Agenda and minutes

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/137

Contact: Martin Kraftl, Senior Transport Planner Tel: (01865) 815786

Report by Deputy Director for Environment & Economy – Highways & Transport (CMDT4).

The Cabinet Member for Transport considered proposals to change on street parking controls on part of Iffley Road to allow a new stretch of on-carriageway cycle lane to be created and asked whether there was any scope to relax the proposed restriction.

Mr Kraftl advised that with regard to the length of road from the Plain to Circus Street the original proposal had been to impose no waiting at any time and a peak time loading ban.  However, concerns had been expressed about parking and bearing in mind that approximately 74% of cycle flows were between 8 am and 6.30 pm he suggested that it would be possible to bring the Plain to Circus Street section into line with the other sections – i.e. No Waiting 8 am - 6.30pm Monday-Saturday.  That would allow parking in the mornings, evenings and all day on Sunday.  The loading ban proposed for this section would be unaffected by this change and parking outside these hours would not be restricted to permit holders.

With regard to the section from James Street to Bullingdon Road at James Street, southbound cyclists had the option to turn left and use quieter parallel routes via Hurst Street or St Mary’s Road for their journey onwards.  The cycle lane therefore became slightly less important at that point.  The existing permit holder parking bays (approximately 11 spaces) and 1 hour bays (approximately 3 spaces) in this section could therefore be retained.  South of these bays there was a section of double-yellow lines, which the council had already agreed to convert to a single-yellow line to provide some additional parking 6.30 pm to 8 am Monday to Saturday and all day on Sunday.

Having regard to the arguments and options set out in the documentation before him, the representations made to him and the issues set out above the Cabinet Member for Transport APPROVED the changes to the East Oxford Controlled Parking Zone Traffic Regulation Order as advertised and set out in Annex 1 to the report CMDT4 subject to the following amendments:

(a)               the length of proposed new double yellow lines between the Plain and Circus Street be amended to no waiting 8 am – 6.30 pm Monday-Saturday;

(b)               retention of the existing permit holder bays and 1 hour bays on the length of road from James Street to Bullingdon Road (in addition to the previously agreed conversion of the section of double yellow lines south of these bays to single yellow).

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/107

Contact: Neil Timberlake, Assistant Public Transport Officer Tel: (01865) 815585

Report by Deputy Director of Environment & Economy – Highways & Transport (CMDT5).

The Cabinet Member for Transport had been due to consider the future funding for the volunteer car scheme organised by and forming part of the services offered by the Wantage Independent Advice Centre.  However, he had been asked to defer this particular report in view of a proposed review of the community transport strategy to define how these range of services would operate in Oxfordshire and help guide the county council’s investment in services.

Councillor Turner pointed out that this issue had been raised at the Community Transport Association meeting in March and 5 months on there seemed to have been little progress. He asked for details of the timeline for the review and whether finance was time limited to this financial year.

Mr Howell advised that a one off grant of £270,000 had been received and rather than make one off grants to on-going services it had seemed sensible to use part of that resource to develop a community transport strategy and provide a consistent approach to the County’s investment in the dial-a-ride service.  Funding for schemes would, pending a review, continue at their current level with provision for inflation. The project plan was still being developed but work would be completed and operational by the end of the financial year.  Further discussion was due to take place at the Growth & Infrastructure Committee on 23 September 2011 and he confirmed that where an on-going revenue service was being provided that would be considered a legitimate bid and that not all of the finance available would be spent on the strategy. 

The Cabinet Member for Transport AGREED that Item 5 be deferred until the position regarding future provision of community transport had become clearer. He noted that funding for this and other schemes would remain as currently budgeted with an increase of 2.5% for inflation.

RESOLVED:that the public be excluded for the duration of item 6E since it was likely that if they were present during that item there would be disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and specified below in relation to that item and since it was considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information on the grounds set out in that item.

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/068

Contact: Tim Darch, Assistant Public Transport Officer, Tel: (01865) 815587

Report by Deputy Director of Environment & Economy – Highways & Transport (CMDT6E).

The information in this report is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

The Cabinet Member for Transport considered (CMDT6E) a review of:

-                      subsidised bus services in the Wantage, Faringdon and Didcot areas which would, if awarded, be effective from 11 December 2011;

-                      other bus subsidy contracts elsewhere in the county.

Councillor Turner on behalf of Councillor Patrick welcomed the level of support recommended and asked what the expected target saving was for this review.

Mr Field advised that there was an annual savings target but no specific target for each review, which would be considered individually.  2 reviews had exceeded budget but there had been no cutbacks to level of service.  This review offered a considerable saving with little reduction in service and an increase in some areas.

Mr Howell added that severe pressures would be placed on future public transport  budgets and any savings which could be achieved now would help offset that loss.

Having regard to the arguments and options set out in the documentation before him, the representations made to him and the issues set out above the Cabinet Member for Transport APPROVED:

(a)       subsidy for the services described in the report CMDT6E on the basis of the tender prices (and the periods of time) as set out in Supplementary Exempt Annex 2 to that report;

(b)       record that in his opinion the decisions made in (a) above were urgent in that any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would result in service discontinuity and in accordance with the requirements of Scrutiny Procedure Rule 17(b) those decisions should not be subject to the call in process;