Lead Member for Transport and Environment
DECISIONS made by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment, Councillor Claire Dowling, on 15 July 2024 at Committee Room, County Hall, Lewes
Councillors Kirby-Green and Maples spoke on item 4 (see minute 12)
Councillor Ungar spoke on item 5 (see minute 13)
Councillors Hollidge and Maples spoke on item 6 (see minute 14)
Councillors Azad and Maples spoke on item 7 (see minute 15)
Councillors Azad and Hilton spoke on item 8 (see minute 16)
8. Decisions made by the Lead Cabinet Member on 22 May 2024
8.1 The Lead Member approved as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2024.
9. Disclosure of Interests
9.1 There were none.
10. Urgent items
10.1 There were none.
11. Reports
11.1 Reports referred to in the minutes below are contained in the minute book.
12. Petition: For East Sussex County Council to agree to proceed without further delay to proceed with our simple and affordable 20mph safety scheme, which requires just the change of signage
12.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
12.2 Mr Robert Franklin, the Lead Petitioner for the petition calling on the County Council to agree to proceed without further delay to proceed with their simple and affordable 20mph safety scheme, which requires just the change of signage spoke to confirm his agreement that a signed only scheme is not appropriate, safety issues in terms of speed and vibration of traffic and highlighted concerns regarding the revised Community Match scheme in terms of the proposed extension to the footway, the proposed increase of speed limit at one end of the scheme and the overall cost of the scheme.
DECISIONS
12.3 The Lead Member RESOLVED to advise petitioners that:
(1) The introduction of a signed only 20mph speed limit through Burwash village cannot be supported by East Sussex County Council as it would not comply with the design standards and guidelines laid down by the Department for Transport or the East Sussex County Council Local Speed Limit Policy as it would not be self-regulating;
(2) It would be inappropriate for East Sussex County Council to implement a signed only 20mph speed limit through Burwash village as it would not address the concerns raised through the independent Road Safety Audit or be supported by Sussex Police; and
(3) The amended scheme presented to the Parish Council by East Sussex Highways in May 2023, which would enable an effective and self-regulating 20mph speed limit to be introduced through Burwash can still be implemented. Should the Parish Council decide that it wishes to proceed with the amended scheme with all the additional traffic calming features through the Community Match initiative, East Sussex Highways would commence the detailed design phase which would then produce a detailed construction cost for approval by the Parish Council.
REASONS
12.4 A scheme to introduce a signed only 20mph speed limit through Burwash High Street would not comply with national guidance on setting speed limits or East Sussex County Council’s policy on setting local speed limits as it would not be self-regulating.
12.5 The amended scheme presented to the Parish Council in May 2023 which would ensure an effective and self-regulating 20mph speed limit through Burwash can still be implemented.
12.6 Should the Parish Council decide that it wishes to proceed with the amended scheme with all the additional traffic calming features, through the Community Match initiative, East Sussex Highways would commence the detailed design phase which would then produce a detailed construction cost for approval by the Parish Council. A contribution of up to £50,000 from East Sussex County Council has already been agreed, with the remaining costs to be funded by the Parish Council.
13. Petition: Zebra crossing in Green Street, Eastbourne
13.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
13.2 Councillor Ungar spoke on behalf of the petitioners for the petition calling on the County Council for a zebra crossing, bollards and repairs to the road surface in Green Street, Eastbourne spoke to highlight safety of the privately owned footway by the shop forecourts, the obstruction of parked vehicles on the public footway and lack of parking enforcement in the area.
DECISIONS
13.3 The Lead Member RESOLVED to advise petitioners that:
(1) A potential scheme to implement a zebra crossing in Green Street between Caffe Corro and Cheriton Court has been assessed through the approved High Level Sift process and is not a priority for the County Council at the present time;
(2) Green Street will be assessed as part of this year’s prioritisation process for potential inclusion in the 2025/26 Community Focussed Safety Scheme programme;
(3) A request for bollards to be installed in the footway between the Post Office and the end of the parade of shops has been considered however, it is not appropriate for this location; and
(4) Areas of the carriageway in Green Street have been reported to East Sussex Highways to inspect and action as appropriate.
REASONS
13.4 The County Council has a limited amount of funding to develop local transport improvements and needs to ensure that resources are targeted to those schemes which will be of greatest benefit to local communities. To help prioritise the numerous requests received for improvements, a process was developed to determine which schemes should be funded through the Integrated Transport Programme. A request for a zebra crossing in Green Street, between Caffe Corro and Cheriton Court, 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. However, Green Street will be assessed as part of this year’s prioritisation process for potential inclusion in the 2025/26 Community Focussed Road Safety programme.
