Agenda item

To receive any petitions in accordance with Standing Order 14.1. Notice should be given in writing or by email to the Partnership Committee Officer at least 14 days before the meeting. Alternatively, the petition can be submitted on-line through Surrey County Council’s e-petitions website as long as the minimum number of signatures (30) has been reached 14 days before the meeting.

The response to a petition presented at the March 2019 meeting is provided. Four new petitions have been received and officer responses are provided.

Petition 1 – Safety outside St Lawrence primary School, Effingam. Lead petitioner Claire Jones. 216 signatures.

Petition 2 – Request for installation of a controlled crossing outside Send primary school. Lead petitioner Richard Knotek. 368 signatures.

Petition 3 – Installation of double yellow lines on Boxgrove Lane. Lead petitioner Derek Payne. 35 signatures.

Petition 4 – Reinstatement of bus service no.3 in Tongham. Lead petitioner Mrs Kerbey. 149 signatures.

Petition 5 – Declaration of a climate emergency and addressing related environmental concerns. Lead petitioner Petra Todd. 342 signatures.

Declarations of Interest: None

Officers attending: Duncan Knox, Road Safety & Active Travel Team Manager, Surrey County Council, Chris Wheeler, Waste, Parking and Fleet Services Manager, Guildford Borough Council, Justine Fuller, Regulatory Services Manager, GBC, Cherrie Mendoza, Transport Strategy Project Manager, SCC

Petitions, Public Questions, Statements: Five petitions were received.

Petition 1 Claire Jones brought a petition with 216 signatures asking for improved safety measures outside St Lawrence primary school in Effingham.

The petition and response were published with the agenda papers.

Vivien White, chair of Effingham Residents Association, spoke on behalf of the petitioners from a note prepared by Claire White. She thanked the committee for their response and welcomed the planned installation of speed tables; however, she repeated her call for a 20mph limit to be introduced outside the school.

A number of members also backed the idea of a 20mph limit, adding that it would make sense for this to be introduced at schools across the county so there was a consistent approach. The chairman asked Mr Knox to give this his consideration.

Mr Knox confirmed that he would be repeating the earlier speed survey on Effingham Common Road, and stated that the proposed engineering works would be more effective at controlling vehicle speeds than the simple introduction of a 20mph limit. National guidelines suggest introducing a change in speed limit over a 600m length of highway, and this would expand the scope of the work here along Effingham Common Road, The Street, Lower Road and Orestan Lane raising the potential cost significantly.

Resolved:

The Guildford Joint Committee NOTED that:

(i)     The Safer Travel Team work with the school to take up more of the road safety education and training activities offered by the county council (for example creating a School Travel Plan and taking part in the Golden Boot Challenge).

(ii)   The highway improvement measures identified within this report (including three raised road tables, installation of bollards and double yellow lining, vegetation clearance and enhancement of the mini roundabout domes), have been included on the Guildford scheme running list for future prioritisation in the next financial year programme.  Officers will also seek any alternative sources of funding that may arise, for example as a result of property development in the local area

Reasons for recommendations:

These proposed highway measures would improve the safety of pupils walking to and from St Lawrence Primary School. These highway measures would help to reduce antisocial parking and so would reduce risk of collisions and improve the road environment to encourage more walking and scooting to school. A successful increase in these modes would contribute to fewer car journeys and less motor vehicle congestion. However the measures at this site would need to be prioritised alongside other schemes across Guildford. The recommended school travel plan and road safety education improvements would also help to improve road safety and reduce reliance on the car for the school journey.

Petition 2 Mr Richard Knotek brought a petition with 368 signatures asking for the installation of a controlled crossing outside Send primary school. The petition and response were published with the agenda papers.

There was no speaker for the petitioners.

Resolved:

The Guildford Joint Committee AGREED that

(i)     the measures set out in paragraph 3.2 of this report be added to the list of possible future highway improvements in Guildford for prioritisation and consideration for future joint committee funding. Officers will also seek any alternative sources of funding that may arise, for example as a result of property development in the local area.

(ii)   The Safer Travel Team will work with the school to encourage them to take up more of the road safety education and training activities offered by the county council, this will include “Pedals” Year 2 (age 6/7) Scooter and bicycle training, “Bikeability” bicycle training Level 1 Year 4 (age 8/9). The school will also be encouraged to take part in the Golden Boot Challenge: an inter-class challenge to encourage more sustainable travel to and from school.

Reasons for recommendations:

These proposed highway measures would improve the safety of pupils walking to and from Send Primary School. These highway measures would help to reduce antisocial parking and so would reduce risk of collisions and improve the road environment to encourage more walking and scooting to school. A successful increase in these modes would contribute to fewer car journeys and less motor vehicle congestion. However, the measures at this site would need to be prioritised alongside other schemes across Guildford. The recommended school travel plan and road safety education improvements would also help to improve road safety and reduce reliance on the car for the school journey.

Petition 3 Mr Derek Payne, Chair of Boxgrove Park Residents’ Association, brought a petition with 35 signatures asking for the installation of parking restrictions on roads off Boxgrove Lane. The petition and response were published with the supplementary agenda papers.

Mr Payne addressed the meeting, highlighting the problems caused by cars parking in a few key places on Cunningham Avenue at busy times in the morning and afternoon. With 300 residential addresses and a school all sharing limited exit routes, illegal parking on junctions and verges quickly leads to traffic blockages. Mr Payne added that in his view the score awarded to this proposal by GBC Parking ought to be higher because of additional support from councillors and the local residents association.

Cllr Brett-Warburton confirmed that earlier work to tackle parking problems in this area had displaced the cars to the areas now under discussion.

Chris Wheeler of GBC outlined the schedule for the current and next parking reviews, explaining that while he sympathised with Mr Payne there were 500 requests for parking restrictions under consideration and it was not possible to address them on an ad hoc basis. Mr Payne’s request would be included in the next review, which would begin in approximately one year’s time. Mr Wheeler noted the request for the installation of bollards, directing Mr Payne to SCC’s Highways department for discussion on this.

Resolved:

The Joint Committee NOTED the officer’s response.

Petition 4 Mrs M Kerbey brought a petition with 149 signatures asking for the reinstatement of bus route no.3 in Tongham. The petition and response were published with the supplementary agenda papers.

Margaret Murray, clerk of Tongham Parish Council, spoke on behalf of Mrs Kerbey. She welcomed the efforts of Cllrs Spooner and Furniss. The no.3 bus service provided a vital link to Frimley Park Hospital; taxis cost £23 each way for the same journey, and there was no further capacity in the volunteer driving scheme.

Cllr Spooner confirmed that the borough and county councils remained engaged in discussions with Stagecoach (the operators of the service) and Hampshire County Council.

Petition 5 Miss Petra Todd brought a petition with 342 asking for recognition of a climate emergency and adoption of a number of demands to reduce the environmental impact of local government.

Miss Todd addressed the committee, speaking about the petitioners’ concerns for the future of the environment. In addition to the demands in the original petition, which

mainly asked for action from central government, four specific demands aimed at SCC and the boroughs and districts were added:

·        declaration of a climate emergency

·        provision of more pedestrian and cycle routes, and more accessible buses

·        commitment to going plastic-free

·        commitment to making a positive effort to raise awareness of the situation and provide practical ways in which people can act

Members spoke in support of the petitioners and highlighted items on forthcoming agendas at both the county and borough councils that covered environmental topics including tree planting, roadside verge maintenance, climate change, and the adoption of policies to achieve zero-carbon and plastic-free positions. It was noted, too, that a number of items on the agenda for this meeting covered transport, air quality and modal shift.