Agenda item

The Panel received a progress update for noting on the Scrutiny Review into cycling undertaken by a previous iteration of the Environment and Community Safety Scrutiny Panel in 2016. The final report was approved by Cabinet on 18^th October 2016. The Panel had previously received a progress update on the recommendations in January 2018. The report was introduced by Neil Goldberg, Transport Planning Officer and was included in the agenda pack at pages 9-73. The following was noted in discussion of the report:

a.    The Panel noted that, there had been a reduction in the provision of bike hangers across the borough and queried whether this was a budgetary issue. The Panel commented that perhaps there was some capacity to charge users for bike hangers. In response, officers advised that demand out-stripped supply and acknowledged that this was primarily a budget issue. Officers also acknowledged that they were looking into a range of funding options including charging and asking for corporate sponsorship.

b.    The Chair reiterated that a separate schools charter should be developed for Haringey and suggested that this was something the Panel could pick up with the Cabinet Member outside of the meeting. (Action: Chair).

c.    The Chair also raised concerns with abandoned bikes chained to lampposts and urged that they should to be removed as swiftly as possible. Officers agreed to feed this information back. (Action: Neil Goldberg).

d.    Panel members fed back that a number of community representatives had cautioned that the annual bike ride with Councillors had not happened for some time. In response, officers agreed to pick this up and ensure that it took place in future. (Action: Neil Goldberg).

e.    The Panel enquired whether the east/west cycle route would be expanded into Tottenham. In response, officers advised that the future cycle route two would run from Tottenham Hale to Finsbury Park and that they were working with TfL to finalise this. There was also an opportunity to finalise a route from Northumberland Park to Finsbury Park. Officers advised that, in future, there was the potential for a lot more cycle traffic through Wood Green and that this would provide the Council with an opportunity to improve infrastructure in the area

f.     The Panel raised concerns about whether the Transport Forum was adequately engaged with residents in the east of the borough. In response, officers acknowledged that in recent meetings there had been significantly more residents from the west of the borough but advised there were transport groups in place across Haringey.

g.    In response to a question, officers agreed to feedback on what the technical definition of a corner was in relation to parking restrictions and whether there were any measurements used in the definition.  (Action: Neil Goldberg).

h.    The Panel raised safety concerns with the introduction of contraflows in relation to cyclists, as well as motorists and pedestrians. In relation to a question about consultation responses and how these were factored into proposed transport schemes, officers advised that they listened to feedback from residents and that consultation responses were part of the consideration process undertaken by the Cabinet Member.

i.      The Cabinet Member thanked the Panel for their comments and provided some further feedback on the priorities for her portfolio. The Cabinet Member advised that the administration was looking at different ways to fund cycle routes, commenting that they were subsidised for the first three years. The Cabinet Member noted with interest the point about whether a charge could be introduced for bike hangers with an exemption for those that could not afford it. The Cabinet Member also advised that she would take on board the point about inclusivity within the transport forum. The Cabinet Member also suggested that perhaps the Council could assist residents with the cost of purchasing bikes.

RESOLVED

That the Panel noted the progress made to date in achieving the recommendations agreed by Cabinet (Appendix 2 of the report).