Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 23^rd April, 2018 were signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider the above petition, bearing 314 signatures (303 paper and 11e-signatures) which has been submitted by Councillor D Skinner, a Westwood Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser.

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning a petition bearing 314 signatures (303 paper and 11 e-signatures) which was submitted by Councillor Skinner, a Westwood Ward Councillor, who was unable to attend the meeting. The petition organiser Mr Bob Wright attended the meeting and he spoke on behalf of the petitioners. Karen Sprouse, local resident, was also in attendance and spoke in support of the petition. The report had been requested by the petition organiser following the receipt of the determination letter. The petitioners were requesting that a number of roads in Tile Hill Village become a 20mph along with the installation of traffic calming measures and a zebra crossing.

The report indicated that the area referred to was an extensive area which included a fuel garage, local shops and a pub in addition to residential properties. Some of the roads were part of bus routes. A location plan was set out at an appendix to the report. Reference was made to the commitment from the Cabinet Member for Public Services to the aspiration that Coventry becomes a 20mph city. 

The determination letter had advised of the review undertaken and the actions proposed and approved in response to the petition. This included advising in regard to the safety scheme criteria and that negotiations were currently underway with housing developers regarding proposals for the local area. The planning process included the possibility of securing mitigation measures such as traffic calming and improvements at signalised junctions. Any proposals would be the subject of local consultation. A copy of the determination letter was set out at a second appendix.

The Cabinet Member was informed that since the issuing of the determination letter, Planning Committee had agreed to delegate planning approval for the development subject to the conditions and a section 106 agreement. The section 106 agreement process was now ongoing and contributions for highway mitigation measures were in the process of being agreed.

Mr Wright indicated that Tile Hill Resident’s Group wanted the major roads in Tile Hill Village to become a 20mph zone including Station Avenue, Cromwell Lane, Duggins Lane, and Tanners Lane along with Conway Avenue and Nailcote Avenue. He informed that traffic was getting heavier by the day and would increase with new housing developments in the area, the proposed new multi-storey car park at Tile Hill rail station and the heavy goods vehicles for the construction of HS2. There were many incidents of excessive speeding and there had been a number of accidents. The increasing traffic also had an effect on the air quality in the area.

He drew attention to the 20mph areas being introduced by Leeds City Council and to Department of Transport guidance regarding 20mph limits and zones for urban areas and built up village streets to ensure greater safety for pedestrians and cyclists. He also referred to West Midlands Police policy which stated that 20mph limits were the future in urban areas.

Mr Wright highlighted how a 20mph  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider the above petition, bearing 196 signatures (70 paper and 126 e-signatures), which has been submitted by Councillor J Lepoidevin, a Woodlands Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The Cabinet Member referred to the report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning a petition bearing 196 signatures (70 paper and 126 e-signatures) which was submitted by Councillor Lepoidevin, a Woodlands Ward Councillor and the petition organiser, who attended the meeting on behalf of the petitioners. The report had been requested by Councillor Lepoidevin following the receipt of the determination letter. The petitioners were requesting that the road markings outside Parkhill Primary School were improved to create a safe crossing area and to improve the space available for vehicles to safely stop when dropping off and collecting children.

Councillor Innes, Cabinet Member, informed of the intention to defer making any decisions on the matter to allow for further investigations with the school and local Ward Councillors regarding the issues raised. Councillor Lepoidevin was in support of this approach.  

RESOLVED that consideration of the report be deferred to allow for further consultation with the local ward councillors and the school, with a report being submitted to a future Cabinet Member meeting.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

To consider the above petition, bearing 13 signatures, which has been submitted by Councillor R Singh, a Lower Stoke Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organiser.

RESOLVED that consideration of the report be deferred to allow for further consultation with Councillor R Singh and the local residents, with a report being submitted to a future Cabinet Member meeting.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

(Note: The objectors have been invited to attend the meeting for consideration of this item)

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) concerning three objections that had been received to the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) advertised on 5^th January, 2017 to suspend the Phase 1 bus lanes, which were suspended from 13^th January, 2017. A further ETRO for additional short length of bus lane on Foleshill Road (inbound between its junction with King Georges Avenue and Old Church Road) came into effect on 20^th January 2017. A summary of the objections along with comments on the issues raised were set out in an appendix to the report. The objectors had been invited to the meeting but were unable to attend.

The report indicated that in Coventry over the past 15 years there had been a 20% increase in traffic on the City’s road network. Locally Coventry was one of the fastest growing cities with an expanding economy which was also putting pressure on the road network. Traffic Information company INRIX analysed congestion over a four year period and Coventry was reported as having one of the fastest raising levels of congestion due to population and economic growth. The Traffic Management Act 2004 placed a statutory undertaking on the Council to secure the expeditious movement of traffic on the authority’s road network.

As a consequence the Council embarked on a review of all its bus lanes. Data from other local authorities who had suspended bus lanes suggested that there were potential benefits to traffic flow with minimal impact on buses. Following consultation with the bus operators and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the first phase of suspension took place in January 2017 and involved about 2.6km of bus lanes in the city. Data collection commenced from March 2017. The review looked at the journey time data for buses and all other vehicles between March 2017 and March 2018, evaluating against pre-trial suspension journey time data. Data was also provided from National Express. Data was reviewed on a monthly basis. During the trial period Bus Selected Vehicle Detection priorities and improvements were provided at 10 traffic signal junctions located in the sections of suspended bus lanes. This technology was designed to deliver the efficient progression for buses through the junctions.

The summary review of the bus lane suspension trial was set out in a further appendix attached to the report. In conclusion, based on the journey time monitoring there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the suspension had not had a detrimental effect on bus journey times when compared on a like for like basis with bus journey times for the same period in 2016. The introduction of Bus Selected Vehicle Detection (SVD) priorities and efficiency improvements at 10 traffic signal junctions located in the sections of suspended bus lanes had also contributed to this outcome. In conclusion the efficiency gain had offset the effect of traffic growth.

Further consultation was then undertaken with TfWM and the bus operators and it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place)

The Cabinet Member 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.

RESOLVED that the actions being taken by officers as detailed in the appendix to the report, in response to the petitions received, be endorsed.

There are no outstanding issues for consideration

There were no outstanding issues for consideration.

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 additional items of public business.