Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 2, Shire Hall. View directions

Contact: Isabelle Moorhouse  Democratic Services Officer

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

General pdf icon PDF 752 KB

Additional documents:

1(1)

Apologies

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Minutes:

Councillor Jackie D’Arcy who has been substituted by Councillor Sarah Feeney

Councillor Dave Humphreys who has been substituted by Councillor Rik Spencer

Councillor Kam Kaur

1(2)

Disclosures of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests

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Minutes:

None.

2.

Public Speaking

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Minutes:

Mr John Dinnie read out the following statement:

“Chair, Councillors thank you for the opportunity to speak.

I think I understand the problem. The report of the task and finish group (TFG) has been called back for not considering all the evidence. Not adequately giving the detail of the desk top studies and being inconsistent with the Council Plan. Your officer has responded by drawing attention to the Atkins report, re-publishing some of the desk top data and attempting to identify the real problem by referring to a ‘range of policy approaches’. The Task and Finish brief was too narrow. The problem for you is the Atkins Report is low on statistically significant data to conclusively prove the case either way. However, there is enough evidence to reach a conclusion and they do.

Those graphs of modest improvement are telling you this is the right way to go. Just do it better. Don’t accept the Tyranny of the average – emulate the outliers. – Change your recommendation. – Align with Atkins.

In section 12.5:

The DfT Circular 01/2013 is valid. Traffic authorities should implement area-wide 20mph limits on:

• major streets where there are journeys on foot, or cycle and

• residential streets where the streets are being used by people on foot and on bicycles, there is community support, and the characteristics of the street are suitable and there should be no expectation on the police to provide additional enforcement beyond their routine activity. Those are the recommendations you should be going forward with.

For local decision-makers Atkins refers us to section 2.6:

Stressing Integrated Approach – 20mph schemes have the potential to deliver health, environmental and community benefits greater than the road safety benefits. Your officer is pointing you towards the broad integrated policy agenda (involving health, environment, urban planning, emergency services, education, community representatives, complementary transport, and community policy). These reinforce messages about safety, active travel, and associated benefits. Despite the finely balanced data, Atkins is telling you to be bold, like Brighton, to obtain the wider community benefits.

The message is in there – The faster vehicles slow down more. Learn from Portsmouth and Liverpool. Do it but do it better. Thank you very much”

 

Mr David Passingham read out the following statement:

“I’m representing 20’s Plenty Warwickshire but I’m also part of the Shipston campaign. When we started our campaign in Shipston for 20mph a few months ago we were asking for 20mph in the centre of the town only. During research we went to a zoom workshop given by the national 20’s Plenty Campaign. We learnt that United Nations endorses 20mph speed limits where people mix with motor vehicles, unless strong evidence exists that higher speeds are safe. We learnt that 20mph is Government policy. The UK recently signed the Stockholm Declaration with 130 other nations, agreeing on a default 20mph limit wherever cyclists and pedestrians mix with motor vehicles. We learnt that 28 million people live in areas where the Councils have decided  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

3.

20mph Speed Limits - Task & Finish Group Recommendations pdf icon PDF 284 KB

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Minutes:

Councillor Jonathan Chilvers informed the committee that the call-in was initiated because of evidence from the 2013 Department for Transport (DfT) guidance and 2018 Atkins Report; and to enable communities who want 20mph limits in their area get them, and give them clarity on the process and cost with this without any bureaucratic obstruction. The 2013 guidance stated that benefits of 20mph schemes include quality of life, community benefits and encouragement of healthier and more sustainable transport modes e.g. walking and cycling; this was based on research from the previous 10 years. The 2018 report provided evidence and the numbers around this, and it said that within 20mph limits, 5% of people walked more, 2% of people cycled more and around schools, between 6-9% of children cycled to school once a 20mph limit was implemented. Councillor Chilvers stated that this proved 20mph was a modal shift method that worked especially with children. The TFG raised concerns with the speed reduction on 20mph but the Atkins report stated that a 20mph limit would delay journeys by 30 seconds if the journey was one mile and a minute if the journey was five miles. The DfT report said that 20mph had a positive affect on road safety and if residents are in favour then traffic authorities could introduce 20mph speed limits on major streets where there were/could be significant journeys on foot or pedal cycle movements and if this outweighs the disadvantage of longer journey times for motorised traffic. The authority would need to decide whether the disadvantage is outweighed by the benefits. Councillor Chilvers stated the committee should have this discussion. He concluded that the DfT said no additional enforcement should be expected from the police and the local authority would be responsible for reinforcing the speed limit through Speedwatch, flashing signs etc.

 

Councillor Tim Sinclair clarified that the TFG found out that each 20mph blanket approaches (20mph for a whole village/town) in Warwickshire would cost between £34,000-£141,000. Therefore, if every village and town in Warwickshire had a 20mph limit then it would cost £12.7 million. Evidence presented by the officers that 20mph limits in some areas could lead to speed increasing and more accidents if the speed limit is too low and drivers do not follow it. Certain roads are appropriate for 20mph limits, but a blanket approach was not. The TFG received information from ‘20's Plenty’ and officers and the evidence presented was somewhat partial. The TFG’s recommendation was community powered based, all 57 councillors have £35,000 to spend on improving their division including on a 20mph limit, providing it was a sensible proposal. Councillor Sinclair stated that the recommendation’s purpose was to get the members behind their communities and any 20mph limit trials should be run within Warwickshire instead of basing them on evidence from London and Portsmouth.

 

Councillor Jenny Fradgley said that the country was heading towards 20mph limits as this was being set by central government. The new Local Transport Plan focuses on promoting cycling, walking  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.