Agenda and minutes

Venue: This Meeting will be held remotely. The meeting can be viewed live by pasting this link into your browser: https://youtu.be/dv0BY2i4vz8

Contact: Liz Knight / Michelle Salmon, Governance Services Officers,  Tel: 024 7697 2644 /2643, Email:  liz.knight@coventry.gov.uk /  michelle.salmon@coventry.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

20.

Declarations of Interests

Minutes:

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

21.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 318 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 21st October 2020 were agreed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

22.

Petition - Improve Safety at the Junction of The Chesils and Knoll Drive pdf icon PDF 618 KB

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

 

To consider the above petition, bearing 238 e-signatures, which is being supported by Councillor Andrews, an Earlsdon Ward Councillor, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item along with the petition organisers.

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways that responded to an e-petition that had been received, bearing 238 signatures, requesting measures to improve safety at the junction of The Chesils and Knoll Drive. The petition was supported by Councillor Andrews, an Earlsdon Ward Councillor, who attended the meeting along with the Petition Organisers, who spoke in support of the petition.

 

In accordance with the City Council's procedure for dealing with petitions, those relating to road safety are heard by the Cabinet Member for City Services.  The Cabinet Member had considered the petition prior to this meeting and requested that the petition was dealt with by determination letter rather than a formal report being submitted to a meeting, to be able to deal with the matter more efficiently.

 

The determination letter advised of the outcome of the investigations undertaken in response to the issues raised, as a result of which the vehicle-activated speed limit sign has been repaired, additional crossroad warning signs are to be installed and the junction will continue to be monitored as part of the annual review of personal injury collisions. Upon receipt of the determination letter, the petition organisers advised that they wanted the issue to be considered at a Cabinet Member for City Services meeting.

 

The cost of introducing road safety measures was funded from the Highways Maintenance and Investment Capital Programme budget through the Local Transport Plan.

 

The petition read:

‘We, the undersigned are concerned citizens who believe the cross junction at The Chesils and Knoll Drive presents a danger to the community. We urge the council to take action to provide speed reduction measures on the cross junction and safeguard pedestrians including the following five points: 1) The speed measurement sign at the Chesils to be fixed, 2) A junction sign to identify a cross junction at the Chesils and Knoll Drive, 3) A sign to identify children crossing the road with flashing lights during school times. 4) A sign on the road to advise of local children crossing the junction (Knoll Drive and The Chesils) and 5) A slightly raised area at the cross junction for The Chesils and Knoll Drive.’

 

The Chesils and Knoll Drive, residential roads, were both subject to a 30mph speed limit and the junction is in Earlsdon Ward and was one of a number of crossroads along The Chesils.  A location plan was attached as an Appendix to the report.

 

The determination letter, a copy of which was attached as a further Appendix to the report, advised of the importance of targeting road safety measures in the city. To ensure funding was utilised carefully, personal injury collisions reported to the Police were used.  Locations where there had been six or more reported personal injury collisions in the previous three years were considered for inclusion in the safety schemes programme.  A review of the collision data for the junction of The Chesils and Knoll Drive showed that there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

23.

Designated Cycle Routes - Canley and City Centre pdf icon PDF 1022 KB

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways that sought approval to create sections of off carriageway cycle route by designating short sections of footway as ‘cycle track’ utilising the Council’s powers under the Highways Act.

 

Through the government’s active travel funding programme, a number of cycle routes were being developed across the city responding to an increase in cycling activity that has taken place during the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim was to provide alternative transport options during a period when public transport capacity had been limited due to social distancing requirements, and people had been encouraged to cycle where possible to access work, education and essential services and for recreation. 

 

Options for the provision of a temporary route between Upper Well Street in the City Centre and the Canal Basin on Leicester Row had been considered. The design of the Canal Basin Bridge across the ring road limited opportunities for social distancing due to the narrow bridge deck and lack of passing places. Alternative options for a cycle route across the ring road had therefore been considered and the preferred option included widening a section of footway from Leicester Row to Ringway St Nicholas for shared use (by both cycles and pedestrians).  The footway on Ringway St Nicholas was also widened and this included a section with segregation for people walking and cycling. The connection under the Ring Road at Junction 9 was facilitated by designating the footway between the slip roads for shared use.  Access into the city centre was facilitated by designating a section of footway build out on Upper Well Street and the adjacent refuge for shared use. 

