Questions to Surrey County Council

Residents of Elmbridge can put questions on local issues to Surrey County Council Elmbridge Local Committee, and get a written response. The committee meets quarterly. Miles Macleod has asked a series of question on issues affecting Weybridge North.

This page lists the questions & answers from

September 2009 on 20mph zone; March 2009 on cycling;
June 2008, September 2008 & December 2008 on parking.

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SCC LOCAL COMMITTEE IN ELMBRIDGE – 21 SEPTEMBER 2009

AGENDA ITEM 6 - PUBLIC QUESTIONS

Question 2 Councillor Macleod

North Weybridge 20mph Zone

Residents in North Weybridge were pleased to see 20mph signs installed earlier this year. However there are two serious issues:

• the restricted scope of the current 20mph zone
•  the limited effectiveness of the current signage

SCOPE: The current 20mph does not include the roads around St James School. This is so counter-intuitive that many residents thought the signs were installed facing the wrong way, because they encourage people to speed up as they approach St James School from Thames Street.

The Surrey County Council Local Committee (Elmbridge) in January 2006 concluded: “Having carefully reassessed the extent of the 20 mph zone it is now proposed that the Weybridge 20mph zone be based on the area that was traffic calmed in 2001, but extended to include Wey Road and Round Oak Road.“ The heavy traffic calming along Monument Road therefore suggests this should already be in the 20mph zone.

SIGNAGE: Many road users fail to notice the current 20mph signage. It is particularly ineffective at the Balfour Road end of Portmore Park Road, where drivers’ attention is focused on getting around the junction rather than looking for signs up in the air.

Will the Committee therefore please consider as a priority:

• extending the North Weybridge 20mph zone to cover Monument Road, Grotto Road, Old Palace Road, and other roads surrounding St James School
• improving the signage with road markings and a few strategically placed repeater signs, so that people notice they are in a 20mph zone?

Officer Response:

A report was originally taken to the Local Committee on the 23 March 2005. This detailed the area of implementation for the proposed 20mph speed zone, based upon the traffic calming installed in 2001.

The report identified this area of traffic calming as having succeeded in its aims of reducing personal injury accidents, from 16 during the 3 years prior to the introduction, to 4 post construction. The areas proposed are shown below.

As vehicular speeds had, through the traffic calming treatment, also been effectively reduced to comply with a 20 mph zone, and complied with County policy, this was proposed.

However an additional area was also included within the scheme, which had not been treated and did not comply with policy.

The zone was advertised and objections received from primarily from Surrey Police, as the proposal did not comply with the joint speed management policy agreed between Surrey County Council and Surrey Police. A further report was taken to the Local Committee on 24 January 2006, explaining this, and revising the area for the zone, only to roads where the speeds had been reduced through the calming, to reflect the current policy.

The traffic calming in Monument Road had been introduced prior to 2001, other roads leading from the road had not been treated and accordingly not designed to reduce vehicular speeds to comply with a 20 mph policy. Consequently this area would not comply with the criteria for an extension to the current zone. The scheme in Monument Road however had been successful in achieving its aims of reducing casualties, which is one of the main aims of the County Council in accordance with Governments strategies of reducing casualties by 40% by 2010.

Driving in excess of the posted limit, on the other hand is a criminal offence, for which the Police as the sole highway enforcement authority have powers to deal with quickly and effectively, as it remains a criminal offence. Speed enforcement is not a responsibility of the highway authority, which if it were would probably necessitate every road in the County being calmed to ensure compliance, which no doubt would be socially unacceptable, as traffic calming remains universally unpopular.

There are two types of 20 mph traffic orders.

• 20 mph limit

This is similar to other limits such as 40mph, whereby the change in limit is signed together with regular reminders along the route.

• 20 mph zone

This is similar to a 30 mph limit whereby only the entry points are signed and repeaters are not permitted. This ensures that sensitive zones are not overwhelmed by a plethora of signs which then require greater cost to introduce and maintain.

The signing in the area has been erected to comply with the traffic order made following the resolution of the January 2006 Local Committee for a 20 mph zone.

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Read more about views on the North Weybridge 20 mph Zone

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SCC LOCAL COMMITTEE IN ELMBRIDGE – 9 MARCH 2009

AGENDA ITEM 6 - PUBLIC QUESTIONS

Question 1 – Councillor Macleod

Cycling Action Plan progress in Elmbridge
Given the welcome aims of the Surrey County Council Cycling Strategy and Action Plan 2007-10 of contributing to achieving a 20% increase in cycle journeys being made and 25% increase in cycle journeys to stations, can the committee tell us what budget has been allocated by SCC to help achieve these aims in Elmbridge, what specific actions have been taken to date or are scheduled for Elmbridge, and what progress has been made in increasing cycle use in Elmbridge?

