Agenda and draft minutes

None received.

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member's judgment of the public interest and if this interest affects their financial position or the financial position of a person or body as described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct and/or if it relates to the determining of any approval, consent, licence, permission or registration in relation to them or any person or body described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct.

It was noted that Cllr Mallett was a member of the London Cycling Campaign and Cllr Beacham worked for Transport for London.  Neither member felt that these declared interests would be prejudicial to the review.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business.  Late items will be considered under the agenda items where they appear.  New items will be dealt with at item 9 below.

None.

By the Chair of the panel.

The Chair welcomed other panel members and representatives local stake holding groups to the meeting. 

The chair of the panel welcomed the opportunity to oversee this review as it was felt that it had the potential to make a real contribution to increasing the number of residents who choose to use sustainable transport.   It was hoped that the  would not only be about encouraging people to walk and cycle, but also the use more sustainable forms of transport such as buses and trains, and encouraging people to use their cars differently or even switch from car ownership to using a car club.

4.3          It was noted that Haringey is quite well-served by public transport, with good bus services, 6 underground stations and a number of overland rail stations which give good links to employment opportunities in the city centre.  But there may be areas of the borough where public transport can be improved or made more accessible. It was hoped that the review may help to identify such areas.

It was hoped that the review would improve the travel options for all transport users in Haringey; helping those who use a car to look at alternatives or to use it less; assess how highways can be improved for cyclists and where more safe and secure cycle parking should be situated; and to examine how the urban environment can be improved to encourage more people to walk.

It was anticipated that the review would hear from both people who use sustainable transport at the moment, to understand how this can be improved (i.e. more cycle lanes, pavement repairs), and those who don’t, so to identify the barriers which people face in choosing to use more sustainable modes (confidence, perceptions of safety and security).  In promoting sustainable transport the review should also consider what impact this may have on the many different communities that live in Haringey.

Whilst it is apparent that congestion needs to be improved locally, the emphasis should be on behaviour change, encouraging people to switch from their cars to more sustainable methods.  What the review will hopefully do is to identify how alternatives can be made as attractive as possible in Haringey to support those people considering to change their travel behaviour. 

To receive a draft scoping report and terms of reference for panel discussion (Martin Bradford, Research Officer, Overview & Scrutiny)

The panel discussed various aspects of the scoping report and the background data provided within it.  The following provides a summary of some of the issues raised by the panel and others present at the meeting. 

Place Survey

Excerpts from the Place Survey were presented to the review panel.  The panel were interested in the findings from the place survey, particularly those which highlighted the comparative ranking of transport as an issue of most concern in Haringey.  The Panel wished to receive further clarification on the methodology that was used for the Place Survey (there was some concern that this was a electronic survey).  It was agreed that this would be presented at the next meeting.

The panel also expressed a desire to see further comparative data from the Place Survey which related Haringey residents’ perceptions of transport issues alongside other London Boroughs.  It was also agreed that this would be presented at the next meeting.

               Agreed: That further details on the place survey as well as comparative data to be provided to the panel.

               Local Implementation Plan

The Panel noted that Local Authorities would begin to develop Local Implementation Plans in the spring of 2010 (subject to the completion of the Mayors Transport Strategy).  This in effect, is the boroughs local transport strategy.  As part of the preparation process, Haringey would be expected to consult widely with local stakeholders and other local interest groups.  It was noted that the timing of the review could be influential in guiding the development and content of the local strategy (through conclusions developed in the review and recommendations contained within final report). 

The Panel noted that process through which LIP funding was administered was being reformed: to simplify the process funding streams were being reduced from 23 to 5 to reduce; to reduce bureaucracy the requirement for LA’s to provide an annual report has been dropped; to create future certainty and planning more funding would be announced in advance.  Overall, the impact was to give LA’s further flexibility as to how they spend the TfL allocation (in relation to the Mayor’s transport priorities).  The panel noted that funding for Haringey from the Local Implementation Plan for 2010/2011 had been set at £2.8m. 

