AGENDA REPORTS PACK HIGHWAYS COMMITTEE 28th March … · 2017. 3. 24. · Agenda Reports Pack - Highways Committee – 28th March 2017 Page 4 of 14 17H/016. Reports • Assistant

AGENDA REPORTS PACK

HIGHWAYS COMMITTEE

28th March 2017

Agenda Reports Pack - Highways Committee – 28th March 2017

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17H/015. Minutes

Highways Committee Meeting Minutes held in the Village Hall

on Tuesday 24th January 2017 at 7.30pm

Present: Cllrs McCarthy (Chair), Hodson, Morris, Nicholas, Ward, Wotherspoon and Assistant Clerk (AC) In attendance: 5 Residents Absent: Cllr Collier 17H/001. Chairman’s Introduction and Apologies – Apologies received from Cllr Young (work) 17H/002. Public participation – Standing Orders suspended 7.30pm Resident 1 asked if the Rooks Street one-way system was going ahead. Cllr McCarthy clarified that it’s

a suggestion at this stage. Cllr Ward said the project was discussed at our last meeting as part of a Local Highways Initiative (LHI) bid and we decided not to progress further at this stage. Resident 2 asked if the S106 money from Racecourse View had been received. Cllr Morris stated S106 money goes to Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) not Cottenham Parish Council (CPC), we’ve been working with CCC devising schemes which are outlined in the reports pack. Resident 2 asked if a zebra crossing was going to be installed on Beach Road. Cllr Morris said there were not enough pedestrians to validate a zebra crossing at this location. Resident 2 asked if we can request speed checks along Beach Road. Cllr Morris advised resident to contact police with request. Resident 3 has been requesting for some time to remove speed bump from outside Wooden House - house is shaken by lorries during the night and cracks have appeared. Cllr Ward suggested we investigate ways forward before next meeting, AC to make enquiries. Resident 2 asked who funded chevrons installed on the junction of Smithy Fen/Twentypence Road. Cllr McCarthy said CCC installed because several cars had gone through the garden of house nearby. Resident 2 requested that we check height as they seem to be very high for car drivers. Resident 1 asked if CPC funded a speed camera; could we claim revenue? Cllr McCarthy said no as this was a police matter. Standing orders reinstated 7.54pm. Cllr McCarthy thanked residents for attending. Residents 1, 2 and 3 left at 7.55pm.

17H/003. To accept Declarations of Interest - To receive disclosures of pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests from Councillors on matters to be considered at the meeting. None received.

17H/004. Minutes - To resolve that the minutes of the Committee meeting held on the 8th November 2016 be signed as a correct record RESOLVED

17H/005. Reports Matters for Consideration - Cllr Ward asked why these items were not shown as individual agenda items. AC error; noted that business items should have had a separate agenda item tabled. Cllr McCarthy outlined report circulated prior to meeting. Wooden House/removal of Speed Bump - AC to report to next meeting on how we can progress further. Bramley Close – Cllr Nicholas said that there are only 3 buses an hour and we have only had one complaint; we should not take further. Speed Indicator Devices - deferred to next meeting. Cllrs Nicholas and McCarthy to report at next meeting. Yellow Lines Project - deferred to next meeting. Matters Arising Since Last Meeting Cllr McCarthy outlined report circulated prior to meeting – no further comments. Local Highways Initiative (LHI) Bid – Update – Cllr Morris outlined report circulated prior to meeting. 3 ideas have gone forward as agreed at last meeting - Histon Road buffer zone/priority features, pavements on High Street, zebra crossing by Post Office – Cllr Morris to represent CPC at LHI meeting 30th January 2017. Pavement Project - Update – Cllr Morris outlined report circulated prior to meeting. Safety checks have been completed. Now awaiting quote for lighting of zebra crossing and once received can be ordered.


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17H/006. Commercial Company Covenant Cllr Ward outlined; the HCV Group are keen to adopt the code and wanted to know if CPC had been

advised by CCC. There will be some work involved - identify hauliers, send request, follow up and if not why not to use as evidence. Sub-contracted drivers should also be included. Cllr Nicholas – are we asking to drive slowly, use a different route? Cllr Ward clarified that we are asking for them to adhere items listed on covenant. Cllr McCarthy said we wrote to local farmers and they have made a big effort, so might work. Cllr Hodson said it seemed straight forward, but how do we manage? Cllr Ward said that enforcement is vague, it is an initiative, hauliers can publish the fact that they have signed up. We would need to know times/registration/estimated speeds to report. It would show that CPC are doing something in response to residents’ complaints. Cllr Nicholas concerned about name and shaming. Cllr Morris concerned it would differentiate between the wealthier/poorer hauliers. RESOLUTION: to request local hauliers, and their sub-contractors, to adhere to the Commercial Company Covenant (a Voluntary Code of Conduct for Commercial Vehicle Operators), a community-owned initiative supported by Cambridgeshire County Council. RESOLVED AC to draft letter and list of relevant hauliers and circulate to Highways Committee before sending out.

