Agenda item

(Indicative timings 11.05 – 11.45am)

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 companies.

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport acknowledged the Panel’s frustration.  He suggested it was important to be realistic about congestion in the County as the problem was probably here to stay given the amount of housing development that was planned.  He noted that the move to electric vehicles would not reduce congestion.  Although electric vehicles would have an impact on pollution levels and air quality, they may actually result in more car use.  He also suggested that there was a need for a more robust bus strategy to encourage more people out of their cars.  With reference to the impact of utility companies’ roadworks, the CMR informed the Panel that a report on ‘lane rental’ was due to come to Cabinet in the near future.  Lane rental would mean charging the utility company for using the road with the aim of encouraging them to do the work more quickly.

It was agreed that a further update would be provided in 12 to 18 months’ time, to include:

·       What had been achieved/delivered

·       Schemes still in the planning stage

·       A map showing the location of schemes described and images of the schemes.