuss the issues and had conducted a traffic survey and generated a Traffic Management Plan which they had submitted to the Authority. 

Councillor Bailey confirmed the unique siting of the estate and the issues that Mr Lowe had raised. He thanked the Cabinet Member for visiting the two schools, which both had their entrances and exits on Abbey Road. He confirmed that the double yellow lines had been installed quickly and had made a big impact, however he felt that there was benefit in extending the lines on Abbey Road towards the Whitley Academy and asked that this be pursued. Councillor Bailey referred to the proposals for average speed cameras on the London Road and welcomed this approach to reduce speeding traffic in the area. He also requested that consideration be given to safer crossing and pinch points along the rat-runs to reduce traffic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider the above petition bearing 404 signatures (147 paper and 257 e-signatures) which has been submitted by Councillor Bailey, a Cheylesmore Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning a petition bearing 404 signatures, 147 paper and 257 e-signatures, which was submitted by Councillor R Bailey, a Cheylesmore Ward Councillor, who attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the petitioners along with the petition organiser’s representative, Ms Kerry Doughty, who was also in attendance. The report had been requested by the petition organiser following receipt of a determination letter. The petition requested the implementation of a number of road safety measures around Manor Park School, Ulverscroft Road, to safeguard the children, elderly, vulnerable people and community life. 

The determination letter advised of the importance of targeting road safety measures in the city. Coventry was continuing to work towards becoming a safer speed city and, to ensure the funding it had was utilised carefully, used personal injury collisions reported to the Police.  A review of the area highlighted showed that three injury collisions had been recorded in the last three years, none of which involved children or pedestrians. Safety schemes were prioritised in locations where there had been six or more recorded injury collisions in the previous three years.

The determination letter also advised that the request for a zebra crossing outside the school had been reviewed previously, but these investigations had revealed that a crossing could not be located in this area. Contact details were provided should residents wish to get involved in the Community Speed Watch initiative and the letter also advised that Ulverscroft Road would be added to the mobile vehicle activated sign (VAS) deployment programme. The requests for additional parking enforcement had been forwarded to Parking Services and the request to be considered in any future trials to try to address the issue of school gate parking had been recorded.

Ms Doughty spoke on behalf of the petition organiser, who was unable to attend the meeting, and the petitioners, indicating that she was a childminder and walked children to and from Manor Park School each day. She confirmed that although the measures that had already been put in place had been positive, she was concerned at the number of vehicles parking on the double yellow lines near the school and circulated photographs of these occurrences. She requested that the double yellow lines be enforced. The School was one of the largest primary schools in the city and was located along a very long straight road that encouraged speeding. Delivery Lorries arriving and departing at school entry and exit times were also an issue. It was difficult to walk along the pavements to the school due to the number of parked vehicles and the journey for pedestrians felt very unsafe. Ms Doughty was aware that the Automatic Number Plate Recognition vehicle had been deployed in the area and requested that it patrol at the relevant school entry and exit times to maximise its effectiveness.

Councillor Bailey referred to the multi-entrances/exits at the school, which made controlling vehicle movement difficult. Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider the above petition, bearing 31 signatures (22 paper and 9 e-signatures) which has been submitted by Councillor Williams, a Bablake Ward  Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning a petition bearing 31 signatures, 22 paper and 9 e-signatures, which was submitted by Councillor G Williams, a Bablake Ward Councillor, who attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the petitioners along with the petition organiser Mr Colin Weaver, who was also in attendance. The report had been requested by the petition organiser following receipt of a determination letter. The petition requested the return of the grit bin or the inclusion of all of Overslade Crescent on a vehicle gritting route. 

The determination letter advised that an assessment for the provision of a grit bin in Overslade Crescent yielded a score of 30 points from a maximum of 250 (the minimum score required for provision of a grit bin was 100 points), therefore there was no justification for reversing the original decision to remove the grit bin or any special circumstances to include additional sections of Overslade Crescent on a vehicle gritting route.

Gritting vehicles were only used on main roads or those that had a strategic value to the transport network, such as frequent Bus routes. Overslade Crescent included a grass area in the middle of the road. The Western side of the Crescent was a Bus route and was therefore on a gritting route, the Eastern side was not on the route and consequently was not gritted. The vast majority of unclassified roads in the City were not on a gritting route as all available Winter Service resources were at full capacity keeping the key strategic routes open during severe weather.

Councillor Williams indicated that 54 grit bins in the Bablake Ward had now been reduced to 27 following a review. He outlined his concerns regarding the removal of the bins. He understood that one side of Overslade Crescent was part of a bus route and was therefore included on a gritting route but as the other side was not, it relied on the grit bin. He indicated that residents in the same road felt that they were not being given the same winter provision.

Mr Weaver spoke on behalf of the petitioners and outlined his personal situation as a mobility scooter user. He indicated that there were many elderly and people with mobility issues living on the side of the street not on the gritting route that relied on use of the grit bin. The removal of the bin would leave many struggling with access to and from their properties.

The Cabinet Member confirmed that gritting routes and grit bin locations were determined through criteria that was based on priority bus routes and that this sometimes meant one side of a road was gritted and the other side was not. She explained that while she was sympathetic to those with mobility issues, the Authority had to have a policy and did not have the resource to assist with gritting for residents personal/private use.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which provided a summary of the recent petitions received that were to be determined by letter, or where decisions had been deferred pending further investigations and holding letters were being circulated. Details of the individual petitions were set out in an appendix attached to the report and included target dates for action. The report was submitted for monitoring and transparency purposes.

The report indicated that each petition had been dealt with on an individual basis, with the Cabinet Member considering advice from officers on appropriate action to respond to the petitioners’ request. When it had been decided to respond to the petition without formal consideration at a Cabinet Member meeting, both the relevant Councillor/petition organiser could still request that their petition be the subject of a Cabinet Member report.

Members noted that where holding letters were being sent, this was because further investigation work was required. Once matters had been investigated either a follow up letter would be sent or a report submitted to a future Cabinet Member meeting.

Further to Petition 07/18 – Traffic Issues on Burnaby Road and Request for Speed Cushions, sponsored by Councillor Clifford, and Petition 37/17 - Request for the 'Layby' Style Parking Bays on Cannon Hill Road between Orlescote Road and Atherstone Place to be a Residential Parking Scheme, sponsored by Councillor Crookes, listed in Appendix A to the report, Councillor Clifford and Councillor Crookes attended the meeting and spoke at the discretion of the Chair, confirming their petition issues and indicating their support for the action proposed.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services endorses the actions being taken by officers as detailed in the Appendix to the report, in response to the petitions received.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

Any other items of public business which the Cabinet Member decides to take as matters of urgency because of the special circumstances involved

There were no other items of public business.