17H/007. Cottenham Cycle Paths – Cllr Morris said there needs to be some co-ordination between CCC & South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC). Cllr Ward said that following on from the recent, well supported, clean-up organised by Sustainable Cottenham, some studs were not working, weeds growing through them and roots growing through tarmac. CCC have sent thanks to the volunteers and issues have been reported to CCC – defer to next meeting. Cllr Wotherspoon asked what about Cottenham to Rampton cycle path and thanked Cllr Ward for organising clean-up of Histon Road. RESOLUTION: to write a letter of complaint regarding the lack of upkeep and maintenance of the Cottenham to Rampton cycle path to SCDC/CCC. RESOLVED AC to draft letter and circulate to Highways Committee before sending out. Histon Road cycle path deferred to next meeting.

17H/008. Mud on Roads - Cllr McCarthy said there has been a marked improvement with cleaning up the roads and drivers being more considerate when driving through the village. RESOLUTION: to write thanking local farmers for their care with cleaning roads during the potato lifting season RESOLVED AC to draft letter and circulate to Highways Committee before sending out.

17H/009. Matters for consideration at the next meeting – Speed bump removal at Wooden House, Speed Indicator Devices, Yellow Line project, Coolidge Gardens potholes and white lining, broken road signs on Wilkin Walk, Paxton Close signage, pavement in Pelham Way and alleyway to the green, organising patrols of roads/pavements to ensure all areas are covered and issues reported accordingly.

17H/010. Date of next meeting – 28th March 2017 17H/011. Close of Meeting – 8.44pm

Signed _____________________________ (Chair) Date_______________________


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17H/016. Reports

• Assistant Clerk (AC)

Update from last meeting: Commercial Company Covenant – request sent out to 4 Companies – Malary, Harradine, Arrow Head and Masters Logistics – Masters have signed up. AC has re-requested the other 3, awaiting response.

Cottenham Cycles Paths - letter of complaint sent 17th February 2017 to CCC and SCDC – CCC have acknowledged receipt of letter – no responses. Mud on Roads – letter of thanks sent 17th February 2017 to The Produce Connection, P J Lee & Sons Ltd, Produce World, Isle of Ely Produce Ltd. Height of chevrons installed on the junction of Smithy Fen/Twentypence Road – 17th March 2017, Highways Officer - all warning signs are installed according to regulations and unless a sign is broken or missing CCC would not look to spend money adjusting them. Matters for consideration from last meeting: Speed bump removal at Wooden House – see 17H/017 Speed Indicator Devices – see 17H/018 Yellow Line project – see 17H/019 Coolidge Gardens potholes and white lining – see 17H/020 Broken road signs on Wilkin Walk - reported to SCDC 2nd February 2017 Paxton Close signage – No through signage - nothing further we can do; all avenues exhausted – AC reported white lines as faded away 20th March 2017 – awaiting response Pavement in Pelham Way and alleyway to the green – reported to CCC 16th February 2017. Organising patrols of roads/pavements – see 17H/021 TROs: Shauns/Post Office – parking restrictions sign installed 9th March 2017 Lambs Lane – signs with new restrictions to be installed on the village hall direction sign, lamp post opposite and one above dog waste bin as before (were missed off in October 2016) - awaiting response from Policies and Regulations.

• Local Highways Initiative (LHI) Bid Update

Our projects, although they were considered beneficial, were not rated sufficiently highly against the criteria to be selected.

• Pavement Project Update

Awaiting relocation of the power supply for the zebra crossing lighting. Can’t see far enough round the Highways corner to see if there are any more obstacles.


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17H/017. Speed bump removal at Wooden House

Quote received 20th March 2017 from CCC Highways Service: With regards to the costings for removing the speed hump in question:

Cottenham Cost

Unit Cost Quantity Total

Hump Removal m3 £ 29.57 9 £ 266.13

Road Repair m2 £ 54.65 24 £ 1,311.60

Traffic Management

shift £ 180.24 3 £ 540.72

Welfare wk £ 68.65 1 £ 68.65

3rd Party Fee (20%)

£ 2,187.10 1.2 £ 2,624.52

VAT (20%)

£ 2,624.52 1.2 3149.424

Total

£ 3,149.42

Please let me know if this cost is acceptable to the PC and I can get the scheme arranged and programmed. As it is third party works it is our policy to charge 40% on top of the cost of the works to cover staff time/expenses and also VAT. The cost is based on a rough measure so we may be able to save money if when we are removing the hump the road underneath isn’t too badly damaged, this would mean we wouldn’t have to do as much patching/road repair. As it’s one of a middle pair, I don’t think we will need a full audit, but they may say differently, will

push our road safety team to respond before the 28th March Structural Engineer site visit 23rd March 2017 (arranged by residents of Wooden House).


