Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

The minutes of the meeting on 19 October 2022 were agreed and signed as a true record. There were no matters arising.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

Note:  Objectors and Supporters have been invited to attend the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways regarding the Cannon Park Road 20mph zone, proposed in response to safety concerns raised by local residents.  The proposed 20mph zone was in addition to the recently installed road safety scheme in the Cannon Hill Road Area.  The objectors and supporter had been invited to the meeting however, they did not attend.

Since the University of Warwick expansion, the Council had received concerns from local residents about speeding vehicles and a significant increase in traffic volume.  This resulted in the installation of the Cannon Hill Road Area Scheme.  However, when the proposed 20mph zone was advertised, residents of Cannon Park Road objected, advising that they wanted Cannon Park Road included in the Scheme.  Concerns from residents highlighted that some drivers were using Cannon Park Road as a cut through between Kenilworth Road and the A45.

The proposed scheme and the Cannon Hill Road Area scheme were not part of the Local Safety Scheme programme, but in response to concerns raised by residents, supported by Ward Councillors and funded as part of the mitigation works relating to the nearby University of Warwick expansion development plans.

The proposed Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to make Cannon Park Road 20mph was advertised on 22 September 2022. 

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1. Notes the objections to the proposed 20 mph speed limit.

2. Approves the implementation of the City of Coventry (Cannon Hill Park Road Area) (20mph Zone) Order 2022 as advertised.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

Note:  Objectors have been invited to attend the meeting for the consideration of this item.

Coventry’s successful programme of installing onstreet charging points had been to not restrict the use of the parking bays where chargepoints had been installed to electric vehicles, to minimise the impact on the scheme upon general parking capacity.

However, with the increase in Electric Vehicle (EV) car ownership, requests had been received from residents to restrict use of the advisory EV charging bays for EV charging only.  A Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for locations in Phase 1 and 2 of the on-street residential chargepoint (ORCS) programme was advertised on 25^th August 2022 for all locations (135 charging bays) as listed in Appendix A.  Seventeen (17) objections had been received.

If approved, the cost of introducing the proposed TRO, would be part funded from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) grant and the remainder from the Highways Maintenance and Investment Capital Programme budget through the Local Transport Plan.

Objectors attended the meeting and raised concerns regarding parking bays in the following locations:

• Argyll Street outside St. Martins Church which the charity, Kairos Women Working Together uses as their premises.  The parking bay outside is used for frequent donation drop offs.
• Hipswell Highway (opposite 86 Hipswell Highway).  Residents parking on the grass verge due to lack of residential parking.
• Alfall Road (137 Avon Street) – used as a place of worship and an education centre for young people.  The parking bay was used for drop-offs, deliveries and disabled people visiting the centre.

The officer, referred to Appendix B of the report and confirmed the issues raised by petitioners were proposed EV restrictions which were to be removed and the bays would remain as advisory.

Parking issues at the junction of Hipswell Highway and Belgrave Road were identified and officers undertook to investigate whether the location met the criteria and policy for verge conversion.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1. Considers the objections received to the City of Coventry (Citywide) (Permitted Parking Area and Special Parking Area) (Designation, Waiting Restrictions, Loading Restrictions, Loading Areas and Street Parking Places) Consolidation Order 2016 – (Variation 11) Order 2022.

2. Subject to Recommendation 1, approves that the Electric Vehicle bays detailed in Appendix B are removed from the order and remain advisory bays.

3. Subject to Recommendation 1, approves the implementation of the Electric Vehicle restrictions as advertised at the locations detailed in Appendix C.

4. Endorse that the other restrictions advertised in the Traffic Regulation Order (not relating to Electric Vehicle bays) and to which no objections have been received, are implemented as advertised.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

To consider the above petition bearing 46 signatures. The petition has been submitted by Councillor Sawdon, a Wainbody Ward Councillor and the Petition Organiser, who has been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item.

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways in response to a petition, bearing 46 signatures received from a Wainbody Ward resident and supported by Councillor T Sawdon, a Wainbody Ward Councillor, that read ‘Traffic Calming Hadleigh Road and Brentwood Avenue’.  Councillor Sawdon and the Petition Organiser attended the meeting for consideration of the matter and to speak on behalf of the petitioners.

In accordance with the City Council’s procedure for dealing with petitions, those relating to highway maintenance were heard by the Cabinet Member for City Services.  The Cabinet Member had considered the petition prior to the meeting and requested that it be dealt with by Determination letter.

The Determination letter had advised that a review of the personal injury collision history for Hadleigh Road and Brentwood Avenue showed that there had been one personal injury collision reported to the Police on Hadleigh Road and none on Brentwood Avenue in the last three years, and therefore it did not meet the safety scheme criteria.  The petition sponsor advised he wanted the issue to be considered at a Cabinet member for City Services meeting.

