Agenda item

The Cabinet member for Tackling Inequality and Resident Services considered a report that sought to report on the outcome of the statutory consultation carried out between 18 October 2023 and 24 November 2023 on the proposed parking and loading changes along parts of West Green Road to ease congestion on narrow sections of road.  The report made recommendations for the making of permanent traffic orders where appropriate following the statutory traffic order making consultation.

1.    To note the effect on parking loss of the changes detailed in 3.2 below and shown in the plans in Appendix A:

·         Loss of 3 permit holder spaces (15 metres in length)

·         Loss of 2 resident permit/ paid for parking spaces (10 metres)

·         Loss of single yellow line parking after restricted hours (237 metres)

2.    To request the approval to proceed to implementation having taken objections into consideration.

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequality and Resident Services:

      i.        To note the summary of responses received to the statutory consultation for the waiting and loading changes in West Green Road.

    ii.        To grant approval in the making of permanent traffic management orders and the implementation of works giving effect to the changes in West Green Road detailed in Section 6.16

Reasons for decision

The proposals were aimed at addressing delays that buses were experiencing when travelling along West Green Road as sections of this corridor were narrow.  The recommendations included removing sections of parking and loading along this corridor, would help mitigate the delay to buses (some of which had been experienced following the introduction of the low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in St Ann’s and Bruce Grove West Green) whilst benefiting all motor vehicles using this corridor, including servicing vehicles.

Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, Haringey Council had a ‘network management duty’ under section 16 in its capacity as local traffic authority.  In simple terms, the duty was to secure “the expeditious movement of traffic including pedestrians and cyclists on the authority's road network”.

To address the identified problems, a traffic management order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 had been proposed.  Under Section 122 of that Act, in carrying out that function, the Council sought to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of vehicular and other traffic (including pedestrians) and the provision of suitable and adequate parking facilitated on and off the highway and have particular regard to (Section 122 (2)):

a)    The desirability of securing and maintaining reasonable access to premises;

b)    The effect on the amenities of any locality affected and (without prejudice to the generality of this paragraph) the importance of regulating and restricting the use of roads by heavy commercial vehicles, so as to preserve or improve the amenities of the areas through which the roads run;

c)    The strategy prepared under section 80 of the Environment Act 1995 (national air quality strategy);

d)    The importance of facilitating the passage of public service vehicles and of securing the safety and convenience of persons using or desiring to use suchvehicles; and

e)    Any other matters appearing to the local authority to be relevant.

Before reaching a decision to make the necessary traffic management order to implement changes to parking restrictions and parking places, the Council must follow the statutory consultation procedures pursuant to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended).

Alternative options considered.

Do nothing:

This option was rejected as it would be against the Council’s network management duty and the Cabinet’s commitment to carry out review of the impacts of the LTNs.