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17H/018. Speed Indicator Device Cllr Nicholas: Having read through quite a few SID's installed by other Councils I am of the opinion that it is basically is not worth the effort. Costs will greatly outweigh the benefits. The number of times the Parish Council will have to relocate the sign and the ancillary equipment that goes with it, (perhaps once every three weeks) is quite a commitment, not to mention who will be doing that task. Below is a photo of the type of power supply that may be associated with the signage, but there may well be other sources of power generation to operate the system.

I have attached some information regarding this item. I have drawn them from other County Councils who have either installed them or were thinking about it.


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17H/019. Yellow Line project (deferred from January Meeting)

From November 2016 meeting minutes: Lacks Close; Yellow lines to be investigated, along with other locations as part of one project. Cllr Nicholas reiterated the need for yellow lines outside 93 & 95 Rooks Street as discussed at last meeting. These will be included in the yellow lines ‘bundle’. NB: it is more cost effective to bundle locations together than applying for just one/two location(s).

17H/020. Coolidge Gardens

Email from Highways Officer 17th March 2017: I have some bad news about Coolidge Gardens. I previously informed you that resurfacing works were scheduled for the upcoming financial year but this is no longer happening. It was to be funded using monies from The Department of Transport called the Pothole Action Fund which was going to be channelled into individual schemes. However Members decided to not approve this approach and voted for the money to be spent as in previous years, on individual pothole repairs. This means that Coolidge Gardens has had to be removed from the current Transport Delivery Plan. We will look to try and incorporate it in a future programme, however we have a fully committed three year plan published in the TDP, and to include Coolidge Gardens, something else needs to be removed. In the meantime I will investigate other options and do what I can to but this is only likely to be individual pothole repairs and small sections of patching. NB – this was originally scheduled for 2014.

17H/021. Roads and Pavements Patrols

We know that Cottenham’s roads, pavements, footpaths, cycleways and bridleways are generally “fitted and forgot” until someone complains and then, often neglected until the problem becomes severe politically or otherwise. We have, from time to time, surveyed pavements in Cottenham and know it takes long time to get problems resolved. Footpaths and cycleways get attention from time to time. Is it time to do an informal, but documented, survey of all of Cottenham’s “transport” infrastructure and, if so, over what period and in what manner?

17H/022. Cottenham to Rampton Road

From Rampton Parish Council:

We are currently revisiting the prospect of having 50 mph limit on the Cottenham - Rampton road, and hopefully the Rampton -Willingham road. With the building being proposed for Cottenham (whether successful or not) having 50 mph on local roads is an indication to the planners that traffic speed is a problem which can only be further exacerbated by more houses. I believe I saw some reference to the desirability of such limits in the draft neighbourhood plan(?).

If the Councils at either end of the stretch of road concerned are both in favour of such a limit it will be quite hard for the powers that be to say 'no'.

There are an increasing number road around the Cambridge villages that are now sporting 50 and even 40 mph signs. Would Cottenham be interested in following up this proposal jointly.


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17H/024. Consider the draft policies in the Traffic & Transport Strategy

Draft Policy Table T: Traffic Reducing traffic speed

Changing the character and speed of traffic throughout the village

TS/1 Encourage safer entry to and departure from the village by introducing calming measures on each arterial approach road

TS/1 Remarks

Cottenham's long arterial approaches, some with abrupt transitions from national speed limits to 30mph, require a "softer" transition to encourage drivers to be more aware of their changing environment as they enter the village. Such a transition may require 40 mph buffer zones and carriageway-restricting priority features. TS/1 Suggested Action

Propose design measures that encourage safer entry to and departure from the village by introducing calming measures on each arterial approach road

TS/2 Improving the effectiveness of the traffic-calming measures

TS/2 Remarks

Within Cottenham, the traffic-calming measures introduced in the late 1990s, are showing their age and, with improvements in car performance, are no longer fully fit for purpose. The design needs reviewing with particular concern for less-mobile people using mobility scooters and cyclists and may involve 20mph areas where pedestrian safety cannot be secured otherwise. TS/2 Suggested Action

Working party, including non-Councillors, needed to review the effectiveness of the current traffic-calming measures, suggest and prioritise improvements for incorporation into future projects

Improving pedestrian safety

Improving footways and pavements, especially within the village core

TP/1 Introducing a long-term pavement improvement project throughout the Conservation Area

TP/1 Remarks

The pavements in the older parts of Cottenham are an afterthought as carriageways have evolved and are often unfit for purpose with an ageing and/or less-mobile population. Ensuring safe access and passage for mobility scooters to Cottenham's core will assist a wide range of pavement users to make more use of Cottenham's businesses, facilities and shops.