13.5 Bollards are not designed as vehicle restraint systems. In addition to this, vehicles can legitimately park on the Post Office side of the road between 6pm and 8am Monday – Saturdays and all-day Sundays and the provision of bollards in the footway would restrict vehicles from doing so. The request for bollards to be installed in the footway between the Post Office and the end of the parade of shops is therefore not appropriate at this location.
13.6 A site visit by Senior Traffic and Safety Officers identified some areas of carriageway that require further inspection for maintenance such as deteriorating road surface and faded road markings. These have been reported to East Sussex Highways who will determine whether these areas meet the agreed intervention levels and what action will be taken.
14. East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan
14.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
DECISIONS
14.2 The Lead Member RESOLVED to:
(1) Endorse the draft Bus Service Improvement Plan 2024 update; and
(2) Delegate authority to finalise the Bus Service Improvement Plan 2024 update for submission to the Department for Transport to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
REASONS
14.3 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 bus operators who will play a key role in its delivery.
14.4 The original East Sussex Bus Service Improvement Plan submitted in October 2021 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 Bus Service Improvement Plan 2024 update details what has been delivered to date, what will be delivered within the current Bus Service Improvement Plan funding period and ambitions beyond. The Bus Service Improvement Plan 2024 update continues to show ambitions to deliver the highest possible quality bus services that meet the needs of East Sussex residents and visitors.
15. School Streets Consultation
15.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
DECISIONS
15.2 The Lead Member RESOLVED to:
(1) note the previous development work that has been undertaken in developing the East Sussex school streets programme;
(2) note the results of the public consultation on the detailed design of the three school streets schemes for Southover CE Primary, Lewes; Langney Primary, Eastbourne and All Saints CE Primary, Sidley, Bexhill;
(3) agree the recommended measures for inclusion as part of Phase 1 of the School Streets Programme for the 3 School Streets schemes to be taken forward for construction this year; and
(4) agree that an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) is advertised in relation to each of 3 School Streets schemes to seek a view on the proposed timings of the access restrictions.
REASONS
15.3 The introduction of school street schemes supports East Sussex County Council’s draft Local Transport Plan objectives by enabling safer and more accessible journeys to school, supporting healthier lifestyles and communities, and decarbonising travel thereby providing benefits which are twofold for the school and its wider community.
15.4 Following School Street schemes being trialled at 6 schools in 2021, 3 schools - Southover CE Primary, Lewes; Langney Primary, Eastbourne; and All Saints CE Primary, Sidley, Bexhill - were identified to be taken forward to co-design and deliver permanent schemes. In doing so, considerable engagement has been undertaken trialling this co-design approach with the 3 school communities and key local stakeholders through from the initial trial scheme to the development of the concept and detailed scheme designs. Following public consultation on the 3 school street schemes undertaken in May 2024, there is overall support for the package of phased measures proposed for each school.
15.5 Due to the planned delivery timescales and need for further buildability assessments of some of the proposed measures, the first phase of interventions at each school as set out in Appendix 5 of the report will be focussed on delivering the School Street access restrictions alongside some more minor access improvements within each School Street and their wider respective areas. Further work will be undertaken on developing the second phase of proposed measures for each school alongside exploring funding opportunities to enable their delivery.
15.6 In order to monitor the effectiveness of the proposed timed access restrictions, an ETRO will be published in relation to each of 3 school streets schemes which allow the County Council to seek views on the access restrictions whilst in situ. This will enable feedback to be received on the timed access restrictions for a period of up to 18 months with periodic opportunities, normally at 6-month intervals, to make changes to any restrictions. Up to but by the end of the 18-month ETRO period, the restrictions can be made permanent or can be withdrawn if appropriate.
15.7 In parallel, the County Council will continue to liaise with other local authorities delivering similar schemes to seek and share learning through the Sustrans South School Streets network, Active Travel England and Transport for the South East.
16. Hastings Town Centre Public Realm and Green Connections consultation outcome
16.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
DECISIONS
16.2 The Lead Member RESOLVED to defer consideration of this item to a future Lead Member meeting in order that further discussion in relation to this item can take place between East Sussex County Council and Hastings Borough Council.
REASONS
16.3 The Lead Member requested that further discussions with Hastings Borough Council are held to explore the options relating to the proposed scheme including where the scheme fits with the wider town strategy.