Issue - meetings

To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 68.

Two petitions have been received and officer responses are attached.

Petition 1 – Request for the introduction of a 20mph speed limit in Ewell Village

Lead petitioner: Clare Clark   Signatures: 552

Petition 2 – Request not to consider the closure of the access to Horsley Close, Epsom from Waterloo Road

Lead petitioner: Janet Burgess   Signatures: 188

That the Local Committee [Epsom & Ewell] agreed:

Petition 1: Request for the introduction of a 20mph speed limit in Ewell Village

To allocate funding for a feasibility study if possible in 2019/20, subject to further discussions to identify suitable funding.

Petition 2: Request not to consider the closure of the access to Horsley Close, Epsom from Waterloo Road

To withdraw the proposed consultation of affected residents on the plan to close the entrance to Horsley Close from Waterloo Road and not to proceed further with this proposal.

Reasons:  Petition 1: to evaluate the existing conditions in Ewell village and develop options to reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety.

Petition 2: To take account of residents views, which are not supportive of the proposal.

Declarations of Interest:  Cllr Reynolds declared a personal interest in Petition 1 as a resident of Ewell village.  Cllr Neil Dallen declared a personal interest in Petition 2 as a resident of Hazon Way.

Officers attending: Peter Shimadry, Senior Traffic Engineer

Petitions, Public Questions/Statements: Two petitions were received.

Petition 1:  Clare Clark set out the reasons for the petition to introduce 20mph speed limits in Ewell Village.  Both walking and cycling can be dangerous in the area as the pavements are narrow and vehicles often pass at speed.  Incidents have been recorded for several decades and there have been numerous stories of dangerous incidents and near misses which are not included in the accident data.  Many children walk to school in the area and it is important that it is a safe environment for them to do so.  There is lots of data available on the benefits of reducing speeds to 20mph and there was no rationale for setting local limits at 30mph.  Slower speeds are known to reduce the severity of injuries to casualties.  Although the council policy is only to introduce 20mph limits with traffic calming, unless speeds are already low, the community would be happy to just have a singed restriction.  Reduced speeds are also known to help with pollution and reduce traffic noise.  The extent of the required zone was left deliberately vague to allow SCC to consult more widely.

Petition 2: Residents had been made aware of the Committee’s wish to consult on the option of closing Horsley Close at the junction of Waterloo Road via Facebook.  They did not want a closure as this would restrict access only one entry and exit via Hazon Way which is already a dangerous junction.  It is unfair on residents to suggest this closure to deal with anti-social behaviour which the authorities have been unable to address effectively.  Vehicles wait in this location as there is no parking provision at the station and no effective enforcement.  Closing the access will not reduce the anti-social behaviour in the car park and could increase it.  Two drug dealers have been arrested this week in the area and residents feel that the installation of CCTV could solve the anti-social behaviour issues.

Member discussion –key points

Petition 1:  The Senior Traffic Engineer agreed that safety improvements and encouraging more people to walk and cycle are important, however there is no evidence that signed only areas reduce speeds and sometimes speeds actually increase if traffic calming is not introduced alongside the reductions.  A feasibility study would help to inform the Committee of what would need to be done and it may be possible to improve safety in a different way without reducing speeds.

The divisional member indicated that he supports 20mph limits in specific locations in the vicinity of schools or in areas with high casualty numbers, but is yet to be convinced of the effectiveness of signed only areas.  The local Residents Association has been working with the police to analyse speeds  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19