Councillors and committees

Agenda item

PETITION: INSTALLATION OF A ZEBRA CROSSING OUTSIDE RAVENSCOTE SCHOOL, UPPER CHOBHAM ROAD, FRIMLEY

An officer comment to the following petition is included within: We, the undersigned, do hereby request that a pelican or zebra crossing is installed on the Upper Chobham Road outside Ravenscote Junior School as soon as possible.

The Council understandably has to make cut-backs, but we urge that these are not carried out to the exclusion of our children's safety. We are very worried that it will take the injury or even death of a child, before our concerns are heeded.

 

The petition has received over 1400 signatures.

 

[Report to be included as a supplementary to this agenda]

 

Decision:

The Surrey Heath Local Committee agreed:

 

i)          The costs for installing a raised table and appropriate traffic calming measures should be looked at again in detail and priced up fully by the Area Highways Manager in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, who is also the local divisional member.

 

Reason for decision:

 

The above decision was made to enable a positive step towards alleviating the concerns raised in the petition.

Minutes:

Declarations of interest: None

 

Officers attending: Andrew Milne, Area Highways Manager (AHM), SCC

 

Petitions, Public Question, Statements: The lead petitioner, Mrs Grainger was in attendance at the meeting to address the committee with the concerns raised in the petition. She stated that Ravenscote was a larger than average junior school that until recent had had a School Crossing Patrol Officer (SCPO). Past SCPOs had reported the crossing on Upper Chobham Road was particularly dangerous and that the recent installation of double yellow lines (DYL) had made it even more so, with parents now parking on the pavement; making it harder for pedestrians to walk or cross the road safely. Mrs Grainger pointed out that many other junior schools in the borough that were located on B roads had crossings, and questioned why this school should be any different.

 

Key points from the discussion:

 

·      The AHM stated he was familiar with the site and there had been many site visits and meetings with various officers to help matters. These included working to produce school travel plans, reducing the speed on the Upper Chobham Road from 40mph to 30mph, installing vehicle activated signs (VAS) and introducing the double yellow lines in 2017.

·      Members noted that Parking Enforcement Officers were regularly attending all schools around the borough to discourage anti-social parking. Although it was argued that parents were forced to park anti-socially and closer to the school as it was unsafe to allow the children to cross the road unsupervised.

 

·      It was discussed that a previous report had come to the local committee in 2014 to look at the option of a speed table and traffic calming measures along Upper Chobham Road. This design work had been completed but the Surrey Heath Local Committee currently had an insufficient capital works budget to complete installation work.

 

·      It was queried whether a reduction in the speed along Upper Chobham Road down to 20mph would help matters. It was confirmed that although there was no recent speed data and perhaps the area would benefit from an updated speed survey, the nature of the road and parked cars made it difficult to speed along the road and the reduction in speed limit would be of little benefit.

 

·      The AHM concluded the most effective solution in the short term was to fill the vacancy of the SCPO and work was currently being undertaken in conjunction with the school to fill this position.

 

Edward Hawkins proposed and Josephine Hawkins seconded the following recommendation:

 

i)    The costs for installing a raised table and appropriate traffic calming measures should be looked at again in detail and priced up fully by the Area Highways Manager in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, who is also the local divisional member.

 

·      It was added that the clear pricing should be available to the members in time for the Local Committee to determine their capital schemes programme for the coming financial year.

 

The Surrey Heath Local Committee noted:

 

i)          The most immediate solution to the concerns raised in the petition would be provided if a new school crossing patrol officer could be recruited or if   group of parents volunteered to operate on a rota basis to help pedestrians cross Upper Chobham Road. In both instances the county  Council’s Safer Travel team would provide all necessary training and support.

ii)         The existing proposal to introduce a speed table at the crossing point together with speed cushions on either approach will be retained on the  Surrey Heath scheme list. The introduction of a controlled crossing will be added to the proposal which will then be assessed alongside other priorities for inclusion in the Local Committee’s future work programmes. However, at current budget levels it would be necessary for additional Sources of funding to be identified to allow the proposal to be introduced. Officers will therefore continue to investigate potential alternative sources of funding.

 

And agreed:

 

i)          The costs for installing a raised table and appropriate traffic calming measures should be looked at again in detail and priced up fully by the Area Highways Manager in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, who is also the local divisional member.

 

Reason for decision:

 

The above decision was made to enable a positive step towards alleviating the concerns raised in the petition.

Supporting documents: