Issue - meetings

The Executive Member will consider an update on a collaborative Speed Review Process, set up in conjunction with the Police and Fire Service. The report also advises of the locations where concerns about traffic speeds have been raised with a progress report on their assessment.

RESOLVED:    That the Executive Member agrees:

i)                  To give support to a partnership approach to dealing with speed complaints, with the aim of providing a wider, more in depth process to tackle speeding issues in York (Speed Review Process, Option 1), but expresses concern that progress on some initiatives (e.g. electronic reporting, mobile safety cameras) appears to have stalled and requests officers to arrange for a senior level meeting with partner organisations to address these issues;

ii)                To recognise that greater evaluation may be required at locations, where action has been taken to reduce speeds (either engineering or enforcement), and requests the Director of City Strategy to give a high priority to work of this sort when determining the day to day distribution of resources within the Department;

iii)              To note the Road Safety Engineering reports at Annex E including the updates on feasibility work carried out, at sites forwarded to the Engineering Consultants, as a result of the December 2009 Decision Session;

iv)              To note that new capital works are subject to confirmation of final budgets following Central Government reduction announcements;

v)                That if there are insufficient funds for Engineering work at all the locations that they be prioritised (in a similar way to the matrix agreed by the Decision Session at its last meeting) by one or all of the following criteria:-

1. Accident data

2. Mean and 85^th percentile speeds

3. Proximity to schools and shops.

REASON:                  To ensure that speed issues are considered with partnership collaboration to give a stronger and more robust response to issues raised.

Consideration was given to an update report on the collaborative Speed Review Process, set up in conjunction with the Police and Fire Service. The report also advised the Executive Member of the locations where concerns about traffic speeds had been raised and provided an update on progress towards assessing these against the agreed prioritisation framework.

The Executive Member reported receipt of late representations from Cllr Merrett, as Cycling Champion, which he confirmed had been passed to Officers for consideration. He recommended discussions with Officers in the first instance about a way forward regarding the issues raised on Bishopthorpe Road.

Officers updated that additional comments had also been received from the Dodsworth Avenue Residents Association supporting signage and/or traffic calming on Dodsworth Avenue.

The Executive Member confirmed that he welcomed the 36% reduction in Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) figures which he felt reflected the efforts put into improving safety by both the Council and its partner organisations. He went onto point out that the lack of progress in introducing mobile safety cameras held up by North Yorkshire may now have been overcome.

He also confirmed that it was important that in any prioritisation process to recognise and take action to address the legitimate concerns of residents.

He then gave consideration to the following options:

1.             To continue with the Speed Review Process, in Partnership with the Police and Fire Service.  It was noted that in the last 12 months over the last two reports, all complaints have scored criteria as three, (low accidents, high speeds) or four, (low accidents, low speed).

2.             To revert back to our own, independent, but smaller process, which would exclude the help from Partners with speed surveys, correspondence and analysis of data and targeted enforcement. This would leave agencies and systems running concurrently.  It would also mean that the 118 sites looked at over the last year, which scored three and four on the criteria would not have been investigated.

RESOLVED:    That the Executive Member agrees to:

i)                  Give support to a partnership approach to dealing with speed complaints, with the aim of providing a wider, more in depth process to tackle speeding issues in York (Speed Review Process, Option 1), but expresses concern that progress on some initiatives (e.g. electronic reporting, mobile safety cameras) appears to have stalled and requests officers to arrange for a senior level meeting with partner organisations to address these issues; ^1.

ii)                To recognise that greater evaluation may be required at locations, where action has been taken to reduce speeds (either engineering or enforcement), and requests the Director of City Strategy to give a high priority to work of this sort when determining the day to day distribution of resources within the Department; ^2.

iii)              To note the Road Safety Engineering reports at Annex E including the updates on feasibility work carried out, at sites forwarded to the Engineering Consultants, as a result of the December 2009 Decision Session;

iv)              To note that new capital works are subject to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12