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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX. View directions

Contact: Thomas Downs
02087266000 x86166  Email: Thomas.Downs@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1/19

Introductions

To invite all attendees to introduce themselves.

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed participants to the meeting and those present introduced themselves.

2/19

Disclosures of interests

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to register disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and gifts and hospitality to the value of which exceeds £50 or multiple gifts and/or instances of hospitality with a cumulative value of £50 or more when received from a single donor within a rolling twelve month period. In addition, Members and co-opted Members are reminded that unless their disclosable pecuniary interest is registered on the register of interests or is the subject of a pending notification to the Monitoring Officer, they are required to disclose those disclosable pecuniary interests at the meeting. This should be done by completing the Disclosure of Interest form and handing it to the Democratic Services representative at the start of the meeting. The Chair will then invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3. Completed disclosure forms will be provided to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion on the Register of Members’ Interests.

 

Minutes:

There were none.

3/19

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 125 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 October 2018 as an accurate record.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 October 2018 were agreed as an accurate record.

4/19

Any other business

To consider any other business at the Chair’s discretion.

Minutes:

There was none.

5/19

Trams pdf icon PDF 6 MB

a)    Annual report on progress made against implementation of RAIB safety improvement recommendations following the tragic Sandilands incident

Jackie Townsend (First Group) & Mark Davis (TfL)

 

b)    Synchronisation of on-board announcements

Jackie Townsend (First Group) & Mark Davis (TfL)

 

Minutes:

a)    Annual report on progress made against implementation of RAIB safety improvement recommendations following the tragic Sandilands incident

 

The First Group representative began the item with a presentation, informing the Panel that 19% of all London public transport journeys involved a tram, over the 28 kilometres of existing track; trams were unique in that they were driven using line of sight and had rolling stock. The First Group representative explained that trams were particularly accessible, as they were step free and had buddy spaces; there were some issues around accommodating cyclists, as bikes were not allowed on board trams, but there was a possibility of this changing in the future. The Panel heard that customer satisfaction with the service was around 90%, and that the BAME representation in the organisation was 37.71%. The Panel heard that trams were overseen by the Office of Rail and Road.

 

Performance on the network had been 99%, with a dip occurring in the week of the 31 December 2018, due to a fire on Ampere Way; other common causes of disruption were cars and lorries blocking access. The Panel learned that performance on the network was a high priority for the operator, and featured in daily discussions.

 

First Group had been working closely with London Trams on addressing outstanding safety issues, and some of this work had involved supporting drivers with additional training, and regular assessments to review key competencies. The total number of consecutive days that drivers could work had been reduced to eight, with this reducing to five from May 2019 based on data gathered since the installation of the Guardian devices. Drivers had gone on strike over the implementation of the devices, but after consultation with Public Health England (who had determined them to be safe), the strike had ended. A fatigue management procedure had been implemented, which accommodated for issues faced by drivers outside of work, and helped to offer support.

 

Clockwork Research Ltd had supported improvements to the Fatigue Risk Management System; this had, in part, involved customer service training to help accommodate for disabled passengers and those suffering with dementia, and a fatigue training programme to be rolled out to all staff in 2019. Engagement had been increased with the introduction of a newsletter, staff one to one’s and more. This had involved trade unions, who were now in favour of the Guardian devices, and had been feeding back suggestions to First Group.

 

Guardian devices had now been fitted to all trams, and these alerted drivers to drowsiness, fatigue or distraction. If the device was set off, it would emit a noise and vibrate the driver’s seat; simultaneously it would send an alert to the operator. As a result of this, drivers were more aware of fatigue and there was better real time risk control; an unexpected advantage was that it had also improved the posture of drivers, with less reported back pain. This had led to a more open culture around fatigue among staff, and greater access  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5/19

6/19

Buses pdf icon PDF 84 KB

a)    Updates from TfL Actions arising from last meeting:

 

o   412 Bus - Report back to the Panel on future changes to the route once more data on this route had been collated.

o   130 Bus - Report back with progress toward an evidence based solution for the 130 bus route, concerning serving King Henry’s Drive from Vulcan Way.

o   468 bus – Report back the length that the route would be monitored.

 

Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)

 

b)    Bus services in the Town Centre

Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)

(Including a report, for the information of the Panel, of suggested bus route changes from the East Surrey Transport Committee)

 

c)    Thornton Heath bus garage – (Update)

Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)

 

d)    Consultation on routes 404 and 434

Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL) and Ian Plowright (Planning and Strategic Transport)

 

e)    Oasis school – changes to route 466 and 60

Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)

 

f)      Capacity for route 166 in summer on Saturdays and Sundays

Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minutes:

a)    Updates from TfL Actions arising from last meeting

412 Bus - Report back to the Panel on future changes to the route once more data on this route had been collated.

The TfL representative introduced the item by stating that a review of the route had been undertaken, and had found that the route had been reaching capacity at its busiest hours. There had been overcrowding observed in Selsdon on weekday mornings toward Purley, and that possible solutions to this were being considered; these included increasing the capacity of the 412 or the 612. The Access Officer stated that the 612 could often be out of sequence with school opening times, and it was stated that this would be looked into.

