Lead Member for Transport and Environment
DECISIONS made by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment, Councillor Claire Dowling, on 18 July 2022 at Committee Room, County Hall, Lewes
Councillor Kathryn Field spoke on item 4 (see minute 17)
Councillors Roy Galley, Wendy Maples and Georgia Taylor spoke on item 5 (see minute 18)
Councillor Ian Hollidge spoke on item 6 (see minute 19)
Councillors Ian Hollidge, Wendy Maples Paul Redstone, Stephen Shing and Georgia Taylor spoke on item 7 (see minute 20)
13. Decisions made by the Lead Cabinet Member on 13 June 2022
13. 1 The Lead Member approved as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2022.
14. Disclosure of Interests
14.1 Councillor Ian Hollidge declared a personal interest in item 7 as a person involved in the design of a bus lane in Oxford Street London. He did not consider this to be prejudicial.
15. Urgent items
15.1 There were none.
16. Reports
16.1 Reports referred to in the minutes below are contained in the minute book.
17. Petition - Request for a 40mph speed limit extension on the A2100 London Road, Battle
17.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
17.2 Councillor Kathryn Field as the Local Member and Lead Petitioner for the petition calling on the County Council requesting a 40mph speed limit extension on the A2100 London Road, Battle, spoke to highlight safety concerns along the stretch of road from the new Lillybank development to Canadia Road.
DECISIONS
17.3 The Lead Member RESOLVED to: advise the petitioners that an extension of the 40mph speed limit on the A2100 London Road beyond that agreed for the Lillybank development is not a priority for investigation by the County Council at the present time.
REASONS
17.4 An extension of the 40mph speed limit on the A2100 London Road beyond that which has been agreed for the Lillybank development is not a priority for further investigation by the County Council at the present time due to its lack of visible frontage development and good safety record.
18. Introduction of Car Parking Charges in Millbrook Car Park, Ashdown Forest
18.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
DECISIONS
18.2 The Lead Member RESOLVED to: agree the introduction of parking charges on East Sussex County Council land at Millbrook Hill, Ashdown Forest.
REASONS
18.3 The Board of Conservators explored the potential for introducing parking charges and have deemed that these charges are necessary for the long-term preservation, use and enjoyment of the Ashdown Forest as an amenity space for the public.
18.4 The introduction of parking charges at the Millbrook Car Parks will provide a consistent approach to managing parking across the Ashdown Forest. The ESCC share of revenue generated by the tariffs will contribute towards to maintenance of the Millbrook car parks.
19. Sea Road, Bexhill: zebra crossing relocation
19.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
DECISIONS
19.2 The Lead Member RESOLVED to:
(1) Note the comments of the local consultation; and
(2) Approve the proposal for the relocation of the pedestrian crossing in Sea Road, Bexhill as set out in this report with the scheme to be taken forward to detailed design and construction as part of the 2022/23 Capital Programme for Local Transport Improvements.
REASONS
19.3 The results from both the stakeholder and public consultation show that there is overall support for the repositioning of the existing Sea Road zebra crossing situated just south of Endwell Road to further south, halfway between Endwell Road and Jameson Road.
19.4 The loss of any on street parking, as a result of the relocation of the zebra crossing would be subject to the advertisement of a change to the existing Traffic Regulation Order and any unresolved objections would need to be reported and considered by the County Council’s Planning Committee. The repositioned crossing would also be constructed to enable its future conversion to a parallel zebra crossing which will incorporate a running lane for cyclists, to be used in parallel with the zebra crossing as part of proposals being developed for a cycle route between Bexhill station and the existing NCN2 route as well as the Ravenside Retail and Leisure Park.
20. East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan
20.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
DECISIONS
20.2 The Lead Member RESOLVED to:
(1) Approve the high level apportionment of the Government’s indicative Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) allocation as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report;
(2) Approve the draft Enhanced Partnership (EP) Plan and Schemes to allow the County Council to proceed in to the statutory process to ‘make’ the EP Plan and Scheme as detailed in Appendix 2 and 3 of the report;
(3) Approve that the underspend from the Transport Hub budget can be used to fund the early implementation of some of the BSIP fare reduction proposals and to delegate to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport the authority to finalise these proposals; and
(4) Agree to delegate to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport the authority to finalise the apportionment and amendments to the Draft EP Plan and Scheme following further technical work and from feedback from the Department for Transport.
REASONS
20.3 East Sussex County Council’s mission as a local transport authority is to ensure that East Sussex residents and visitors enjoy the highest possible quality bus services that provide a frequent and comprehensive choice, reduce congestion, and make a positive contribution to better air quality and decarbonisation. This mission is supported by the authority’s bus operators who will play a key role in its delivery.
20.4 The East Sussex BSIP is a highly ambitious plan that seeks to stimulate and drive significant improvements to bus services across the local authority area and the wider region. The proposed apportionment of East Sussex’s indicative allocation intends to deliver as much of the ambitious proposals as possible, provide value for money and:
• Recover bus usage from the Covid-19 pandemic, taking account of consequential changes in travel patterns
• Increase bus usage significantly in the next few years and to eventually deliver a transformational change in bus usage.
• Deliver a step change in bus provision to both current and new bus users.
20.5 The implementation of the BSIP fare reduction proposals will have greatest impact if introduced in the busier summer months. Use of the existing underspend from the Transport Hub budget will fund the early implementation of the BSIP fare reduction proposals for Young Persons and General fare reductions. As well as providing benefits to users, this will assist East Sussex’s bus operators in maintaining a high quality bus network in East Sussex. The early implementation of the fare reduction scheme will also be viewed in a very positive manner by both operators and the DfT and is likely to stimulate passenger recovery post pandemic. It is estimated that the current projected underspend of £515k would be sufficient to fund these fare reductions until East Sussex County Council receive grant funding from DfT in the Autumn.