Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: County Hall, Worcester

Contact: Alyson Grice/Alison Spall  Overview and Scrutiny Officers

Media

Items
No. Item

443.

Apologies and Welcome

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Beverley Nielsen and Craig Warhurst.

 

444.

Declarations of Interest and of any Party Whip

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None.

445.

Public Participation

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 12 May 2022).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

None.

446.

Confirmation of the Minutes of the previous meeting

Previously circulated.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting on 1 March 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

 

It was confirmed that the graph breaking down the percentage of each category of domestic waste (as requested at the previous meeting) would be included in the Performance Information provided for the July meeting.

 

The Chairman noted that the visit to the Highways Depot at Lydiate Ash had now taken place and had proved very useful.

447.

Refresh of the Scrutiny Work Programme 2022-23 pdf icon PDF 135 KB

(Indicative timing 10.05 – 10.25am)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel was asked to consider suggestions for its 2022/23 work programme prior to it being submitted to Council for approval.

 

It was agreed that the Annual Update on Broadband would be expanded to include updates on mobile and 5G coverage.

 

The Panel agreed that, with this addition, it was happy for the work programme to be forwarded for consideration by OSPB.

448.

Update on Walking and Cycling in Worcestershire pdf icon PDF 147 KB

(Indicative timing 10.25 – 11.05am)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel received an update on developments relating to walking and cycling schemes in Worcestershire.

 

In the course of the discussion, the following main points were raised:

 

·       The Panel had last received an update in November 2020.  The overarching Government policy remained the same as in 2020 and was set out in the document ‘Gear Change: A Bold Vision for Walking and Cycling’.  This was supported by a Local Transport Note (LTN) which provided guidance on delivering high quality infrastructure.

·       One change since the last update had been the creation of a national agency (Active Travel England) which would commence its work in the summer.  It was agreed that the location of the headquarters of the new agency would be confirmed following the meeting.

·       Concern was expressed about debris on cycle ways which may pose a danger to cyclists.  It was confirmed that the County Council worked with District Councils to ensure that a cleaning and sweeping regime was maintained.  If a Councillor or a member of the public was made aware of any debris, they should report it via the Council’s website (‘Report It’) and it would be followed up in the usual way.

·       It was confirmed that any newly developed shared use spaces (ie for walking and cycling) would now have to be 3 metres wide.

·       It was confirmed that the Bikeability scheme was primarily aimed at schools, although some events had recently taken place in Wychavon to encourage adults and families to cycle safely.

·       ‘Share with care’ signage was used on shared routes, although it was confirmed that this did not include specific advice on keeping a safe distance.  In Bromsgrove, work had been carried out with school children who had designed their own signage to raise awareness of safe sharing.

·       The Panel had been provided with a summary of the key schemes that were in development, delivery or complete.  With reference to Hampton Bridge, Evesham it was confirmed that the planning application was due to be determined by the end of this year with delivery set for next year.  Early works in relation to Kepax Bridge Worcester had now commenced.  Members were informed that there had been a significant investment of £10-20 million in the two schemes.

·       The Chairman asked that a map be provided showing the location of the schemes described, together with photos or sketches of what has been or will be achieved.

·       It was confirmed that a programme of monitoring, including before and after data where available, would be put in place for each scheme.  Monitoring data would be included in any future Panel updates.

·       It was confirmed that, when an issue was reported to the County Council, it would be followed up with the relevant body, whether or not it was a function of the County Council.

·       In addition to schemes carried out by the County Council, developers may include walking and cycling provision when delivering housing development.

·       With reference to the Levelling Up Fund, although the round 1 submission  ...  view the full minutes text for item 448.

449.

Cutting Congestion Programme pdf icon PDF 144 KB

(Indicative timings 11.05 – 11.45am)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel received an update on the Cutting Congestion Programme focusing on schemes that had been delivered or were in the feasibility, design or construction stages and highlighting what had been achieved since the Panel’s last discussion in May 2019.

 

In the course of the discussion, the following main points were raised:

 

·       It was confirmed that a total of £15m had been invested by the County Council in schemes to cut congestion, with an additional £6.7m in the form of grants.  Section 106 monies had also been used.

