Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Simon Bosher.

There were no declarations of interests.

The report by the Director of Regeneration seeks to amend the existing Provision of Vehicle Access Policy to include the following:

• A formal appeals process for residents who have had their application rejected.

• An update to the existing clauses in the policy to reflect changes in guidance and legislation.

RECOMMENDED that the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation approves the 2019 revision of the Provision of Vehicle Access Policy (Attached in Appendix 2.)

Michelle Love, Safer Travel Manager, presented the report on behalf of the Director of Regeneration.  The report sought to bring clarity and fairness, and she set out the changes to the previous policy which included:

·         The amount of space for parallel parking had been increased to 7.2m to reduce the need for manoeuvres on the footway

·         Regulation for of sustainable materials to aid drainage

·         A clear appeals process with a final sign-off date

·         Access roads to garages to the rear of properties

The revised policy, once approved, would be made available on the PCC website.

Councillor Stagg asked about existing forecourts that did not have permeable materials; this could not be required retrospectively and if it has been constructed without permission Colas become involved and can issue a penalty notice. 

In response to Councillor Stagg's question on tree replacement, Michelle Love explained that Colas are responsible for maintaining the register of street trees, to ensure that there are 8,000 trees on the register at the end of each year. Where a resident requires a tree to be removed they pay for the removal and for a new one to be replaced elsewhere.  Portsmouth has 32,000 trees, the majority are the responsibility of PCC (in parks and on the common).

Councillor Chowdhury, Labour Spokesperson, supported the policy of tree replacement in the streets.

Councillor Stagg raised the suggestion that estate agents be aware of the cross-over policy so that prospective buyers do not expect a dropped kerb where the measurements would not make this permissible.  Michelle Love undertook to make contact with the regional forum for local estate agents.

DECISION: The Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation approved the 2019 revision of the Provision of Vehicle Access Policy (Attached in Appendix 2 of the report).

The purpose of the report by the Director of Regeneration is to consider the conclusions drawn from the review of near miss reporting data from the pilot programme and future scope of the project.

RECOMMENDED that the Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation:

(1) approves the continuation of the near miss reporting programme;

(2) approves an extension of the trial to include pedestrian near miss reporting for six months. This part of the scheme will be implemented in the financial year 2019/20.

Michelle Love, Safer Travel Manager, presented the report on behalf of the Director of Regeneration.  The specialised App had been developed in-house and its continuation and extension to also include pedestrians near misses in the next financial year (to build on the success of the pilot for cyclists) was sought.  This was a self-reporting tool as not all incidents are reported to the police, and this would be helpful to see patterns and where problems are occurring.

Deputations are not minuted in full but form part of the webcast recording that can be viewed at:

https://livestream.com/accounts/14063785/Cabinet-TT-28Feb2019

Ian Saunders, Chair of Portsmouth Cycle Forum, made a deputation in support of the continued use of the App and asked for more publicity of it to raise public awareness and to have easier access for greater use.

Councillor Chowdhury, Labour Spokesperson, encouraged more awareness of drivers to increase safety and was concerned by some cyclists not using lights to increase visibility.

Councillor Stagg, as Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation, agreed that education of drivers and cyclists was needed to promote safety on the roads and at points of interaction. There was also the need to ensure parking is not occurring in designated cycle lanes.  She welcomed the App which helped to inform of problem hotspot areas.

DECISIONS: The Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation:

(1) approved the continuation of the near miss reporting programme;

(2) approved an extension of the trial to include pedestrian near miss reporting for six months. This part of the scheme will be implemented in the financial year 2019/20.