The Access Officer asked if it would be viable for one of the routes to run as a school bus during certain hours (as others did in the borough). The TfL representative stated that it was possible, but that it may cause knock on problems; there were eight routes which had been identified to have overcrowding issues, and these included the 289, 466, 410, 468 and 412. The Chair asked if the review of these routes could mean that capacity would be increased, and learned that this was possible.

130 Bus - Report back with progress toward an evidence based solution for the 130 bus route, concerning serving King Henry’s Drive from Vulcan Way.

The TfL representative stated that there were no easy solutions to the issue as King Henry’s Drive was unsafe for buses. There were a couple of solutions which had been considered, one of these had been to widen the bus, and another to change the route. Rerouting had seemed like the most viable option but more research needed to be done. The Mobility Forum representative asked if the bus could follow a loop at the end of its journey used by other local routes, and learned that this might be possible. The Chair asked how these decisions were made, and heard that they were based on both demand and the possible socioeconomic benefits.

Action Point: It was agreed that the Access Officer, the Mobility Forum representative and the TfL representative would discuss possible solutions after the meeting.

468 bus – Report back the length that the route would be monitored.

The TfL informed that Panel that more data was needed before a decision could be made and that the Panel would be informed of the outcome at the June 2019 meeting. The East Surrey Transport Committee informed the Panel that the route had a frequency increase in 2017, and then a reduction soon after. There were some parts of the route with no alternative and this had affected the residents greatly. The TfL representative responded that frequency needed to match demand, and this did cause some fluctuations in the service. It was suggested that surveys would be done in areas where there was known overcrowding.

Action Point: For TfL to report back the outcome  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6/19

7/19

Trains

a)    Update on reintroduction of full timetable and off-peak services

Yvonne Leslie (GTR)

 

b)    Update on Access for All bids - Selhurst, Coulsdon South, Reedham, Waddon, West Croydon and Norwood Junction Stations.

Yvonne Leslie (GTR) & Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)

 

c)    Lack of through trains from stations north of Norwood Junction to Purley between 06.00 and 08.15

Yvonne Leslie (GTR)

 

d)    ANPR in station car parks

Yvonne Leslie (GTR) – Coulsdon

 

e)    Ticket Vending Machines – The ability to purchase tickets for a journey starting at a station other than the one the machine is located at; One day Bus and Tram tickets

Yvonne Leslie (GTR) & Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)

 

Minutes:

a)    Update on reintroduction of full timetable and off-peak services

 

The Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) representative informed the Panel that the next timetable change was planned for May 2019 with some small changes and additional weekend services. The Chair queried whether the introduction would be smoother than the initial changes, and was told that they should be similar to the changes in December 2018, which had caused minimal disruption.

 

The Head of Transport informed the Panel that Overground services out of West Croydon had good performance until the initial timetable change, but this had since suffered. The Chair agreed and stated that timetable changes made elsewhere had knock on effects to Croydon services, and asked how much of this was due to timetable changes. The GTR representative stated that the changes should not affect other services negatively if they ran as intended, and should actually have a net positive effect. The TfL representative stated that they would bring an update on Overground performance to the next meeting.

 

Action Point: For TfL to bring an update on Overground performance to the next meeting.

 

 

b)    Update on Access for All bids - Selhurst, Coulsdon South, Reedham, Waddon, West Croydon and Norwood Junction Stations.

 

The GTR representative informed the Panel that feedback on all Access for All bids would be available from the Department for Transport in April 2019. A bid for Selhurst had been approved in the previous tranche of funding and was being undertaken by Network Rail. The bid for Coulsdon South had been delayed, as plans had needed to be redrawn to avoid the destruction of a minicab office, and still needed to be ratified by the council planning department.

 

The Access Officer asked about a penalty fine which GTR had incurred in 2018. It had been specified that the penalty fine would be spent on passenger improvements. The Access Officer and Mobility Forum representative asked if this could be spent on a second entrance for Norbury station, and were told that this would be fed back. The GTR representative informed the Panel that the total fine had been £15m, but this was for the entire network, and would be allocated in conjunction with the Department for Transport.

 

The TfL representative informed the Panel that work had been done with the council and Network Rail on the Norwood Junction bid, to ensure it was viable with a strong case.

 

The TfL representative stated that the West Croydon bid had not been prioritised as it already had step free access, and others did not. The Chair questioned the legitimacy of the claim of step free access, stating that the ramp was often unattended, that going through the car park was dangerous, and agreed with the Mobility Forum representative that the signage was not clear. The TfL representative agreed on the need for additional signage, but stressed the need for council permission to add this outside of the station.

 

The East Surrey Transport Committee representative agreed with the access problems to West  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7/19

8/19

Items for next meeting

To suggest items to be discussed at the next meeting of the Panel.

Minutes:

The Chair invited the Panel to submit any items they would like discussed before the 1 June 2019 for the next meeting.

9/19

Date of next meeting

18th June 2019

Minutes:

18 June 2019