The panel sought further clarification on how budgets were allocated to LA’s through the LIP. It was noted that each year LA were required to outline bids to TfL relaying their transport plans for the year ahead and how they complied with the objectives of the Mayors Transport Strategy.  The Panel noted that under the new funding process, a funding formula had been developed which aims to recognise local needs and apportion funds accordingly.

Cycling

Proportionally fewer people cycle in Haringey compared to our geographic neighbours and to other comparable boroughs.  It was felt that this could be assessed within the review, to help understand why cycling is not as popular in Haringey and how modal share can be improved.  It was noted that there may be other boroughs which appear  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To provide a background briefing on sustainable transport issues in Haringey (Joan Hancox, Sustainable Transport Manager)

Joan Hancox, Head of Sustainable Transport at Haringey Council gave a verbal presentation to the panel which outlined some of the key challenges that face the LBH faces in respect of sustainable transport provision. 

The most significant challenge facing Haringey was the need for structural reorganisation in response to changes in the Local Implementation Plan funding process. The streamlining of the existing 23 funding streams would encourage more integrated and holistic patterns of work across the different transport modes and Haringey’s transport structures should be seen to respond to this.

A further local challenge is that Haringey, along with other boroughs, will soon be required to develop a new Local Implementation Plan.   The LIP is, in effect, a new local transport strategy.  This is a major undertaking which will require significant input from many departments within the Council and will undergo widespread local consultation.  The LIP development process is expected to start in the Spring of 2010.

There is mounting evidence to suggest that behaviour change models (as exemplified through smarter travel initiatives) are more productive in achieving modal change than more traditional methods (i.e. bus and cycle lane provision).   As smarter travel initiatives account for a relatively small part of the transport budget at present, moves to develop this further may also require significant organisational restructuring and financial realignment.  It is hope that the scrutiny review will contribute to this developmental process.

The Panel was concerned that a shift towards smarter travel initiatives need to be preceded by increased capacity and infrastructure development to support people willing to change mode of travel.  It was noted however, modal shift can be achieved through simply challenging people’s perceptions of sustainable methods or by providing more travel information, before any need for major infrastructure investment.

To receive an overview of the financing of sustainable transport provision in Haringey (Joan Hancox, Head of Sustainable Transport)

Joan Hancox also provided the panel with a background briefing on the financing of the sustainable transport service in Haringey.  The total budget for the service is approximately £10m which is obtained through a number of funding streams, most notably through Transport for London (about £4.1m) and investment from Haringey Council (about £5.7m).

Local consultations have shown the importance of local footways and roads and this is reflected in the current capital investment where about 40%-50% of current investment is on roads and footways.  There has also been significant investment in local cycling infrastructure and road safety schemes.

The amount of money which is spent on local behaviour change initiatives (i.e. school travel plans, travel awareness and education) is a relatively small part of the overall budget: probably about 5%.  There is a local perception that more can be achieved with further investment in local behaviour change initiatives (i.e. help to encourage more people out of their cars).  All smarter travel initiatives are currently funded through Transport for London.

The service has a revenue budget of approximately £7m of which the main expenditure items are associated costs for 60 staff (£2.5m) and contactor costs (£1.9m).  It was also noted that about £600k of savings have been achieved from the budget over the past 12 months.

The service is also reliant on fees for income; these are, for example, levied against utility companies that undertake work on the boroughs roads, or businesses that deploy scaffolding.  The authority does not charge for all roads however as some are managed exclusively through Transport for London.  The Panel requested a list of which roads were subject to charging [Agreed see 5.17]

To agree dates and times of future panel meetings.

The panel confirmed future dates of the meeting:

Tuesday 27^th October 7-9pm Committee Room 2, Haringey Civic Centre,

Tuesday 17^th November 7-9pm Committee Room 2, Haringey Civic Centre,

Tuesday 15^th December 7-9pm Committee Room 2, Haringey Civic Centre

To receive late items of urgent business.

None.