Agenda item

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak at the meeting can do so. The deadline for registering is 5:00pm on Wednesday 10 February 2016. 

Members of the public may speak on an item on the agenda or an issue within the Executive Member’s remit.

Filming, Recording or Webcasting Meetings

Please note this meeting may be filmed and webcast or audio recorded and that includes any registered public speakers, who have given their permission.  This broadcast can be viewed at http://www.york.gov.uk/webcasts. or, if sound recorded, this will be uploaded onto the Council website following the meeting.

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting.  Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer (whose contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all those present.  It can be viewed at http://www.york.gov.uk/downloads/file/6453/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetingspdf

It was reported that there had been eleven registered speakers under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Tony Fisher from Strensall and Towthorpe Parish Council spoke regarding road safety. He advised the Executive Member that adding cycle lanes on to York Road would not ease the traffic problems encountered there, and that a pelican crossing was needed. He raised concerns that funding was only allocated to locations where accidents had already occurred and he considered that this was a reactive rather than proactive approach. He felt that only a small number of residents were being consulted on highway items in the area. He considered that the residents and the Parish Council were not being consulted appropriately and that their concerns were being ignored. He wanted to work co-operatively with the Council and the Executive Member to identify the source of the problems addressing road safety in the area.

One of the registered speakers did not attend.

The following speakers spoke regarding Agenda Item 4 (Monkgate Parking Changes):

Paul Bushnell spoke about how he had safety concerns regarding the current parking layout. He stated that when the car parking bays were full that a situation called ‘bay diving’ occurred, when cars rushed from one side to another down the street. Double parking occurred when cars waited for a space. This was particularly bad on the southern side of Monkgate, and was very hazardous for cyclists. He wanted more parking spaces to be to introduced. He urged the Executive Member to select the do nothing option and to seek an alternative arrangement.

Joy Plaskitt expressed concerns that the time of the Decision Session had been rescheduled in that it would not allow for people who worked to attend. She gave an example of how removing the car parking spaces affected her in that she had to use the Monk Bar Car Park overnight when returning home from evening classes as there were no spaces outside of her house. She pointed out the car parking spaces on Monkgate were oversubscribed. She suggested that an alternative proposal would be to use marked bays on the road to avoid people abandoning their cars and to allow space for two cars instead of one.

Anita Adams stated that the photographic evidence used by Officers had been taken during the day when most residents were not at home. She questioned why Council Highways Officers did not voice concerns when planning permission was granted for new developments in the area, when they were aware of visibility problems at the Agar Street junction.

Vanessa Smith spoke on behalf of residents of Orchard Court. She stated that it was dangerous exiting Agar Street with a vehicle since the cycle lane had been put in as cyclists thought they had right of way. She added that it was regrettable that in order to implement a safety measure that residents only parking spaces had to be removed, but if nothing was done and if there was an accident there might be a liability on the Council. She urged the Executive Member to approve the removal of the spaces but to also look at alternative measures to recompense Monkgate residents.

Councillor Looker spoke as the Ward Member. She strongly supported the proposed scheme as detailed in Annex A of the Officer’s report on road safety concerns, and also stated that it was dangerous exiting Agar Street. She felt that as this scheme had removed residents only parking in the city centre, that perhaps it would be a good idea to revisit other residents parking zones in Monkgate and the Groves.

Barbara Hunt spoke regarding Agenda Item 6 (East Mount Road: Consideration of Objection received to recently advertised proposal to amend the York Parking, Stopping and Waiting Traffic Regulation Order). She informed the Executive Member that she was the owner of the short vehicle mentioned in the report at Paragraph 7,  and when she could not park there she used a longer space. She asked that the short space be retained as to lose this would be losing a longer space.

Councillor Craghill spoke regarding Agenda Item 8 (City and Environmental Services Capital Programme-2015/16 Monitor 2 Report). She spoke regarding the transfer of funds for road safety from the Navigation Road Speed Management Scheme to the Speed Review Process budget for other parts of York. It was noted that the funding for the scheme was originally given as a result of a petition as older people had found it difficult crossing Navigation Road. The area had suffered traffic wise as it had been used as a rat run and cut through. She felt that more crossing points should be installed as this would mean that more people would get out of their houses more, and would generally feel healthier.

Councillor Waller spoke regarding Agenda Item 9 (Local Safety Schemes- Casualty Reduction Programme 2015/16). He shared his thoughts with the Executive Member on the proposed schemes;

·        Thanet Road- there were sight problems opposite the rugby club and a cable box which obscured cars.

·        Tudor Road/Kingsway West-how would a bin lorry manage this?

·        Cornlands Road-he was grateful for the markings put on after resurfacing and although residents the removal of railings, he hadn’t felt they had obscured.

Councillor Gunnell spoke as the Ward Member regarding Agenda Item 10 (Objections to the advertised Residents Priority Parking Scheme on Nunthorpe Grove, Micklegate). She stated that she supported the Officer’s recommendation mainly as the neighbouring streets were in Residents Parking schemes. Cars were also unevenly parking on Nunthorpe Grove making other vehicles having to zig zag in and out to travel down the street, which was dangerous.

Councillor Levene spoke regarding Agenda Item 11 (Free Weekend Bus Travel for Young People in January and February 2016 Update). He felt that the Executive Member should approve Option 2 to approve funding of the offer for a further period to expire at the end of the Easter Holidays, mainly as the original period of a month, had been cut short due to flooding. He also felt that the trial had not been advertised widely and so the cut off point was not known to young people.