Issue - meetings

Forward Plan Ref: 2018/095

Contact: Craig Rossington, Senior Transport Planning Tel: 07880 945891

Report by Director for Planning & Place Communities (CMDE4).

The report considers the key issues raised in the recent consultation on the county council’s intention to undertake an experiment allowing taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) into the Westgate bus link in Oxford city centre.

The Cabinet Member for Environment is RECOMMENDED not to authorise an experimental TRO for allowing taxis and PHVs into the Westgate bus link.

Approved as amended by strikethrough text and italics.

The Cabinet Member for Environment is RECOMMENDED not to authorise an experimental TRO for allowing taxis and PHVs into the Westgate bus link with details of the hours during which the experiment would apply to be agreed in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment

The Cabinet Member for Environment considered CMDE4 key issues raised in a recent consultation on the county council’s intention to undertake an experiment allowing taxis and private hire vehicles into the Westgate bus link in the Oxford city centre.

The officer report had recommended not to authorise an experimental TRO.

Petra Lucacik spoke in support of the recommendation.  As a resident of Tennyson Lodge she had been pleased to see improvements to traffic congestion after the Westgate centre had opened but for this to come back now in the face of the approved planning permission could put that at risk and was worrying for residents. Jurisdiction for governing public highway issues was separate to the planning system and a decision to allow an experiment now would let residents down badly. If this experiment was approved she would like to see a direct focus on pollution issues.

Responding to the Cabinet Member Mr Rossington confirmed that the planning and highway processes were separate but that did not prevent changes being made by the County Council as highway authority having followed necessary procedures.

The Cabinet Member accepted that the request for taxis to use the link needed to be heard as part of the proper and due process.

Richard Munro spoke in support of the recommendation as a Director of the Tennyson Lodge Residents Company. Accepting the separate characteristics of the highway and planning process he pointed out that any variation to the current situation which might result from a TRO could have a bearing on matters entered into and agreed upon with third parties such as noise attenuation from buses which could be found to be inadequate if taxis were now allowed. There were also serious concerns regarding air quality, validation of equipment to be used by the City council and the need to provide at least one years worth of data.

Mr Rossington then responded to questions from the Cabinet Member:

Paragraph 3 of the report confirmed that the reasons for recommending not going ahead had not solely been due to noise and air quality.

There were approximately 1800 buses in a 12-hour period equating to 150 per hour with a 2 way flow.

It was estimated that 350 taxis would use the link over a similar 12-hour period.

He was not aware of any air quality monitoring report and would pursue the matter of validation of equipment. However, he confirmed that monitoring would be required before and after if an experiment went ahead.

Niaz Mohammed for Royal Cars spoke in favour of an experimental order to allow taxis. His company provided transport for colleges; business parks and was the largest service provider for the County Council’s special needs support.  They had undertaken serious investment in eco-friendly hybrid cars with 70 – 80% of their fleet hybrid vehicles. The company had worked hard with the local community to improve its image and had been recognised nationally for its endeavours winning a number of green awards.  Currently service users were having  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44