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Report to:
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Lead Member for
Transport and Environment
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Date of
meeting:
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22 May 2023
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By:
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Director of
Communities, Economy and Transport
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Title:
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Petition to implement
20mph and Heavy Goods Vehicle limits on Lower Park Road,
Hastings
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Purpose:
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To consider the need
for the implementation of a 20mph speed limit and Heavy Goods
Vehicle restriction on Lower Park Road between Dordrecht Way and
Bethune Way, Hastings.
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RECOMMENDATIONS: The
Lead Member is recommended to advise petitioners that:
(1)
A potential scheme
to implement a 20mph speed limit and Heavy Goods Vehicle
restriction 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 would
be required prior to a Community Match application.
1
Background Information
1.1.
At the County Council meeting on 7 February 2023, a petition was
presented to the Chairman by Councillor Daniel on behalf of a group
of residents from the Lower Park Road area of Hastings. The
petitioners request that the County Council implement a 20mph speed
limit and Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) restriction on Lower Park Road,
between Dordrecht Way and Bethune Way. A copy of the petition is
available in the Members’ Room.
1.2.
Standing Orders provide that where the Chairman 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.
Lower Park Road is covered by a 30mph speed limit as indicated by
the system of street lighting. There are residential properties on
the southern side of the road and Alexandra Park on the northern
side. Some properties have off-street parking facilities and
on-street parking is a mixture of double yellow lines, unrestricted
parking, permit holder and time limited parking bays. The area can
become heavily parked, especially during fine weather or when
events are being held in Alexandra Park.
2.2.
Crash data supplied by Sussex Police for the three-year period up
to 31 January 2023 shows that there have been three crashes
resulting in slight personal injury within Lower Park Road between
Dordrecht Way and Bethune Way. None of the crashes were attributed
to excessive or inappropriate speed or involved HGVs. A location
plan, crash data plan and a plan of the parking restrictions can be
found at Appendix 1.
2.3.
Speed surveys were undertaken in Lower Park Road at two sites for
the seven-day period from 13 March 2023. This indicated average
vehicle speeds for the first site (western end, outside No. 81) of
22mph eastbound and 23mph westbound, and for the second site
(eastern end, opposite No. 47) of 21mph eastbound and 20mph
westbound.
2.4.
The County Council has a limited amount of funding to develop local
transport improvements and needs to ensure that resources are
allocated to those schemes which will be of the greatest benefit to
local communities. To help prioritise the number of requests
received for improvements, a process has been developed to
determine which schemes should be funded through the Integrated
Transport Programme.
2.5.
The request for a 20mph speed limit and HGV restriction has been
assessed through the approved High Level Sift process and did not
meet the benchmark score to be taken forward.
2.6.
Although the provision of a 20mph speed limit and HGV restriction
is not currently a priority for the County Council, the petitioners
may wish to contact Hastings Borough Council to determine their
interest in supporting a community funded scheme through the
Community Match Initiative. A feasibility study at a cost of
£500 would be required prior to a Community Match
application.
3 Conclusion
and Reasons for Recommendations
3.
3.1.
It is recommended that the petitioners are advised that a scheme to
implement a 20mph speed limit and HGV restriction in Lower Park
Road does not meet the County Council’s criteria and,
therefore, is not presently a priority for funding. However,
appropriate improvements could be considered should an alternative
source of funding become available, or an application through
Community Match was successful.
3.2.
To determine what measures could be suitable in this area, prior to
a Community Match application, it is suggested that the petitioners
contact Hastings Borough Council to ascertain whether they would be
interested in supporting a scheme to try and influence traffic
conditions in the area. Support from Hastings Borough Council does
not need to be financial – any group interested in taking a
scheme forward through Community Match can provide the funding.
They would then need to commission a Feasibility Study at a cost of
£500. The speed data for Lower Park Road that was recently
collected can be provided to the group. This will help identify
possible improvements for further discussions and provide the group
concerned with an estimate of what they might cost to assist in
their budget considerations.
Director of Communities, Economy
and Transport
Contact Officer:
Victoria Bartholomew
Tel. No. 01424 724 284]
Email: Victoria.Bartholomew@eastsussex.gov.uk
LOCAL
MEMBERS
Councillor
Daniel
BACKGROUND
DOCUMENTS
None