Agenda item

To consider the proposals contained in the review and agreed next steps.

Resolved that:

(i)    The proposed amendments to on-street parking restrictions in Waverley as described in this report and shown in detail on drawings in Annex A are agreed, along with a further proposal to provide additional or extended “School Keep Clear” markings and/or double yellow lines outside Grayswood Primary School (details to be agreed by the Parking Team Manager in consultation with the chairman, vice-chairman and local member prior to advertisement of the final restriction layout as part of this parking review). 

(ii)    Funding is allocated as detailed in paragraph 5.1 of this report to proceed with the introduction of the parking amendments.

(iii)  The intention of the county council to make an order under the relevant parts of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to impose the waiting and on-street parking restrictions in Waverley as shown on the drawings in Annex A of the report, and adjacent to Grayswood Primary School (as set out in (i)) is advertised and that, if no objections are maintained, the orders are made.

(iv)  The consultation proposed in section 3.3 of the report in relation to Little Austins Road, Mavins Road and adjacent roads (Farnham) be undertaken in response to the petition received by the committee at its meeting on 20 March 2015 and the outcome reported to the committee at its meeting on 11 December 2015.

Reason

The proposed on-street parking restrictions will make a positive impact towards:

·         Road safety

·         Access for emergency vehicles

·         Access for refuse vehicles

·         Easing traffic congestion

·         Better regulated parking

·         Better enforcement

·         Better compliance

[The item was taken after Item 8.]

The Chairman invited Mr D Wydenbach to comment on the proposed action relating to parking in Little Austins Road and Mavins Road, Farnham, in response to the petition presented at the meeting on 20 March 2015.  Mr Wydenbach reflected the broad support of residents of Little Austins and Mavins Roads for the recommendation contained in the report, but wished to include an adjustment such that the proposed scheme for these two roads which the committee had rejected in May 2014 should be implemented.  Residents felt that, with the continued increase in displaced parking into the area, matters of safety had now become paramount, especially for parents wishing to drop off/collect children at either end of the school day.

[Mr W Ramsdale joined the meeting at this point.]

Five further residents were invited to address the committee:

·         Mr M Lear stressed that residents did not wish to stop parents parking in the two roads, but noted that the current problems had arisen from the combination of this usage with commuter parking. He supported the immediate introduction of restrictions in Little Austins Road and Mavins Road.

·         Mr T Young noted that displacement from Lancaster Avenue had exacerbated the problems and that pressure at both ends of the school day was also being experienced in Great Austins.  Residents of Mavins Road looked forward to an area-wide solution, but felt that concerns about child safety led them to request immediate implementation of restrictions in Little Austins Road and Mavins Road.

·         Mr P Openshaw felt that a solution for Little Austins and Mavins Roads in isolation would itself generate displacement in to Greenhill Road which is used as a “rat run” and carries fast-moving traffic.

[Ms D Le Gal joined the meeting at this point.]

·         Ms L Anthony suggested that an area-wide solution, rather than one which addressed the situation in two roads only, is needed.  Pedestrians with children in Greenhill Road, Swingate Road, Middle Avenue and Vicarage Hill already experience difficulties, e.g. through parking displaced away from Ridgeway School, and are concerned that further displacement into narrow roads may present additional safety risks through encroachment onto pavements.

·         Ms R Berry reinforced these concerns in advocating an area-wide approach to prevent the risk of displacement from Little Austins and Mavins Roads; she noted that there is already pressure on Vicarage Hill from a nursery.

Mr D Munro, in whose division the locations in question are situated, believed that it is now recognised throughout the area that action is needed.  There is a shared wish to remove commuter parking but, at this stage no clear consensus on solutions to the safety concerns; even if additional parking spaces were to become available at the station, solutions for street-parking would need to be found.  Mr Munro’s hope was that the proposed wide consultation would deepen understanding and take all the relevant factors into account.

Members supported the view that consultation should be as wide as possible, but some supported the suggestion that the safety concerns in Little Austins and Mavins Roads and the pressure on Great Austins are so severe that implementation of restrictions in Little Austins and Mavins Roads should be taken forward now.

It was also noted that the successive displacement of drivers parking all day could perhaps be addressed by improved bus services.

Following a discussion as to the timescale of the proposed consultation in Little Austins Road, Mavins Road and adjacent roads, it was proposed from the chair that the outcome of this consultation should be reported to the meeting of the committee on 11 December 2015.  This amended recommendation was put to the vote and agreed by ten votes to two, with three abstentions; this decision is reflected in resolution (iv).

Members were satisfied with the remainder of the proposals contained within the review.  In relation to Borough Road and South Hill, Godalming, Mr S Cosser supported consultation in a wider area, but did not start from the presumption that restricted parking is desirable.

Officers introduced an additional proposal involving restrictions in the vicinity of Grayswood Primary School, Lower Road, Grayswood.  This was agreed by the committee and contained within resolutions (i) and (iii).

Resolved that:

(i)     The proposed amendments to on-street parking restrictions in Waverley as described in this report and shown in detail on drawings in Annex A are agreed, along with a further proposal to provide additional or extended “School Keep Clear” markings and/or double yellow lines outside Grayswood Primary School (details to be agreed by the Parking Team Manager in consultation with the chairman, vice-chairman and local member prior to advertisement of the final restriction layout as part of this parking review). 

(ii)    Funding is allocated as detailed in paragraph 5.1 of this report to proceed with the introduction of the parking amendments.

(iii)   The intention of the county council to make an order under the relevant parts of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to impose the waiting and on-street parking restrictions in Waverley as shown on the drawings in Annex A of the report, and adjacent to Grayswood Primary School (as set out in (i)) is advertised and that, if no objections are maintained, the orders are made.

(iv)  The consultation proposed in section 3.3 of the report in relation to Little Austins Road, Mavins Road and adjacent roads (Farnham) be undertaken in response to the petition received by the committee at its meeting on 20 March 2015 and the outcome reported to the committee at its meeting on 11 December 2015.

Reason

The proposed on-street parking restrictions will make a positive impact towards:

·         Road safety

·         Access for emergency vehicles

·         Access for refuse vehicles

·         Easing traffic congestion

·         Better regulated parking

·         Better enforcement

·         Better compliance