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TP/1 Suggested Action

Continue a long-term project to provide off-road links between key business, education, leisure and recreation facilities within Cottenham

TP/2

Introducing a long-term pavement improvement project to improve connection with the High Street from Brenda Gautrey Way, Coolidge Gardens, Lambs Lane and Stevens Close

TP/2 Remarks

The pavements in parts of Cottenham are deteriorating as a result of inadequate maintenance and are often unfit for purpose for an ageing and/or less-mobile population. Ensuring safe access and passage for mobility scooters between sheltered housing at Stevens Close, Franklin Gardens and Coolidge Gardens and Cottenham's High Street will assist a wide range of pavement users to make more use of Cottenham's businesses, facilities and shops. TP/2 Suggested Action

Continue selective pavement improvements along core pedestrian routes

TP/3 Introducing additional or improved pedestrian crossings

TP/3 Remarks

Arterial development leads to busy roads with infrequent safe crossing places. Some combination of additional crossing places, redesign of the traffic-calming and introduction of 20mph areas will improve quality of life, especially for the less-mobile using the village core. TP/3 Suggested Action

Introduce additional or improved pedestrian crossings at regular intervals, especially in the core of the High Street Improving public transport links, especially with Cambridge

TT/1a

Encourage Stagecoach services to avoid unclassified roads in the village and extend the service beyond Lambs Lane northward to a turning circle / small bus hub beyond the Church, possibly at Fen Reeves

TT/1a Remarks

The current Stagecoach Citi8 service follows a circular route in the village, serving the north-western community on the northbound approach to its northern terminus in Lambs Lane near the Primary School and, after passing through part of the Lanes, the south-western community, leaving many residents in the northern part unserved. An alternative routing up and down the High Street could serve more residents in total and offer a slightly shorter journey time from the southern part of the village. Disadvantaged residents could be served by a feeder community bus service between their neighbourhoods and High Street bus stops.


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TT/1a Suggested Action

Working Party needed. Several components and parties need to be brought together to bring this, or an equivalent solution into effect. First step could be to analyse this solution in terms of advantages, disadvantages and deliverability as a benchmark, the brainstorm and analyse alternatives before recommending a n approach for implementation.

TT/1b

Investigate provision of Community bus services linking Cottenham to Cambridge North, Ely, Oakington, Rampton and/or Waterbeach and providing "dial-a-ride" and/or "scheduled feeder" services linking Cottenham edges to the core

TT/1b Remarks

As a result of long-term arterial development, many residents live beyond 400 metres from the nearest well-served bus stop and the service only provides relatively slow access to central Cambridge. A locally-controlled (possibly with other villages) community bus scheme, operating under section 19 or 22 permits may be able to improve the overall reach and value of the public transport service. This could facilitate a simpler, faster routing of the Citi8 Cambridge service for more residents while reducing traffic by providing scheduled rush-hour and "dial-a-ride" services to Waterbeach rail station and/or the Guided Bus at Oakington. TT/1 Suggested Action

Working Party needed to review the potential to reduce traffic by improving public transport; supplementing a more direct service to and from Cambridge with a feeder community bus network extending the network reach within the village and to neighbouring villages. Improving cycle links with neighbouring villages

TC/1 Introducing a long-term cycleway project to improve connections with neighbouring villages

TC/1 Remarks

Cottenham has cyclepaths, of varying standards, linking it to neighbouring Histon and Rampton but neither are well-maintained and there is no segregated cycle link to either Oakington (Guided Bus) or Landbeach (for Waterbeach and rail station). TC/1 Suggested Action

Working Party needed to review the potential to reduce traffic and improve resident amenity by identifying funding means and developing a long-term cycleway project to improve connections with neighbouring villages.

Documents

AGENDA REPORTS PACK HIGHWAYS COMMITTEE 28th March … · 2017. 3. 24. · Agenda Reports Pack - Highways Committee – 28th March 2017 Page 4 of 14 17H/016. Reports • Assistant