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ITEM EX28
EXECUTIVE
- 19 MARCH 2002
ST. GILES
AND BEAUMONT STREET,OXFORD
- COACH STOPPING POINTS
Report
by Director of Environmental Services
Introduction
- In April 2000
the City Council, as agents of the County Council, advertised proposals
to introduce pay and display parking for coaches in St. Giles. The parking
area would have utilised the car pay and display parking located on
the west side of St Giles between Pusey Street and the Taylorian Institute.
This was to provide for those coaches that are only making short-term
visits. In addition coach stopping points were to be provided on both
sides of the street for the purpose of setting down and picking up passengers.
- In response to
the proposals 189 letters of comment were received, the majority of
which were objections to the proposals. After considering the comments,
the City Council’s Highways and Traffic Committee, on 8 June 2000, resolved
that the proposals be not proceeded with.
- It was clear that
there was a need to have some control over the coaches using St. Giles
and the City Council produced revised proposals which were submitted
to the former Oxford Transport Strategy Working Party on 27 October
2000. The Working Party agreed that these should form the basis of a
scheme, introduced experimentally to test its suitability. This was
endorsed by the former Highways & Road Safety Sub-Committee on 16
November 2000.
Letters Received on
the Experiment
- The experimental
coach stopping arrangements were introduced on 19 April 2001. A copy
of the street notice and statement of reasons has been placed in the
Members’ Resource Centre for reference. The period in which comments
on the proposals could have been made was from the 19 April to 19 October.
In total 66 letters of comment have been received, together with a survey
undertaken by the Oxford Civic Society. A summary of these together
with a copy of the original letters received has been placed in the
Members’ Resource Centre for reference. Some of these letters were received
after the 6 months consultation period and/or written to third parties,
e.g. Councillors or Trader’ Associations, and forwarded.
- Annex
1 gives a
breakdown of the letters of support and the main issues raised by those
objecting to the experiment and hence making it permanent. Annex
2 includes discussion on the issues raised
by those commenting. Annex 3
includes discussion on alternative locations suggested
for coach parking.
Discussion
- St Giles, and
to a lesser extent Beaumont Street, have been used for many years by
coaches. It is a clear focal point for many operators who are only stopping
in Oxford, for short periods of time, as part of a days tour. To change
this type of use will take some time and some major changes in the way
that provision for coaches is made and the way that coach operators
view Oxford as a destination. In the short-term there is no suitable
solution that would remove the intrusive nature of coaches within St.
Giles.
- The problem of
engines being left running, without some means of positive enforcement
can only be reduced by approaching the operators and seeking their co-operation
in taking action against drivers that do not switch off their engines.
This would however require some form of reporting process to be introduced
with a subsequent effect on staffing. Subject to the powers available
under the Air Quality Strategy, see Annex 2 paragraph 8, this problem
should be reduced.
- The difficulties
of enforcement are highlighted in a letter from the County Council’s
Parking Manager to the City Council, which can be seen in the Members’
Resource Centre.
- The experimental
nature of the coach stopping points has led to the minimum of works
being undertaken to implement it, so as not to result in too much abortive
work if it was not to continue as a permanent feature. It has also meant
that during the experiment some changes could be made relatively easily
and quickly. It is considered that the safety issues highlighted by
respondents can generally be resolved. Accident records for the first
six months of the experiment have been checked against those in the
same period the previous year. While this time period is too small to
assess any significant changes it should be noted that four accidents
occurred in each period. None of the accidents that occurred in the
experimental period can be attributed to it. The one point that cannot
be resolved, without removing pay and display parking, is that of passengers
having to walk through cars parked in order to gain access to the footway.
- The congestion
for southbound traffic in St. Giles, referred to in Annex 2, paragraph
14, cannot be resolved if the coach stopping point remains.
- The experimental
coach stopping points in St Giles and Beaumont Street are part of an
overall strategy to manage coaches in the short to medium term. The
City Council’s staff car park, at Albion Place, has been identified
as a location that could be used as a stopping point for coaches on
the south side of the City Centre. Proposals to provide for this are
currently being drawn up by City Officers.
Options for Decision
- There are arguably
five options:-
- abandon the
experiment;
- abandon the
experiment but to seek in liaison with the City Council, as Planning
Authority, a long-term solution to the accommodation of tourist coaches;
- make the experimental
order permanent;
- make the experimental
order permanent and to consult on further restrictions that would
restrict the locations in which coaches can stop;
- make the experimental
order permanent and to seek in liaison with the City Council, as Planning
Authority, a long-term solution to the accommodation of tourist coaches.
- Abandoning the
experiment, while meeting with the wishes of the majority of those commenting
on it, would not resolve the problem of coach use of St. Giles. Coach
use of St Giles has existed for more than 20 years. Surveys undertaken
for the Southern Tourist Board in the summer of 2000 highlighted, before
the introduction of the experiment, that up to 20 coaches may be parked
there at any one time.
- Various schemes
have been looked at to manage coaches in St Giles. Those that have the
least visual impact utilise part of the pay and display parking area.
As outlined in the introduction, such a scheme has already been considered
and not progressed because of the opposition to it.
- Whether or not
provisions are made for coaches in St Giles there is no doubt that they
will still use the street. The experimental scheme, if made permanent,
would provide a more defined regime for coaches. By making the existing
scheme permanent the overall safety of passengers alighting from the
coaches, particularly those from the continent, will be improved by
the construction of islands by providing a clear segregation from general
traffic. This coupled with coloured surfacing on the cycle lanes and
clearer road markings overall will address the safety concerns that
have been raised.
- From letters received
as part of this consultation, and from previous correspondence, it is
clear that the ability of coaches to stop, set down and pick up passengers
in the St Giles area is of great importance to traders in the Broad
Street/Market Street area.
- From the comments
received and observation there is a problem of coaches parking outside
the designated stopping areas. Because of the general exemptions contained
within the traffic order, that provides for the setting down and picking
up of passengers on yellow lines, enforcement is made more difficult.
This could be resolved by introducing loading restrictions within the
affected areas to prohibit coaches. The disadvantage to this approach
is that "bona fide" deliveries could be affected as well as
the ability of disabled badge holders to park on the yellow lines.
Financial and Staff
Implications
- The staffing implications
can be met within existing resources. The funding of the scheme will
need to be met from the next financial year’s Oxford Transport Strategy
budget allocation. The preliminary costs are estimated at £15,000.
RECOMMENDATION
- The Executive
is RECOMMENDED to:
- authorise
the making an order to give permanent effect to the experimental
coach stopping points in St. Giles and Beaumont Street, subject
to the Director of Environmental Services in consultation with
the Executive Member for Transport agreeing the detailed design
of the permanent scheme and associated safety measures;
- and
to seek in liaison with Oxford City Council, as Planning Authority,
a long-term solution to the accommodation of tourist coaches.
DAVID
YOUNG
Director of
Environmental Services
Background
papers: Letters of comment placed on Environmental Services file no.
C1928.
Contact
Officer: John Cramer Tel: Oxford 815963
18 February 2002
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