Councillor Sawdon, the Petition Organiser, Mr McCutchion, and a Petitioner, Mr Phillips, spoke in support of the petition.  The Petition Organiser referred to traffic driving too fast along Hadleigh Road and Brentwood Avenue and the roads being used as a cut through to Baginton.  Many of the residents of the area were elderly and fearful of the fast-moving traffic, and in particular, electric vehicles which could not be heard.  Crossing the road was daunting.  The Petition Organiser referred to Green Lane, Daleway Road, Anchorway Road and Fosse Way, advising these roads were already subject to a 20mph speed limit and Hadleigh Road and Brentwood Avenue should have the same restrictions. The Petition Organiser requested all collision history on Hadleigh Road and Brentwood Avenue to taken into account, not just the number of personal injury collisions reported to the police.

Officers advised Hadleigh Road and Brentwood Avenue did not meet the safety scheme criteria however, suggested speeding surveys could be undertaken.

The Cabinet Member, having considered the report, the comments made by Councillor Sawdon, the Petition Organiser, the Petitioner and the officers who presented and responded to questions, agreed to undertake a site visit with officers and requested that officers continue to engage with appropriate bodies.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1.  Notes the Petitioners’ concerns.

2.  Endorses the actions confirmed by Determination letter to the petition organisers (as detailed in paragraph 1.6 and 1.7 of the report).

3.  Undertakes a site visit with relevant officers.

4.  Requests that officers continue to engage with appropriate bodies.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a supplementary report to the 2022/23 Transportation and Highway Maintenance Capital Programme report of 15 March 2022 of the Director of Transportation and Highways that sought approval for measures to mitigate the pressures on the highway maintenance budgets.

The pressures were the result of significant price increases in the cost of road resurfacing and pavement maintenance.  Accelerated deterioration across parts of the highway network had also resulted in additional schemes being added to the programme.

The total programme impact was a pressure on this year’s programme of £2.5m.  It was proposed to accelerate £1m from next year’s highways programme (as funded through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS)) capital funding and to slip the remaining schemes into the 2023/24 programme.  To mitigate the impact of having to slip some schemes, an extra £300,000 was requested to support an expansion of the Council’s successful JCB Pot-hole Pro operation.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1.  Approves the acceleration of £1m of CRSTS capital funding from 2023/24 to support the 2022/23 programme in dealing with the impact of inflationary pressure and additional work.

2.  Approves additional funding one-off of £0.3m from corporate reserves to increase the output of the JCB Pot-hole Pro machine in reducing the number of road defects.

Councillor Bigham extended her congratulations to the operating and purchasing teams of the JCB Pot-hole Pro machine.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways regarding the approval of Phase Two and an Update on Programme and Finance for Binley Cycleway.

Approval had been given by the Cabinet Member for construction of 75% of the scheme in October 2021.  The remaining 25% of the scheme was to be brought back for a further engagement exercise after design amendments were made, following concerns expressed by residents.  Approval was sought for half of the remaining section of the scheme between Brookvale Avenue/Binley Road junction and Mill Lane/Clifford Bridge Road junction.  The last remaining section between Mill Lane and Tesco access roundabout was still under consideration.

The scheme was fully funded with capital grants from the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Government, the details of which had been circulated within the report.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1.  Approves the revised scheme design and the construction of the Cycletrack for the sections of the route between Brookvale Avenue/Binley Road and Mill Lane/Clifford Bridge Road.

2.  Notes the advertising of Traffic Regulation Orders to enhance the safety of users of the highway and particularly the Cycletrack.

Report of the Director of Transportation and Highways

The Cabinet Member for City Services considered a report of the Director of Transportation and Highways in respect of petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers proposed to respond to them.

In June 2015, amendments to the Petitions Scheme, which formed part of the Constitution, were approved in order to provide flexibility and streamline current practice. This change had reduced costs and bureaucracy and improved the service to the public.

These amendments allow for a petition to be dealt with or responded to by letter without being formally presented in a report to a Cabinet Member meeting.

In light of this, at the meeting of the Cabinet Member for Public Services on 15 March 2016, it was approved that a summary of those petitions received which were determined by letter, or where decisions are deferred pending further investigations, be reported to subsequent meetings of the Cabinet Member for Public Services (now amended to Cabinet Member for City Services), where appropriate, for monitoring and transparency purposes.

Appendix A of the report set out all petitions received relating to the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for City Services and how officers proposed to respond to them.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services endorse the actions being taken by officers as set out in Section 2 and Appendix A of the report in response to 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.