Issue - meetings

A report is attached on ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods Update’. There will be a presentation at the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Climate and Sustainable Travel (& Deputy Leader), Councillor Sarah Warren introduced the report. Nick Helps, Sustainable Transport Manager, gave a presentation to the Panel and covered the following points:

·  Change in Road Traffic GB 1949-2020

·  Cars are getting longer, wider, taller and heavier

·  School Travel

·  Previous schemes in Bath

·  Liveable Neighborhoods in Bath

·  Timeline

·  Consultation – key principles 1 and 2

·  Comparison with national data

·  Concerns Expressed

·  Opportunities identified

·  ‘We will give people a bigger say in shaping our services’

·  Summary of applications (February and May 2021)

·  LTN and SRTS Applications: Bath and Batheaston

·  LTN and SRTS Applications: Rest of NE Somerset

·  LTN prioritization: Key assessment criteria

·  Proposed next steps

Panel members raised the following point and asked the following questions:

(Officer responses shown in italics)

Councillor O Brien raised the following:

·  The feedback from similar schemes in London mentioned that emergency vehicles had been hindered. The officer explained that the fire brigade had been positive in programming in areas where there are LTNs. The main thing that delays emergency vehicles is traffic. Also there are some issues with data coding.

·  Mitigations will be done while designing the new scheme – how will this work? The officer explained that use of ANPR enforcement cameras will maintain emergency vehicle access.

·  What are the implications for residents parking schemes for areas of deprivation? The officer explained that while some people have older cars, if we do not take action, we will not get the benefits. Some elements of plans could be phased. The benefits of LTNs are cleaner air and less traffic on streets which will benefit everyone. The Cabinet Member added that residents parking zones will only come forward in areas that request it.

·  Some people may need cars to get to work. The London Road will get more traffic if there is an LTN north of the area. The officer explained that LTNs are not about pushing traffic from one area to another, they are about reducing the overall number of vehicles on the network.

Councillor Bromley asked if other traffic calming measures could be used in areas where a scheme is not successful at the consultation stage. The officer confirmed this.

Dr Kumar asked if there was still time to apply. The officer explained that the next application deadline is 5^th August.

Councillor Hirst stating that it was an exciting and ambitious programme. He raised the following:

·  Will there be monitoring and evaluation of unintended consequences and how quickly can we tune in on any issues. The officer explained that traffic monitoring will be carried out before the scheme and also once it is in operation.

·  How confident are you are delivery? The officer stated that we should be ambitious, even if it takes time to come to fruition.

Councillor Wright raised the following points:

·  Who is responsible for TRO’s? The Cabinet Member stated that she would ask an officer to check this.

·  The issue affects public health, is the relevant Cabinet Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 101