Agenda item

Report of the Director of Regeneration and Economy

To consider the above petition bearing 49 signatures.  The petition is being organised and sponsored by Councillor G Ridley, a Woodlands Ward Councillor, 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 Regeneration and Economy, that responded to a petition requesting that the Council reduced the speed limit on Bannerbrook Park to 20mph. The petition was organised by Councillor G Ridley, a Woodlands Ward Councillor, who attended the meeting and spoke on behalf of the petitioners.

The petition submitted contained 49 signatures and in accordance with the City Council’s procedure for dealing with petitions, those related to road safety were heard by the Cabinet Member for City Services. The Cabinet Member had considered the petition in advance of the meeting and requested that the petition be dealt with by Determination Letter rather than a formal report being submitted to a meeting of Cabinet Member for City Services. The Petition Organiser subsequently requested that a report be submitted to a meeting.

The agreed determination letter was to explain that Bannerbrook Park was set out and designed mindful of the principles set out with the Manual for Streets and benefitted from various interventions including changes in surface type, carriageway alignment and narrowing, as well as physical features, all of which were intended to reduce vehicle speeds and aid road safety.  A review of the last 3 years of road safety records noted no recorded collisions resulting in personal injury on the roads within the estate.  It was noted that the full estate had not been adopted by the authority, with roads including Monticello Way remaining private and within the control and management of the developers.

Councillor G Ridley, spoke in support of the petition, welcoming the mobile signage and the commitment to bring forward additional traffic calming measures but expressed concerns on behalf of the residents regarding the lack of progress with adoption of the whole estate and queried whether new developments going forward would be restricted to a 20mph speed limit. 

Officers responded to the Petition Organiser’s concerns advising of the following:

• Lack of progress was due to Severn Trent not signing off the drainage system on Bannerbrook Park however, Severn Trent and the developers were working to resolve the issue.
• Traffic calming measures would be set out as part of the design process which had not yet taken place however, it was anticipated these would be placed between Astoria Drive and Monticello Way.
• Officers were working on a citywide 20mph policy, the first draft of which, they anticipated would be completed by the end of 2025.

Councillor Ridley suggested that a briefing between officers and the Westwood Ward Councillors would be helpful.

The Cabinet Member for City Services, Councillor P Hetherton, confirmed her support for a citywide 20mph speed limit, advising that it would give streets back to communities, how it would make residents feel safer, and she gave her assurance that she supported the introduction of a 20mph city-wide speed limit at the earliest opportunity.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for City Services:

1)  Notes the petitioners’ concerns.

2)  Endorses the actions which had been agreed to be issued by determination letter to the petition organiser as detailed in paragraph 1.5 of the report.

3)  Notes as referenced in paragraph 2.2 of the report, that additional traffic calming measures are proposed for Astoria Drive and will be brought forward in the current financial year.