Agenda item

Members are asked to consider the Executive reports attached atAppendix 1 and 3 to this report and decide whether they wish to take any further action in relation to them.

Members considered a report which presented two reports received at the Executive meeting on 30 March 2010 and invited them to decide whether they wished to take any further action in relation to these. The reports entitled ‘Traffic Management at York Railway Station’ and ‘York Northwest Area Action Plan’ were annexed to the cover report, together with copies of the Executive minutes on those items.

Officers at the meeting provided the following additional information in relation to the York Railway Station report:

• A capacity study conducted by East Coast had indicated that there was no business case for them to change the car parking arrangements at the station. (possibly due to the fact that the operating franchise held by East Coast was due to end in 2012.)
• East Coast were conducting a pilot study looking at similar traffic issues being encountered at Newcastle Central station, one outcome of which could be the removal of the taxis from the portico immediately outside the station. If successful at managing the traffic issues encountered there, this could be rolled out across all stations on the East Coast Mainline.
• In relation to the FTR buses, there were issues about how the buses ‘docked’ at their islands and the passage of cyclists around these.
• The apparent under-use of the car park at Leeman Road was probably due to the fact that there were no direction signs to this car park, which was owned by a private company and not East Coast.

Some Members raised safety concerns in relation to pedestrians using the cycle lane as a safety zone and to the restrictive movement of the FTR buses meaning that the mirrors on the vehicles would not be able to see cyclists using the lane.

In their update to Members regarding the report on the York Northwest Area Action Plan, Officers answered queries relating to the British Sugar Site. They informed Members of two meetings in the near future that would discuss future plans for the site; an inception meeting on the masterplan for the site with Associated British Foods and a Ward Committee to consult with local residents.

In response to additional queries from Members Officers stated that;

·        It was currently a good time to plan for the future of this project as the recession had led to a lull in development, which meant that more planning could take place.

·        The York NorthWest site was very large and that it might be better to consider it as several small sites rather than one large site.

·        Investigation was currently taking place to identify alternative funding sources for investment in the site.

·        Money from the Eco Settlement Plan would be used in the transport plan for the site.

RESOLVED:             That the two reports on Traffic Management at York Railway Station and York North West be noted.

REASON:                  To keep the Committee informed of progress in areas of ongoing work within their remit.