Decision Session - Executive Member for Economy and Transport
Set out below is a summary of the decisions taken at the meeting of the Decision Session Executive Member for held on Tuesday, 12 March 2024. The wording used does not necessarily reflect the actual wording that will appear in the minutes.
Members are reminded that, should they wish to call in a decision, notice must be given to Democracy Support Group no later than 4pm on the second working day after this meeting.
If you have any queries about any matters referred to in this decision sheet please contact BenJewitt.
4. Active Travel Programme - Badger Hill Scheme (10:27am)
Resolved: That option 1 be approved, as
presented in the report and visually represented in Annex A, and
proceed to detailed design and construction.
Reason: This proposal achieves the scheme objectives,
enhancing the local environment for
pedestrian and cyclists and de-prioritising motor vehicle traffic
and discouraging parent parking on verge areas during school
drop-off and pick-up times. The scheme falls within the available
budget.
5. Access Control Barrier Review (10:38am)
Resolved:
a. That the policies recommended in the Access Control Barrier Review report (which forms Annex A of Agenda Item 5) be formally adopted and authority be delegated to the Director of Transport, Environment & Planning to carry out any activities needed to facilitate the adoption and to review the impact of implementation of the policies.
b. That a stakeholder advisory panel be established,comprising representatives of a wide range of potential users, to review the audit data and prioritise the list of non-compliant sites, monitor the progress of barrier removal / alteration, discuss broader accessibility issues and ensure the policy is disseminated appropriately.
c. That authority be delegated to the Director of Transport, Environment & Planning to enact a programme of barrier removal or redesign in consultation with the stakeholder advisory panel.
Reasons : Once the policies are adopted the Council will then be able to roll out a planned, prioritised programme of works to address existing barriers (plus any additional ones which were missed in the initial audit). This will help the Council comply with its Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010. The policy will also ensure that all council departments follow the same criteria for introduction of access control measures and their subsequent design. The adopted policy should then be disseminated more widely to other agencies and developers to ensure that they also consider amendments to their own barriers and that no new non-compliant barriers are installed going forwards.
6. Bishopthorpe Bridge Options (10:45am)
Resolved:
i. That officers will continue to undertake work to establish the ownership of the bridge and responsibilities for any maintenance, improvements or strengthening works be noted.
ii. That approval be given that officers develop a bridge strengthening scheme as per option 5 of the report.
iii. That authority be delegated to the Director of Environment, Transport & Planning to undertake the procurement of a suitable contractor to carry out the bridge strengthening works in accordance with the Contract Procedure Rules.
iv. That once ownership of the bridge has been ascertained as a Council responsibility, authority be delegated to the Director of Environment, Transport and Planning in consultation with Head of Procurement and Director of Governance to take all necessary steps to award and enter into the resulting contract.
Reason: The temporary weight restriction has caused traffic to displace to other routes and roads which if the bridge is not strengthened would require mitigation in terms of the additional traffic.
7. Response to the petition to "Pedestrianise Fossgate" (10:51am)
Resolved:
a. That the petition be acknowledged, noting its request for Fossgate to be pedestrianised, and its aim to provide “enough room to accommodate pavement café licenses and the needs of our local disabled community”;
b. That the significant amount of analysis and consultation previously undertaken on the issue be acknowledged, and the fact be noted that there is no consensus amongst users on the street, with some businesses and users supporting further traffic restrictions, and other residents and businesses opposing any further (permanent) restrictions;
c. That it be acknowledged that implementing further permanent access restrictions in the street would not enable licensing of more pavement cafes, as it would not be possible to place tables and chairs in the carriageway (due to the need for emergency vehicle access and some limited vehicular access during the day) and it would only be possible to place cafes on footways where a minimum 1.5m width remains available for footway users to get past;
d. That it be acknowledged that CYC cannot support the removal of kerb delineation between the footways and the carriageway as this would transform Fossgate into a level surface shared space and this type of design is currently under a national moratorium and is not supported by national design and accessibility guidance;
e. That Option A and Option E (as outlined on pages 234 and 239 respectively of the report for Agenda Item 6) be approved. Closures are to be managed as events and organisers to ensure all required permissions are in place, including support of the Security Advisory Group, and they are able to meet the events’ costs;
f. That further work be undertaken as part of the Local Transport Strategy and Local Transport Plan to Investigate options for vehicles to turn around near Franklin’s Yard to enable further consideration of part pedestrianisation of the street in future. This work will also need to consider whether the street should enable two-way movement for cyclists.
Reasons: To support the needs of businesses and users who support the pedestrianisation of the street and want to see more café and event type use, whilst acknowledging the need to retain sufficient footway width and emergency access at all times, and the needs of other businesses, residents, and visitors to retain limited vehicular access to the street during the day.