 

Options for the provision of a cycle route on Charter Avenue between the A45 and Sir Henry Parkes Road, improving access by cycle to the University of Warwick campus, had also been considered.  The eastbound carriageway was considered less suitable as width was limited due to on street parking bays.  The preferred option was the westbound carriageway with connecting paths at either end. The preferred and recommended option included designating a section of footway for shared use at the eastern end of the route between Cannon Hill Road and Charter Avenue and at the western end of the route from Charter Avenue to Sir Henry Parkes Road.

 

The off-carriageway parts of the routes would be created using Sections 65 and 66 of the Highways Act 1980, changing the footway to cycle track, so that it could be used by both cycles and pedestrians. Under the Highways Act 1980, a "Cycle Track" meant a way that carried a right of way on pedal cycles and/or on foot.

 

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

 

1)  Approves the conversion of a section of footway between Leicester Row and Ringway St Nicholas to cycle track under sections 65 and 66 of the Highways Act 1980 as shown in Figure 1 of the report.

2)  Approves the conversion of a section of footway  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

24.

2020-21 Local Safety Scheme Programme - Average Speed Enforcement Scheme, Foleshill Road pdf icon PDF 523 KB

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways that proposed an Average Speed Enforcement (ASE) scheme on Foleshill Road.

 

The City Council received many requests for road safety measures from residents and Elected Members across the city concerned about inappropriate vehicular speed.  This included a significant number of petitions requesting road safety measures to address these concerns. 

 

Speeding vehicles continued to be a significant contributory factor in recorded personal injury collisions in Coventry and, although the overall collision rates were declining on Coventry’s road network, the number of people killed or seriously injured remained high on major routes that carried high volumes of traffic. 

 

In March 2018, the Cabinet approved the use of ASE on London Road and Ansty Road.  Both ASE projects were introduced in January 2019, and early results were very positive in terms of speed and casualty reduction. 

 

As a result, Henley Road, Binley Road, London Road extension and Ansty Road extension ASE schemes were approved in March 2019.  Binley Road and Henley Road had been operational since January 2020; the London Road extension had been operational since April 2020. Ansty Road extension (from Clifford Bridge Road to City Boundary) would be the next ASE scheme to become operational by March 2021.

 

In June 2020, following the early positive safety results of the existing schemes Cabinet Member for City Services approved four additional ASE schemes:

 

  Longford Road and part of Foleshill Road and Bedworth Road (from its junction with A444 to Ibstock Road).

  Bell Green Road (from its junction with A444 to its junction with Henley Road).

  Burnaby Road and The Scotchill (from its junction with Lockhurst Lane to its junction with Keresley Green Road).

  Sky Blue Way (from its junction with Lower Ford Street to its junction with A444).

 

The Longford and Bell Green Road ASE schemes each also included a short section of Old Church Road.

 

The Sky Blue Way (from its junction with Lower Ford Street to its junction with A444) scheme had been delayed because of technical difficulties. This location would be reviewed again in the next financial year (2021/22). 

 

It was now also proposed, as part of the 2020/21 Local Safety Scheme Programme, to include a further ASE scheme on Foleshill Road, following consideration of the high number of accidents on Foleshill Road related to speeding vehicles. The installation of the Foleshill Road ASE scheme would be funded from the Highways Maintenance and Investment Capital Programme budget through the Local Transport Plan.

 

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

 

1)  Approves the implementation of an Average Speed Enforcement scheme on Foleshill Road from its junction with the A444 to its junction with Harnall Lane West.

 

2)  Approves that the associated procurement process for Average Speed Enforcement equipment be undertaken and the collaboration with partner organisations (West Midlands Police and other West Midlands Local Authorities).

25.

Petitions Determined by Letter and Petitions Deferred Pending Further Investigations pdf icon PDF 248 KB

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways that 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 sponsoring the Petition (if any) and/or the petition organiser/spokesperson 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.

26.

Outstanding Issues

There are no outstanding issues

Minutes:

There were no outstanding issues.

27.

Any other items of Public Business

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

Minutes:

There were no other items of public business.