Agenda item
Cabinet Decision Called-in: Olympic Games Parking and Traffic Management Issues
To consider Cabinet decision CAB 053/112 - Olympic Games Parking and Traffic Management Issues which has been called-in.
Minutes:
Councillor Marc Francis presented the call-in on behalf of Councillors Carli Harper-Penman, Abdul Ullah, Ahmed Omer and Shiria Khatun outlining the reasons and the concerns that were raised. Councillor Francis then responded to questions from the Committee. The concerns highlighted together with Councillor Francis’ answers are summarised below:
· parking matters were a cause of concern to the residents of Fish Island, which was the last area of the Borough yet to be designated a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ)
· Members wished to highlight matters of concern with the decision that had been provisionally approved by Cabinet and to ask for three assurances to mitigate the effects of the Olympics and the implementation of the CPZ zone on residents of the Fish Island:
1. To limit the period of the CPZ trial to 3 months or a maximum of 6 months.
2. To permit residents of Fish Island to have access to resident parking permits.
3. To undertake a further consultation with residents before a decision to extend and / or establish a permanent CPZ at Fish Island.
Councillor Francis noted that, in principle, there was no opposition to the introduction of a CPZ, taking into account the need for parking controls during the Olympics, the recent increase in traffic complaints in the area and that it would be unreasonable for Fish Island to remain the sole part of the Borough without controlled parking during the Olympics and Paralympics. His concerns were:
- that the controlled parking zone scheme would be made permanent at the end of the trial phase without further consulting residents on the impact of the trial on the community.
- access to public transport and infrastructure in Fish Island was poor compared to other areas of the Borough. If the Council choose to continue the CPZ scheme beyond the trial period, residents would have insufficient time to make alternative arrangements.
Councillor Ohid Ahmed, Deputy Mayor, Robin Beattie, Service Head, Strategy and Resources (representing Stephen Halsey Corporate Director (Communities Localities & Culture)), Jamie Blake, Head of Public Realm, and John Chilton, Head of Parking; responded to the concerns raised, informing the Committee that:
- the introduction of full parking restrictions at Fish Island was a pilot for a flexible period of up to 18 months. This was intended to manage increased parking pressures during the Olympic Games and also, to assess the effect of controlled parking on the area in general, afterwards.
- the three-month trial period suggested by Councillor Francis would be insufficient for a proper analysis. Officers' preference would be that the trial period be at least 9 months to ensure the collection of better data.
- in regard to concerns that the car free zone agreement, that applied to most residents currently living on Fish Island, would render them unable to obtain a residents' parking permit once the CPZ was introduced. Councillor Ahmed confirmed that Cabinet had always intended that all Fish Island residents would be able to apply for parking permits during the trial period irrespective of whether their home was covered by a car free agreement.
- it had been, and remained, the Council's intention to consult again with residents at the end of the trial period.
The Committee considered the views and comments made by Councillor Francis in presenting the call-in, the information given by Councillor Ohid Ahmed, Deputy Mayor, and Officers in response to Councillor Francis’ issues and their answers to the Committee’s questions.
The Committee's discussion of the call-in raised the following issues:
- notwithstanding that many residential properties in Fish Island were covered by car free agreements, residents should be able to apply for resident parking permits during the full period of the controlled parking trial.
- the Committee felt that residents had not been adequately notified about the experimental CPZ, and recommended that a communications programme to do this be undertaken immediately.
- the Committee acknowledged that officers needed to set a period for the CPZ trial that would accurately reflect the effects of controlled parking in the Fish Island area. The Committee therefore endorsed officers' recommendation that the experimental period be between six and nine months to enable the Council to gain a greater understanding of parking pressures after the Olympics, and allow for future parking measures to protect residents’ interests.
- residents should be assisted in complying with the new controls with clear explanations of the requirements and tolerance shown to initial minor infringements to enable a smooth transition.
- a further consultation with residents should be undertaken prior to any permanent decision to introduce a controlled parking zone in the Fish Island area.
Having considered the information provided by all parties, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee endorsed the reasons for the call-in and referred the matter back to Cabinet for further consideration recommending the alternative courses of action set out at 8.2 of the report and the recommendations above.
RESOLVED
1. That the Call-in be endorsed by Overview and Scrutiny Committee
2. That the Cabinet Decision called-in “Olympic Games Parking and Traffic Management Issues” (CAB 053/112), be referred back to the Cabinet for further consideration in the context of the views brought forward by the Committee.
Supporting documents:
-
5.1 Olympic Parking & Traffic Mgmt Call-in cover report, item 5.1
PDF 94 KB
-
5.1a A Olympic Parking and Traffic Management Issues (Cab Report), item 5.1
PDF 266 KB