Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Ken Ellcome and Stuart Potter.

There were no declarations of members' interests.

The report by the Head of Transport and Environment.

This report has been requested by the Leader of Portsmouth City Council following the decision made at the Traffic and Transportation meeting of the 19^th February.  The paper sets out to agree a way forward to address the continued congestion of traffic travelling on the Rudmore Roundabout on slip to the M275 towards Mile End. Concerns have been raised by the Leader of the Council about the wider impact to the city due to the congestion entering the city during peak times, the impact it is having on businesses and the reputation it is having on attracting investment in the city.

(1)          That the decision taken at the Traffic and Transportation meeting on 19 February 2015 (minute 14) be rescinded on the shortening of the southern end of the Mile End Road bus lane.

(2)          Any decision should be based on the impact the congestion is having holistically to the city from an economic point of view rather than a local traffic issue.

(3)          To suspend the restrictions on the Mile End Road approach bus lane between Havisham Road and Church Street for a minimum 6 month period through an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) and to monitor as per guidance in section 6.4 of the report and also to shorten the southern end of the bus lane in Mile End Road approach between Havisham Road and Church Road by approximately 20 metres, plus 20 metres lining from the northern end of the bus lane be removed.

(4)          Implement temporary variable message signs on the approach from Rudmore roundabout to further advise road users of the new layout ahead and use the permanent variable message signs on the M275 gantries to be utilised to advise main line traffic.

(5)          A paper be produced outlining the results of the experimental order to the Cabinet with a recommendation on how to proceed.

(6)          Local Transport Plan funding be used to fund the above proposals and the parking reserve be used to cover the staff revenue costs, total £11k. 

(7)          That a further meeting with officers be held regarding the business case for the city centre road scheme as set out at 2.3 of the report.

Deputations for the retention of the bus lane were made first, whose points included:

Jon Spencer, Chair of Portsmouth Cycle Forum - a democratic decision had already been made on this issue; congestion was not due to the bus lane but the high number of vehicles using the roads, most with single occupancy; the bus lane had been there for 20 years; he disputed the gains on journey times if it were to be removed and believed that the queues would only be moved to further along the route at a time when the Park & Ride was to be extended to Southsea; it would be contrary to the British Cycling deal to encourage women to cycle and referred to the Liverpool experience where removed bus lanes had been put back in; there was a high risk to the safety of cyclists.

Dervla McKay, General Manager, First Group Buses - the report outlined the frequency of services using the bus lane and the aims of Park & Ride scheme which was being extended to cover Southsea, with increased frequency to every 8 minutes in the school holidays; if the bus lane was removed there would be potential costs to the operators which would impact on the customers and affect the frequency of services for which they could be fined; the Park & Ride would be used by visitors for big events such as Victorious and the America's Cup and this could create a poor impression.

Charles Burns - spoke regarding the need for the bus services to run on time to prove an effective and sustainable alternative to private cars; the bus lane should be retained and further consideration given to use by private hire vehicles; the Isle of Wight ferries should go from the continental ferry port to reduce journeys into the city; The Local Transport Board was attended by Cllr Ellcome who was respected so his decision should not be overturned and this could further impact LEP funding.

Deputations were then made in support of removing the bus lane, with points including:

Dr Owen - his personal travel times had doubled every day and tripled at the weekends; he questioned the report's data for traffic times as samples had not been taken when the students were in term-time; there were also delays caused by the traffic lights at the Rudmore roundabout; car owners far exceed the bus users.

Mrs Watts - as a resident and a cyclist she was aware of the queues every day and knew of people who would no longer come into the city to shop and were going elsewhere; whilst safety is a concern there should not be a bottleneck; the cars idling were increasing emission and pollution levels in the city; the Park and Ride had limited parking so would there be a huge impact of removing the bus lane?  She asked that this barrier to travel in and out of the city be removed.

Marc Griffin, Assistant Head of Transport & Environment, presented the Head of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The report by the Head of Transport and Environment.

There have been further representations from residents on the use of HGVs on Anchorage Road between the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Robinson Way / Sywell Crescent and the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Norway Road / Williams Road.  The purpose of this report is to review the current status of the road following the installation of improved surfacing and consider installing a full time weight restriction.

It was agreed:

(1)             That the proposed Anchorage Road full time weight restriction is implemented with the understanding  that enforcement is unlikely and difficult to fulfil.

(2)          To confirm that  LTP funding can be to be allocated to provide weight restriction signage.

(3)          To monitor the full time weight restriction on Anchorage Road between the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Robinson Way / Sywell Crescent and the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Norway Road / Williams Road to check its effectiveness.

(4)          To monitor the usage before and after the weight restriction is in place and review the performance of HGVS using the alternative routes as a result of installing the full time weight restriction on Anchorage Road between the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Robinson Way/Sywell Crescent and the roundabout of Anchorage Road/Norway Road /Williams Road to determine if further improvements need to be made to these roads/junctions.

Marc Griffin, Assistant Head of Transport & Environment, presented the report which had been brought forward following further public representation on the use of HGVs in Anchorage Park.  He reported that civil works for a coastal scheme would require delivery vehicles.  The police did not support the weight restriction so this would be hard to enforce and the HGVs may still use a more direct access.  The traffic noise levels had been monitored and would improve due to surfacing works.

Councillor Jones  acknowledged whilst there may be enforcement issues, the inconvenience of the residents suffering from the noise should be considered and felt that it communication with the freight operators would be key to making these improvements, to recommend alternative routes.  She also hoped that the city council's enforcement officers could make spot checks.

DECISIONS:

(1)       Confirm LTP funding can be to be allocated to provide weight restriction signage.

(2)       Monitor the full time weight restriction on Anchorage Road between the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Robinson Way / Sywell Crescent and the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Norway Road / Williams Road to check its effectiveness;

(3)       Monitor the usage before and after the weight restriction is in place and review the performance of HGVS using the alternative routes as a result of installing the full time weight restriction on Anchorage Road between the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Robinson Way / Sywell Crescent and the roundabout of Anchorage Road / Norway Road / Williams Road to determine if further improvements need to be made to these roads / junctions.