Agenda item

This report advises Members of progress made in developing the proposals to improve the A19 Fulford Road corridor. It also makes recommendations and seeks approval to progress schemes to improve the corridor.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Advisory Panel advise the Executive Member for City Strategy that:

(i)                 The contents of this report and its annexes are noted; ^1.

(ii)        The revised proposals for the section of corridor between Cemetery Road and Hospital Fields Road, as outlined in paragraph 16 and shown on Annexes A1 and A2, are agreed; ^2.

(iii)             Agree to implement the refuge island crossing without additional waiting restrictions. If indiscriminate parking is observed in the vicinity of the island, which obstructs the flow of traffic and/or affects safety, then Officers should report through an Officer in Consultation meeting to obtain approval to implement appropriate restrictions;

   (iv)  That the limited time parking of 60 minutes maximum, proposed on the inbound (west) side of Fulford Road on the section north of  Wenlock Terrace,  be amended to only operate between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm on Monday to Saturday.

(v)  The proposed extensions of the 30 mph zone and the associated gateway treatments and improvement measures at Naburn, as outlined in paragraphs 57 and 58 and shown on Annexes C1 and C2, are agreed and that Officers report to a future meeting on the options available for improving pedestrian facilities at the Howden Dike crossing;

(iv)              That, subject to consultation with local residents, an inbound bus lane on Selby Road heading north from the A64 interchange for approximately 200m should be provided ahead of other improvements to this section of the corridor;

(vi)         That further investigation of other proposals south of Germany Beck, as listed in paragraph 44, be deferred until potential funding to implement those improvements can be identified;

(vii)        That any proposed bus lanes should be 24 hour operation similar to other existing bus lanes in York.

Decision of the Executive Member for City Strategy

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:    (i)     For background information and for assisting in the decision making process;

            (ii)            To improve conditions along this section of the corridor;

(iii)             To help pedestrians cross to and from nearby bus stops;

(iv)              To help control vehicle speeds and to improve safety;

(v)                To benefit existing bus services, including school  services, using this section of Selby Road;

(vi) To enable resources to be redeployed on those projects where funding has been determined;

(vii) To ensure that bus lanes are available for use by buses at all times and for uniformity throughout the city.

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Consideration was given to a report, which advised Members of progress made in developing proposals to improve the A19 Fulford Road Corridor. The report summarised comments received after further consultation on some of the improvement schemes following the advertisement of the Traffic Regulation Orders.

It was reported that since the last report, the council had been awarded substantial funding for the Cycle City and Access York Phase 1 projects, which required match funding, principally from the LTP allocation. There was therefore unlikely to be adequate funding available to implement all the Fulford Road proposals in the timescale originally anticipated.

The proposals had been reviewed to assess which would provide the most benefits from the funding available and it had been considered that the best returns would come from:

• Improvements to the corridor between Cemetery Road and Heslington Lane, where pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users would all benefit from the proposed improvements;
• The proposed refuge island on Main Street Fulford;
• A bus lane on Selby Road near the A64; and
• Improved gateways and safety improvements in Naburn.

Officers circulated detailed plans of the proposals between Cemetery Road and Hospital Fields Road and updated on the following points:

·        Objections had been received from the owner of a guesthouse adjacent to Wenlock Terrace in relation to the proposed parking restrictions, which would affect their visitors. Officers requested Members to consider an amendment to limit parking to 60 mins on the westbound side of Fulford Road on the section north of Wenlock Terrace between 8am and 6pm Monday to Saturday to overcome the objections raised; 

·        Receipt of a letter from a resident of 8 Main Street, Fulford in support of the pedestrian refuge and waiting restrictions;

·        Funding issues in respect of proposed works south of Germany Beck/Fordlands Road, Fulford and the intention to undertake consultation on the proposed inbound bus lane on the dualled section of the A19 between the A64 roundabout and the start of the Selby Road houses. This would involve the removal of the hatched markings from the outer lane to enable it to be used by vehicles and converting the inner lane into a bus lane (as shown on the plans circulated at the meeting).

In answer to member’s questions in relation to the siting of the 30mph limit in Naburn village, Officers confirmed that this had not been extended beyond Howden Dike as the existing mature trees would affect sight lines.

Consideration was given to the options, set out in the report, for the following sections of the corridor, Cemetery Road to Hospital Fields Road, Hospital Fields Road to Heslington Lane, the pedestrian refuge island on Main Street, Fulford,  the area south of Germany Beck, traffic management in Naburn and  in relation to the bus lanes.

Members expressed their support for the amendment of the report recommendations in c) to provide the pedestrian refuge without additional waiting restrictions, d) to include a report back on the options available for improving pedestrian facilities at the Howden Dike crossing and at e) the inclusion of ‘subject to consultation with adjacent residents’.

TheLocal Member Cllr D’Agorne  stated that he did not support the provision of a pedestrian refuge on Main Street without the provision of waiting restrictions.

[Amended at City Strategy EMAP meeting held on 27 January 2009]

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Advisory Panel advise the Executive Member for City Strategy that:

(i)                 The contents of this report and its annexes are noted;

(ii)               The revised proposals for the section of corridor between Cemetery Road and Hospital Fields Road, as outlined in paragraph 16 and shown on Annexes A1 and A2, are agreed subject to the limited time parking of 60 minutes maximum, proposed on the inbound (west) side of Fulford Road on the section north of  Wenlock Terrace, be amended to only operate between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm on Monday to Saturday; ^1.

(iii)  Agree to implement the refuge island crossing without additional waiting restrictions. If indiscriminate parking is observed in the vicinity of the island, which obstructs the flow of traffic and/or affects safety, then Officers should report through an Officer in Consultation meeting to obtain approval to implement appropriate restrictions; ^2.

(iv)  The proposed extensions of the 30 mph zone and the associated gateway treatments and improvement measures at Naburn, as outlined in paragraphs 57 and 58 and shown on Annexes C1 and C2, are agreed and that Officers report to a future meeting on the options available for improving pedestrian facilities at the Howden Dike crossing; ^3.

(v)                That, subject to consultation with local residents, an inbound bus lane on Selby Road heading north from the A64 interchange for approximately 200m should be provided ahead of other improvements to this section of the corridor; ^4.

(vi)         That further investigation of other proposals south of Germany Beck, as listed in paragraph 44, be deferred until potential funding to implement those improvements can be identified; ^5.

(vii)        That any proposed bus lanes should be 24 hour operation similar to other existing bus lanes in York. ^6.

Decision of the Executive Member for City Strategy

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:      (i)     For background information and for assisting in the decision making process;

            (ii)            To improve conditions along this section of the corridor;

(iii)             To help pedestrians cross to and from nearby bus stops;

(iv)              To help control vehicle speeds and to improve safety;

(v)                To benefit existing bus services, including school services, using this section of Selby Road;

(vi) To enable resources to be redeployed on those projects where funding has been determined;

(vii) To ensure that bus lanes are available for use by buses at all times and for uniformity throughout the city.

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