Issue - meetings

Officer: Heather Cheesbrough

Key decision: yes

The Leader of the Council delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the decisions set out below.

RESOLVED to:

1.    Note the overarching Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) outcomes, draft Croydon objectives, three year programme of investment, target trajectories and overall approach for delivering the Third Local Implementation Plan (LIP3).

2.    Approve the draft LIP3 core components at appendices A to D of this report as the basis of the draft LIP3 to be finalised by the Executive Director, Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Regeneration (Job Share). 

3.    Agree that the Executive Director, Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Regeneration (Job Share), be delegated authority to submit the draft LIP3 document to the Mayor of London for his review by the November 2018 deadline and to consult more widely on the draft LIP3.

4.    Agree that the Executive Director, Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Regeneration (Job Share), be delegated authority to finalise the LIP3 document for submission to the Mayor of London for his approval by the February 2019 deadline.

5.    Approve the submission of the Liveable Neighbourhood funding bid to the Mayor of London and TfL based on the summary at section 5 of this report.

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport & Regeneration (Job Share) stated that the LIP3 proposed submission was the council’s plan to deliver the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS). The LIP3 aimed to provide a viable and attractive alternative to cars, and support good growth through sustainable transport. It was noted that within the MTS there was a commitment to Vision Zero which introduced the concept of working toward zero road deaths and that the council was required to submit plans that supported work towards that aim.

The Cabinet Member noted that an online survey had been completed by 990 people which found that 86% of respondents agreed that traffic levels were too high in Croydon and ¾ of respondents stated they were concerned about the air quality in the borough, however only 44% of respondents felt that traffic speeds were too high. The survey, it was stated, indicated support for traffic reduction measures.

Members were informed there were 12 programme areas which included identifying two areas in the borough where there were clusters of schools and implementing schemes to transform the neighbourhoods into healthier and safer streets which would result in more active travel. Liveable Neighbourhoods, which was a £150m fund to be spent across London, required a compelling bid which sought to reduce the reliance on cars. The council’s bid, it was noted was for Roman Way which included segregated cycle lanes, public realm improvements, lighting, art schemes and the removal of subways.

It was recognised by the Cabinet Member that it was important to ensure suburban areas saw improvements to public transport and as such TfL was testing demand responsive buses and autonomous vehicles to improve transport accessibility. In Croydon, TfL had agreed to undertake a full bus review to ensure the bus service met the needs of residents.

Members welcomed improvements to encourage more walking and cycling and recognised that items on these schemes had previously had Scrutiny input.

The Cabinet Member noted that LIP funding had become less flexible than under previous MTS’s, however stated that the administration supported the aims of the Strategy and did not view it as a challenge to develop schemes and strategies to improve sustainable transport. It further stated that while the funding available was disappointing it was considered inevitable given the grant cuts experienced by TfL.

In response to questions the Cabinet Member stated that TfL would phase out Hail & Ride buses as it was not possible to ensure the points that people got on and off were accessible, whereas it was possible to ensure accessibility at bus stops. It was noted that when development on Wellesley Road took place that some passengers would be required to change buses due to the building works, however it was anticipated to impact no more than 5% of passengers in Croydon and any proposals would be considered by the Public Transport Liaison Panel.

The Leader of the Council delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the decisions set out below.

RESOLVED to:

1.    Note  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81