·       In response to a question about how improvements were measured, the Panel was told that this was on the basis of analysing before and after data, in a similar way to improvements in walking and cycling infrastructure.  It was acknowledged that this measurement had been affected by the pandemic and the consequent changes in people’s travel habits.  Improvements in congestion could also be measure via improved journey times and officers worked with the bus companies who were able to provide live data on this.  It was suggested that refuse collectors may also be able to provide feedback on improvements to journey times.  It was confirmed that this had been touched on in Worcester City but could be looked at in other areas.

·       In response to a question about the number of locations experiencing congestion in the County, it was agreed that an up-to-date list of locations would be shared with the Panel.

·       The Chairman suggested that a map of schemes and images of completed work would be helpful for future updates.

·       A Member of the Panel welcomed the improvements that had been made to Port Street, Evesham.

·       Another Panel Member commended the scheme at Hoobrook, Kidderminster but asked that trees which had been removed at the start of the project were replaced.  It was confirmed that the replacement of trees was one of the last snagging issues at the Hoobrook scheme, and a minimum of five trees would be planted in the autumn (during planting season).

·       The Chairman noted that congestion was always in the top three issues of concern when residents were surveyed and asked whether enough was being done.  In response, Members were reminded that improvements came about not only as a result of the big schemes described, but also through more minor changes such as improvements in signals, including the use of intelligent technology.

·       When considering future schemes, it would be important to take into account the impact of the pandemic and increased levels of working from home.

·       The Assistant Director for Economy, Major Projects and Waste reminded the Panel that other bigger road schemes also contained a large element of congestion reduction, such as the Southern Link Road and the Pershore Link Road schemes.

·       It was important to ensure that utility companies always went through the correct channels to plan their work as the impact of roadworks on congestion was a concern.  It was suggested that the County Council should be stronger when dealing with the utility  ...  view the full minutes text for item 449.

450.

Road Safety and Reduction of Speeding by Use of Built Highways Infrastructure pdf icon PDF 936 KB

(Indicative timings 11.45am – 12.25pm)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Panel was provided with an update on developments relating to road safety and reduction of speeding by the use of the built highways infrastructure.

 

In the course of the discussion, the following main points were made:

 

·       Members were informed that recent years had seen a reduction in the number of police reported accidents.  In terms of national comparisons, Worcestershire was a high performer having a comparatively low rate of accidents.

·       It was agreed that Councillor Stokes would be provided with a breakdown of accident data to provide evidence to support promotion of Bikeability.

·       Members were reminded that accident analysis focused on police reported accidents.  A road safety audit was carried out on all highways improvement schemes.  Paragraph 12 of the agenda report gave examples of recent schemes that had been identified through accident studies and progressed through the Casualty Reduction Capital Programme.

·       In response to a question about planned improvements at Clows Top, the Panel was reminded that improvements had recently been completed at that location, including upgrades to visibility, warning and skid resistance.  If Panel Members had any further information or ideas for future work, they were asked to contact the Head of Traffic Management.

·       With reference to Pulley Lane, Droitwich, it was acknowledged that there were some constraints in relation to highways limits.  It was agreed that an update on this would be provided to Councillor Brookes after the meeting.

·       The Chairman asked whether consideration could be given to the use of chicanes to reduce speeding as he believed these had been successfully used in neighbouring counties but not in Worcestershire.

·       He also informed the Panel about the pilot scheme in Feckenham which used road narrowing to reduce drivers’ speed, an approach which was relatively cheap.  Feedback from the local Member suggested that residents were very positive about the scheme.  The Panel was reminded that this was still at the pilot stage and assessing the scheme’s effectiveness was a long-term process as it was necessary to collect sufficient data over a long period of time.  Also, Feckenham was an unusual case in that it was a village with street lighting which ensured visibility of narrowed lanes.  This was not the case for most villages in Worcestershire as many had no streetlights and no easily accessible electricity supply, something which was a significant constraint.

·       It was suggested that, where a village had street lighting and an accessible electricity supply, the Feckenham scheme was one that should be considered.  The Panel was reminded that speed reduction plans focused on casualty reduction.  A site where there was evidence of speeding but no accidents causing injury would not be as high a priority.  It was suggested that Members may be able to use their divisional highways funds to support schemes similar to the one in Feckenham.

·       The photos of traffic calming features included in the agenda report were welcomed and it was suggested that the Assistant Director for Highways and Transport Operations may wish to consider including these photos in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 450.