Report
to:
Lead Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment
Date of
meeting: 24 October
2022
By:
Director of Communities, Economy, and Transport
Title:
Petition: Pedestrian crossing outside Cavendish School
Purpose:
To consider the need for the provision of a pedestrian crossing in
Eldon Road outside of Cavendish School, Eastbourne
RECOMMENDATIONS: The
Lead Member is recommended to advise petitioners that:
(1)
A potential scheme
to implement a pedestrian crossing outside Cavendish School in
Eldon Road has been assessed through our approved High Level Sift
process and is not a priority for the County Council at the present
time; and
(2)
Petitioners may
wish to consider taking a potential scheme forward through
Community Match. A Feasibility Study (at a cost of £500) and
speed data (at a cost of £422 per site) would be required
prior to a Community Match application.
1
Background Information
1.1.
At the County Council meeting on 12 July 2022, a petition was
presented to the Chairman by Councillor Ungar on behalf of a group
of residents and parents/carers from the Cavendish School area of
Eastbourne. The petitioners have concerns about the traffic
situation around Cavendish School, located in Eldon Road, and have
requested an urgent review and the installation of a signalised
pedestrian crossing.
1.2.
A copy of the petition is available in the Members’
Room. Standing Orders provide that where the Chair considers it
appropriate, petitions are considered by the relevant Committee or
Lead Member and a spokesperson for the petitioners is invited to
address the Committee. The Chairman has referred this petition to
the Lead Member for Transport and Environment.
2 Supporting
Information
2.
2.1.
Eldon Road is covered by a 30mph speed limit, as indicated by the
system of street lighting in the road. In addition to Cavendish
School, Victoria Baptist Church and an access to Ocklynge Cemetery
are located within this section of Eldon Road. A location plan can
be found at Appendix 1.
2.2.
There are five pedestrian crossing points located on Eldon Road,
between Macmillan Drive and Willingdon Road. These are in the form
of central islands with tactile paving on the islands and footway
on each side of the road. There are also illuminated ‘keep
left’ arrows present. This section of Eldon Road has school
warning signs on each approach, and these have recently been
referred for replacement as they have become life expired.
2.3.
The crash data supplied by Sussex Police for the latest available
three-year period up to 31 July 2022 shows that there has been one
crash resulting in serious personal injury between Macmillan
Drive/Glendale Avenue and Willingdon Road. This is shown at
Appendix 2.
2.4.
The County Council has a limited amount of funding to develop local
transport improvements and we need to ensure that we target our
resources to those schemes which will be of greatest benefit to our
local communities. To help us prioritise the numerous requests
received for improvements, we developed a process to determine
which schemes should be funded through our Integrated Transport
Programme.
2.5.
A request for a signalised pedestrian crossing on in Eldon Road
outside of Cavendish School, Eastbourne has been assessed to
determine if it might be a priority for future consideration;
however, it did not achieve the benchmark score to be taken forward
at this time.
2.6
Although the provision
of a signalised pedestrian crossing outside of Cavendish School in
Eldon Road is not currently a priority for the County Council, the
petitioners may wish to contact Eastbourne Borough Council to
determine their interest in a community funded scheme through the
Community Match initiative. A Feasibility Study at a cost of
£500 and speed data at a cost of £422 per site would be
required prior to a Community Match application. This will help to
identify possible improvements for further discussions and provide
an estimate of what they might cost.
3 Conclusion
and Reasons for Recommendations
3.
3.1.
It is recommended that the Petitioners be advised that the
provision of a signalised pedestrian
crossing outside of Cavendish School in Eldon Road is not a
priority for the County Council at the present time. However,
appropriate improvements could be considered should an alternative
source of funding become available.
Director of Communities, Economy
and Transport
Contact Officer:
Victoria Bartholomew
Tel. No. 01424 724284
Email: Victoria.Bartholomew@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL
MEMBERS
Councillor John
Ungar.
BACKGROUND
DOCUMENTS
None