Agenda item

Active Travel Programme and Schools Street Update

To provide an update on delivering the Council’s Active Travel Programme and School Streets Initiative, including seeking authority to progress experimental School Street schemes for Wilson Primary School and Thameside Primary School.  

Minutes:

Further to Minute 10 of the meeting held on 18 November 2020, the Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report providing an update on the delivery of the Council’s Active Travel Programme. The report also provided an update on the Council’s School Streets Initiative, including seeking authority to progress experimental School Street schemes for Wilson Primary School and Thameside Primary School.

The Council’s Active Travel Programme

The report advised that the delivery of the Tranche 1 Schemes had been undertaken during spring/summer 2020 and a list of the schemes that had been delivered were set out in the report. It was noted that these schemes were temporary in nature in line with Department for Transport (DfT) guidance. A review of the temporary schemes would be undertaken after a final decision on which Tranche 2 scheme(s) would be taken forward for delivery had been made. Further updates on this review would be reported to a future meeting of the Committee.

In respect of Tranche 2, the Council’s bid to the DfT had included a programme of high-quality cycle and pedestrian infrastructure proposals on some of Reading’s most strategic routes. Due to the level of funding made available by the DfT at this stage, the top four schemes from the bid had been taken forward to the next stage of development work. These were as follows: -

·        Southampton Street and Oracle Roundabout (Pell Street – Inner Distribution Road/Bridge Street) – creation of a segregated cycle lane along Southampton Street, with changes at the junctions at either end, linking with existing cycle infrastructure through the reallocation of road space from general traffic. An alternative option to create a shared cycle and bus lane - with cyclists catered for within a separate lane – was also being considered.

·        Bath Road/Castle Hill (Southcote Lane – Inner Distribution Road/Castle Street) – creation of cycle facilities on this route to and from the town centre.

·        Shinfield Road (Christchurch Green – Whitley Wood Road) – creation of segregated cycle facilities linking to the tranche 1 schemes on Redlands Road and Christchurch Road.

·        London Road (Borough boundary to Crown Street) – re-allocation of road space from general traffic to create an inbound shared bus and cycle lane from the Borough boundary to Cemetery Junction. The scheme would continue between Cemetery Junction and Crown Street, offering a segregated cycle lane in both directions, by reallocating road space from general traffic.

Initial feasibility work on these four schemes had been undertaken in accordance with the DfT’s guidance on the delivery of Tranche 2 schemes and an engagement exercise was launched on 24 February 2021. The report set out the indicative timeline for the delivery of the tranche 2 programme, including consultations taking place from 24 February to 23 April 2021 (phase 1) and Summer/Autumn 2021 (phase 2). It was anticipated that the scheme would be delivered from Winter 2021 onwards.

Officers would continue to seek further funding opportunities from the DfT and other external sources so as to progress additional schemes set out within the Council’s tranche 2 programme. The location of the Tranche 2 schemes, as well as those delivered in Tranche 1, were illustrated on a Map at Appendix A.

The Council’s School Streets initiative

The report provided an update on the Council’s School Streets initiative, which had been launched in Spring 2020. Park Lane Primary (Junior School) had been the first school to submit an application and the Committee had granted approval in November 2020 to implement an experimental School Street on Downing Road and Lambourne Close.

The report advised that further School Street applications had been received from three different schools – namely Wilson Primary School, Thameside Primary School and a joint application from Maiden Erlegh school in Reading, University Technical College (UTC) Reading and Alfred Sutton Primary School.

The following appendices were attached to the report:

Appendix B: Wilson Primary School – School Street Traffic Management Plan

Appendix C: Wilson Primary School - Summary of Consultation Responses

Appendix D: Thameside Primary School – School Street Traffic Management Plan

Appendix E: Thameside Primary School - Summary of Consultation Responses

Park Lane Primary (Junior School) School Street was due to commence on 18 January 2021, but because of school closures as a result of the latest Covid-19 lockdown, the introduction of the scheme had been delayed. Progress to date had included School Street marshals identified by the school undertaking specific training on road safety, conflict management and the general role and responsibilities involved. A further Stage 2 Road Safety Audit had also been completed.

Wilson Primary School had undertaken an informal consultation with affected properties and parents/carers on the proposal to implement an experimental School Street in Wilson Road, the details of which were shown on Appendix B and the consultation responses were at Appendix C. Officers had carried out parking and traffic surveys on the proposed School Street and neighbouring streets to determine the current baseline usage of the streets. A Stage 1 Road Safety Audit had been undertaken by an independent road safety auditor on the proposal and no safety concerns had been identified within the report. As a result of the assessment, and in agreement with the Wilson Primary School, Officers recommended that a School Street, covering a reduced area, be approved.

Thameside Primary School had undertaken an informal consultation with the affected properties and parents/carers on the proposal to implement an experimental School Street on Harley Road, details of which were shown on Appendix D and a summary of the consultation responses received were shown at Appendix E.

The report advised that Officers had carried out traffic surveys on the proposed School Street and neighbouring streets. A Stage 1 Road Safety Audit had been undertaken by an independent road safety auditor on the proposed School Street, and no safety concerns had been identified. In view of this assessment, Officers recommended that a School Street on Harley Road be approved.

Subject to approval of these two School Street proposals, a Stage 2 Road Safety Audit would be carried out on each of them prior to implementation. This would include monitoring the impact of the School Streets on neighbouring roads during the initial trial period in response to concerns raised by some residents during the consultations.

The report sought agreement for the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services to be granted delegated authority to make the appropriate traffic regulation orders, covering the experimental order for a period of 6 months and subject to no objections being received during that time, to make the traffic regulation order permanent. Any objections received during the experimental trial period of School Streets operation would be reported back to Committee at the appropriate time.

In respect of the joint application from Maiden Erlegh school in Reading, UTC Reading and Alfred Sutton Primary School, the schools had undertaken an informal consultation on the proposal with affected properties and parents/carers.  The consultation had resulted in a significant number of responses. Officers were currently undertaking a full review of this application and the supporting information provided by the schools, prior to bringing a recommendation regarding the proposal to a future meeting of the Committee. 

Resolved -

(1)      That the progress with development of the Active Travel and School Streets Scheme be noted;

(2)      That the indicative programme for delivery of the Active Travel Tranche 2 programme be approved and notes that the initial consultation results will be reported to the Committee at its next meeting;

(3)      That experimental School Street schemes for Wilson Primary School on Wilson Road and Thameside Primary School on Harley Road be approved;

(4)      That the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport, Ward Councillors, be authorised to make the appropriate (experimental) Traffic Regulation Orders for the proposed School Streets on Wilson Road and Harley Road in accordance with the Local Authorities Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996;

(5)      That subject to no objections being received during the experimental trial period of School Streets operation, the Assistant Director of Legal and Democratic Services be authorised to make the experimental order permanent;

(6)      That if objections are received, they be report back to the Committee at the appropriate time;   

(7)      That the recommendation regarding the proposed School Street on Crescent Road be brought forward to a future meeting of the Committee.

 

(Councillor Eden declared a personal interest on this item on the basis that she was Chair of West Reading Together, a resident-led community association, which had had some involvement with the School Streets project)

Supporting documents: