Agenda and draft minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 12 January 2022 as an accurate record.

The minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 12 January 2022 were agreed as an accurate record.

Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that, in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, they are required to consider in advance of each meeting whether they have a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI), an other registrable interest (ORI) or a non-registrable interest (NRI) in relation to any matter on the agenda.  If advice is needed, Members should contact the Monitoring Officer in good time before the meeting.  

If any Member or co-opted Member of the Council identifies a DPI or ORI which they have not already registered on the Council’s register of interests or which requires updating, they should complete the disclosure form which can be obtained from Democratic Services at any time, copies of which will be available at the meeting for return to the Monitoring Officer.

Members and co-opted Members are required to disclose any DPIs and ORIs at the meeting.  

-       Where the matter relates to a DPI they may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  

-       Where the matter relates to an ORI they may not vote on the matter unless granted a dispensation.   

-       Where a Member or co-opted Member has an NRI which directly relates to their financial interest or wellbeing, or that of a relative or close associate, they must disclose the interest at the meeting, may not take part in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not stay in the meeting unless granted a dispensation.  Where a matter affects the NRI of a Member or co-opted Member, section 9 of Appendix B of the Code of Conduct sets out the test which must be applied by the Member to decide whether disclosure is required.

The Chair will invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3, to be recorded in the minutes.

There were none.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were no items of urgent business.

The report outlines comments and objections received during consultation on Traffic Management Orders (TMOs) for measures focussed on Dingwall Road, Croydon.

The Committee received a report which considered comments and objections received during consultation on Traffic Management Orders (TMOs) for measures focussed on Dingwall Road, Croydon. It recommends making TMOs to implement permanent changes to the Dingwall Road, Croydon, and neighbouring streets, principally to provide segregated cycle lanes in the Dingwall Road, and improve taxi, waiting and loading, and pedestrian crossing facilities. Improvement to the public realm would accompany implementation of these measures (including paving, tree planting, seating, lighting and rain gardens).

Jayne Rusbatch (Head of Highways & Parking Service) provided the Committee with an introduction which set out:

-         In May 2020, the Secretary of State for Transport issued Statutory Guidance on ‘Network Management to Support Recovery from Covid-19’ to support active travel, and in response, on 3 August 2020 the council, under Temporary Traffic Management Order (TMOs), introduced cycling facilities on Dingwall Road and sections on Landsdowne Road – which was changed to a one way road.

-         Consultation for a permanent TMO changes was undertaken in October and November 2021 which received seventeen responses, which as a result, proposals (Phase 2) was amended to accommodate the Ruskin Square development servicing needs.

-         Proposal concerns: Phase 1: to keep permanent the one-way system for motor vehicles; cycle facilities in place to be upgraded to a segregation or light segregation; key changes to Ruskin roundabout (such as extending taxi rank, improving pedestrian routes, implementing public realm). Phase 2: concerns on the servicing arrangements when in operation, introduce bus-gate arrangement at Ruskin Square to ease flow on TFL (Transport for London) transport.

In response to questions raised by the Committee, officers provided the following information:

-         Face to face consultation with residents was limited due to the ongoing pandemic, though letters were sent to all residents on Landsdowne Road and Dingwall Road, with social media updates and information available on the council’s website, which included all plans. There was also ongoing communication made with TFL Taxis and bus services, and local businesses.

-         To ensure mopeds and scooters are deterred from using the cycle lanes, the design process will be subject to road safety audit. The council is currently engaging with cycle and moped delivery companies and when the scheme is launched we can look to work in partnership with the Police to carry out targeted education and enforcement.

The Committee discussed the report and raised the following points:

-         Sustainable transport including cycling is very important and improvements to cycle infrastructure will support and encourage more people to cycle in Croydon.

-         The scheme is a good balance of cycling and pedestrian provision alongside working with public transport.

RESOLVED: to recommend to the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Croydon to:

1.1 Consider the comments and objections received in response to Notices published 28 October 2021 in respect of making permanent mandatory cycle lanes temporarily installed in Dingwall Road and Lansdowne Road, and the implementation of associated permanent changes including pedestrian crossing facilities in and around Dingwall Road.

1.2 Consider the officer’s response  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4/22

This report makes recommendations on the future of 10 School Street schemes, which were implemented between September and November of 2020 under an Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO) that came into force on 1 September 2020.

The Committee received a report which outlined the recommendations on the future ten School Street schemes which were implemented between September and November 2020 under an Experimental Traffic Management Order that came into force on 1 September 2020.

Jayne Rusbatch (Head of Highways & Parking Service) provided the Committee with an introduction which set out:

-        School streets purpose aimed to discourage travel to school by car and promoted more active travel such as walking or cycling, which also improved air quality and reduced road congestion outside of schools.

-        Vehicle access restrictions was only operational during drop offs and pick up times of school term and was enforced by number plate cameras (ANPR); there was a number of exemptions to access these roads during the restricted times.

-        There were ten school streets as part of a wider programme including another ten additional schemes to be implemented in 2022/2023 subject to funding from TFL.

-        As part of the Statutory Guidance on Network Management to support recovery from Covid-19’ to support active travel, the Council implemented a tranche of schemes across ten schools between September and December 2020 under Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMOs) for a period of eighteen months. This expired in February 2022.

-        A number of objections had been received during the objection period, which was disrupted due to the restriction of a pandemic lockdown in December 2020 and resulted in a suspended enforcement of the ten experimental school street schemes between December 2020 and March 2021. The objection period was not extended, following the amendment of the ETMO in October 2020 and whilst this was an administrative oversight, this would not have changed the recommended way forward as we need to undertake a meaningful consultation.

In response to questions raised by the Committee, officers provided the following information:

-        To ensure that administrative processes are adhered to, a new tracker for Traffic Management Order consultations is to be implemented.. Legally previous responses from the first consultation period could not be considered, though we have considered the responses in recommending adding additional signage on the approaches to four of the school streets.

-        There is a dedicated team who prepare the Traffic Management Orders within the Highways and Parking service. To ensure that administrative processes are adhered to, a new tracker for Traffic Management Order consultations is to be implemented. This tracker will log and all trtraffic orders (including experimenatal and temporary orders); the service will  notify objectors who had responded to  the first ETMO consultation so that if they wish to they can respond again, as their initial response can not be  taken forward.

-        The proposed monitoring equipment to be installed was consistent with the equipment used to minotir air quality and traffic in the healthy neighbourhoods. For the initial six months the equipment will be installed in the School Streets, and after that period it  can be relocated to monitor the effects of the schemes to address concerns of traffic dispersal and air  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5/22

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

This was not required.