Officer's Response:

In 2008/9, Transport for Surrey was able to allocate £40,000 capital funds (Local Transport Plan) across the county, to increase cycling infrastructure and journeys by bike in order to reach its targets. The County Cycling Officer in agreement with local highways offices allocates this to local schemes and the continued development of the national cycle network in Surrey. The A307 Portsmouth Road cycle lanes, Esher, which is now nearing completion, was allocated funds from the budget recently. In summer 2008, when programmes had already been drawn up, the County Cycling Officer was in a position to offer additional funds for cycle parking in several locations across Elmbridge to enhance access in town centres. Due to the existing heavy programme of works and backlog of schemes it was felt that no guarantee could be given of implementing this additional work, so it is proposed to progress this initiative very soon.

Central funds are also allocated county wide to promote cycling e.g. school cycle parking, safety and skills cycle training. Elmbridge is very active in this area and has 110 Bikeability (skills training) courses booked, several bike clubs, most schools have active travel plans, whilst Company Travel Plans are encouraging adults to cycle. Surrey is promoting cycling as a healthy and green activity, and to this end, the new National Cycle Training standards have been implemented in order to offer the most up-to-date training for new users in order to afford them the possibility to be as safe as possible.

Beyond this central infrastructure funding, the Local Committee decides any further cycle related scheme finance based on its local priorities. Cycling schemes are without doubt very difficult to introduce retrospectively on an existing highway network, due to road widths, often their sensitive nature. On-carriageway cycle lanes can only be put in where there is sufficient road width to put in 1.5 metre wide lanes. Few roads in Surrey have these available widths however, it can also be difficult to find a cycle scheme that suits all highway user groups’ cyclists, residents and pedestrians alike.

Central budget allocations for 2009/10 have yet to be agreed by the Executive. Surrey’s priority for transport funding is to maintain the road network, but it is likely that there will also be a small allocation for cycling infrastructure. The council's priority for allocating cycle infrastructure funding is likely to be for Surrey's "hub" towns and to complete the national cycle network.

Surrey has recently received recognition from the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) for its very strong progress on its Local Transport Plan and for achieving some of its targets early. Targets to increase journeys by bike in Surrey are on target, and journeys to railway stations exceeded.

A dedicated officer from the east area office meets with representatives from the Elmbridge area as well as others in the east area cycle forum, on a regular basis, in order to identify where additional cycle facilities would be helpful and of benefit to cyclists. These are then assessed in order to best fit these schemes within existing highway projects or new schemes, within the limitations of the funds and scheme prioritisation.

It is proposed during 2009/10 to complete the cycling infrastructure, both on and off road, from the Scilly Isles to Hampton Court Station, linking up other measures introduced previously.

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SCC LOCAL COMMITTEE IN ELMBRIDGE – 08 DECEMBER 2008

AGENDA ITEM 8 - PUBLIC QUESTIONS

Question 3 – Cllr Macleod

Weybridge North Parking Issues 
At the last Elmbridge Local Committee meeting we were pleased to hear that details of a scheme, with funding for 2008/9, to research the parking issues in Weybridge were to be worked on, "to ensure that the area of coverage, the consultation, and all other elements are all in accordance with residents' expectations wherever possible". Can the Committee give an update on progress, and any news on the specific objectives, coverage and timing of the consultation in Weybridge North?

Officer Response

Work is ongoing in relation to the proposed extension of the existing controlled parking zone in Weybridge. In addition to those roads already within the zone, we are reviewing whether the following streets could be included within a wider zone.

 These are:  

• Portmore Park Road
• Wey Road
• Round Oak Road
• Devonshire Road
• Portmore Way
• Oakdale Road
• St Albans Ave
• The Crescent
• Elmgrove Road
• Mount Pleasant
• Glencoe Road
• Radnor Road
• Dorchester Road
• Gascoigne Road
• Darnley Park
• Montrose Walk
• The Willows
• Cedar Road
• Holstein Ave
• Thames Street (part)
• Minorca Road  

The objectives are to ascertain whether residents feel that an extension of the current zone would be of benefit in light of complaints relating to other road users parking in residential streets.  

Outline design will be complete by the end of the current calendar year and we intend to engage with residents and other stakeholders in late January/early February. This will involve the distribution of leaflets explaining our ideas and seeking input from those who would be affected. The results of this consultation will be brought to the local committee so a decision can be taken on how to proceed in a way which best meets the needs and wants of residents and other stakeholders.

Supplementary Reply

Dear Councillor Macleod

Please find below the answer to your supplementary question asked at the Local Committee on 8th December.

The programmed stages are:

• November 2008-January 2009 outline scheme design
• January 2009 - Members Task Group
• February 2009 - Engagement and public consultation with residents, businesses and other stakeholders. Early contractor involvement with Carillion.
• 9 March 2009 - Results presented to the Local Committee in Elmbridge
• April-September 2009 - Detailed design, outline order placed with Carillion, formal advertisement of traffic regulation order, consideration of objections (as necessary, determination of objections (as necessary)
• October 2009 onwards - implementation

Kind regards

Katie Mills, Local Committee & Partnership Officer
Local Partnership Team - Elmbridge
Surrey County Council
Tel: 01372 832606  

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SCC LOCAL COMMITTEE IN ELMBRIDGE – 22 SEPTEMBER 2008

AGENDA ITEM 8 - PUBLIC QUESTIONS

Question 1 – Cllr Macleod

Weybridge North Parking Issues
News that consultation on CPZ extension in Weybridge North has been brought forward to this financial year is welcome to local people who have been pressing for action on residents' parking.  Can the Committee give some information about the terms of reference for this consultation in Weybridge North, the roads to be included, and anticipated timescales for the consultation and subsequent actions?

Officers Response:

This year’s budget allocation for Local Transportation Plan schemes (LTP) has been severely cut. Although a scheme to research the parking issues in Weybridge existed on the LTP list it was, due to this financial shortfall, programmed for investigation during 2009/10 with implementation during 2010/11. On the 23rd June, a meeting was held at County Hall to bid for additional funds, which have been made available to all areas in both the East and West of the County.

As a result Elmbridge were awarded a total of £434,100 and confirmed by the Leader of Surrey County Council on the 22nd July. Included in this award was a sum to enable the Weybridge CPZ to be advanced ahead of its programmed date on the LTP. The full details of this award forms part of Item 21 of this meetings agenda.

County Councillor Mr Ian Lake, the Divisional Member for Weybridge, has been pursuing this issue on behalf of his electorate for some time now. Whilst the detail of this scheme needs to now be worked upon, he will be involved throughout the process to ensure that the area of coverage, the consultation, and all other elements are all in accordance with residents expectations wherever possible. The funding made available for this is allocated for expenditure during 2008/09 so it is anticipated that consultation will occur prior to this and results known soon after April 2009.

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SCC LOCAL COMMITTEE IN ELMBRIDGE – 06 JUNE 2008

AGENDA ITEM 8 - PUBLIC QUESTIONS

Question 1 – Cllr Macleod

Weybridge North Parking Issues
Will Surrey County Council take action on some specific urgently needed parking control measures needed in Weybridge North? Residents are very concerned about two issues:

1. Safety at junctions near schools. The most serious issue is the junction at the end of Grotto Road (where it meets Thames Street) where there is no footway on one side of the road. This is between two schools, and parked vehicles particularly at school drop-off times obstruct visibility and make the junction very hazardous. People are justifiably worried that there will be a serious accident. There are also problems with parking at school drop-off time at other corners along Thames Street. This is a safety issue, which needs urgent attention. Will Surrey County Council take action before someone is hurt?

2. A need for resident parking (CPZ extension) in some roads adjacent to the High Street. The most affected area is Holstein Avenue, Elmgrove Road and Oakdale Road, where all day ‘commuter’ parking makes life very difficult for residents. Residents of Holstein Avenue have a particularly pressing need, and are making a strong case for early action, in advance of the planned general consultation on the CPZ in Weybridge North. More generally, there is a widespread feeling that the true severity of the parking issues in these roads to the North of the High Street has not been recognized by Surrey County Council. Will Surrey County Council take early action to investigate the level of need in these roads?

Officers Response:

Thank you for your question on these two issues in the North Weybridge area.

As you will be aware, in recent years Surrey County Council has introduced traffic calming measures into this area, in a genuine attempt to reduce, if not eradicate the numbers of personal injury accidents occurring, and also ensures that drivers are discouraged from using the area at speed and as a rat run. A traffic order has also recently been made which will additionally allow the Highway Authority to sign much of area as a 20mph zone. The signs ITEM 2 www.surreycc.gov.uk/elmbridge 17 for this will be erected shortly, and it will allow the Police to prosecute drivers who drive in excess of this posted limit.

The Highway Authority also works closely with schools, the 56 or so in the Elmbridge area, to look at introducing improved safety measures outside schools, together with the introduction of reduced reliance on the private motor vehicle, and using other more sustainable methods of transport for these journeys. Subsequent to the traffic calming introduced outside of the school, amendments were made to the School Keep Clear markings and the location of the crossing patrol to afford all users greater safety in this location. The crossing patrol also places cones on the public highway in a genuine attempt to prevent parents from parking in such a fashion as to create safety implications for drivers, children, pedestrians and other road users. There are also flashing amber lights which operate three times a day, erected on the approaches to the school, together with triangular warning signs, highlighting to drivers the presence of addition danger at these times of day.

Obviously parents, who continue to park inconsiderately and in an unsafe manner, during school pick up and departure, are flaunting the law if they park on or near a junction. The Highway Code states that drivers should not park within 10m of the junction and can be prosecuted by the Police for doing so. At many of these junctions Surrey County Council have introduced white junction protection markings, to remind drivers of their obligation to the Code. However, Surrey County Council are not the enforcement authority and although measures are introduced to dissuade this behaviour, ultimately we are reliant wholly on Surrey Police to enforce the law.

It is always very difficult to strike a balance on the introduction of waiting restrictions near schools, as although it may discourage parental parking during the two short weekday periods of arrival and departure, the residents in the vicinity are then left with the restrictions during the remainder of the time. There is a scheme programmed to investigate parking in this entire area of Weybridge with a view to reviewing all the roads for this need. Controlled Parking Zones, limited waiting restrictions and other measures will be assessed as part of this review with full consultation with residents, businesses and other affected parties. The review is planned to commence early during the next financial year.

I hope the above apprises you of the situation and reassures you of our intentions.