Agenda item

Petition - Controlled Pedestrian Crossing at Henley Road/Prospect Street/Westfield Road

To report to the Sub-Committee the receipt of a petition requesting the Council to install pedestrian crossing facilities at the locally named ‘Last Crumb’ junction (the junction of Henley Road, Prospect Street, Peppard Road and Westfield Road).

Minutes:

The Executive Director for Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report on the receipt of a petition, asking the Council requesting the Council to install pedestrian crossing facilities at the locally named ‘Last Crumb’ junction (the junction of Henley Road, Prospect Street, Peppard Road and Westfield Road). The petition contained the results of a survey with 1341 responses.

The report explained that a request for controlled crossing facilities at this junction was already contained within the ‘Requests for Traffic Management Measures’ that was regularly submitted to the Sub-Committee.  The report recommended the entry on this list was updated to reflect the receipt of the petition and of recent officer correspondence on this request.  The following appendices were attached to the report:

Appendix 1

Officer summary of the survey results

Appendix 2

Comments received in the survey

Appendix 3

Indicative potential location for a pedestrian refuge island, as has been suggested

The report explained that on 13 October 2022, a petition had been submitted to the Council that had contained the results of a survey that had been conducted by Matt Rodda MP with 1,341 responses from residents and which had followed meetings with Ward Councillors and residents.  The petition read as follows:

Please accept this email as a formal petition to the Council to install a pedestrian crossing at the Last Crumb junction. Matt Rodda will be emailing you the results of the recently completed survey which I understand can be accepted instead of signature.”

The Council had previously received a petition that had requested the installation of controlled pedestrian crossing facilities at the ‘Last Crumb’ junction to the meeting on 2 November 2017 (Minute 42(b) refers) and an update report was submitted to the meeting on 11 January 2018 (Minute 58 refers).  At the January 2018 meeting the Sub-Committee agreed to add the request of pedestrian crossing facilities to the Council’s regularly reported Requests for Traffic Management Measures list. 

It had been acknowledged that the junction was a very traffic sensitive junction and the implementation of a pedestrian facility within a traffic signal controlled junction would reduce traffic flow and potential capacity and would need to be taken into consideration.  The report recommended that traffic impact modelling should be part of the scheme development once funding had been identified.

The report stated that the most challenging aspect of the request was the funding that would be required and there was no identified funding to develop and deliver pedestrian enhancements at the junction.  In addition to the professional survey, modelling and design work that would be required, it was likely that the junction would require a complete technology and hardware refresh for the traffic signal equipment and much of the cable ducting would likely need to be excavated and replaced.  Factoring in other works it was expected that the cost would be in excess of £250,000, although this was very indicative as the true cost would not be know until after the survey work had been completed. 

Officers had received an increased level of correspondence regarding the junction in recent months and some alternative/interim suggestions had been put forward and were detailed in the report.  Reference had also been made to the safety of the junction and while it was acknowledged that users might have safety concerns, highway safety was based on casualty evidence.

At the invitation of the Chair the petition organiser, Jane Lynch, addressed the SubCommittee on behalf of the petitioners. 

Resolved –

(1)     That the report be noted;

(2)     That the petition request remains within the ‘Requests for Traffic Management Measures’ report, but is updated to reflect the receipt of this petition and additional options raised during officer correspondence;

(3)     That the lead petitioner be informed of the decisions of the Sub-Committee, following publication of the agreed minutes of the meeting;

(4)     That no public inquiry be held into the proposals.

Supporting documents: