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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE HELD ON WEDNESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2007
PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE MINUTES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED AS A CORRECT RECORD AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO AMENDMENT
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE HELD ON WEDNESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER 2007 AT 7.00 P.M. AT THE TOWN HALL, 9 DEVON SQUARE, NEWTON ABBOT
PRESENT Councillor Mrs D. Watts (Chairman) Presiding
Councillors Mrs C Bunday
H Cole
D Corney-Walker
C Davieson
Mrs A. Fry
M Hocking
D Howe
R Leeper
K Lewis
Mrs S Maddicott
K Purchase
A Vizor
Co-opted Members
Mr John Hartley of the Newton Area Cycling Club
By Invitation
Bob Jones, Project Engineer (South), Devon County Council/Environment Department
Andrew Ardley, Transport Planner, County Council/Environment Department
Derek Moss, Traffic Engineer (South), Devon County Council/Environment Department
Peter Grainger, Area Manager, Sustrans
In attendance:
Representative of the Press: John Balment Mid Devon Advertiser.
264. APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs G. Gaskell and K. Smith.
265. MINUTES
The Minutes of the Meeting of the Transportation Committee held on 11th July 2007 were received and signed as a correct record.
The Committee noted correspondence reported by the Clerk which had been received in relation to minutes 210 Car Parking; 213 Bus Information Strategy 2006 2011 (bus stop at Whitehill Close) and 215 Bus Shelters (adjacent to the bus station and market).
266. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Connect 2: Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton
The Committee received a presentation from Mr Peter Grainger of Sustrans regarding the Sustrans Connect 2 bid for Big Lottery Fund Money for the Newton Abbot Kingsteignton proposals for new cycling/walking links and improved local network.
Members noted that Sustrans was a sustainable transport charity located in Bristol which promoted walking and cycling measures. It worked with many other organisations in providing national cycle and walking routes. Locally it was working closely with both Teignbridge district and Devon County Councils.
Connect 2 was one of four final projects to be competing for £50m from the Big Lottery Fund. Others were the Eden Project in Cornwall; Sherwood Forest; and an urban park for the Black Country in the Midlands. The Connect 2 project comprised 79 schemes nationwide. The local project included a new path from Kingsteignton to Newton Abbot alongside the racecourse and railway, with a bridge over the River Teign; a path alongside the river and canal pass under Newton Road; and a path across the railway and fields from Aller and Milber to Decoy, including a crossing of the A380 Torquay Road.
Competition for the £50m fund will commence on Monday 26th November involving programmes on ITV television. The Connect 2 programme being on 4th December at 11.00 p.m. A round-up programme will be held on 7 December and a likely winner of the phone-in/text voting to be carried out until 9th December with the successful project being announced during the following week.
Mr Grainger concluded by explaining that over the following weeks there would be a considerable amount of publicity encouraging the public to vote for this project, particularly targeted at schools. The Chairman then invited Members to ask questions of Mr Grainger and make comments, as follows:-
Projects/development by lottery was not a appropriate way to provide the infrastructure;
The fund should be spread among all the projects rather than the whole fund being awarded to one;
Expressions of disappointment that the TV programmes were to be shown late at night;
Loss of public confidence of phone-in voting schemes.
In response to a question, Mr Grainger explained that as the only national project left he was confident it could be successful. At the conclusion of discussion on the item, the Chairman thanked Mr Grainger for his attendance whereupon he left the meeting.
267. TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
The Chairman welcomed the Project Engineer (South), Devon County Council/Environment Department, Mr Bob Jones, to the meeting who had been invited to discuss activities being carried out by Devon County Council to identify the extent of traffic congestion issues in Newton Abbot and possible remedies (minute 217(b)/9/07 refers). Mr Jones introduced his colleagues Mr Andrew Ardley, Transport Planner and Mr Derek Moss, Traffic Engineer (South).
Mr Ardley commenced the discussion by circulating to the Committee two documents, one entitled Developing a Transport Strategy for Newton Abbot and the other am extract from the Devon Local Transport Plan 2006 2011 relating to the Newton Abbot Area. He explained that although the current Plan was for a period of five years, the Regional Spatial Strategy will be for a period of 20 years to 2026. Consequently, the Newton Abbot Transport Strategy and Teignbridge Local Development Framework will be required to also be for 20 years. Mr Ardley then explained to the Committee the following Key Issues in developing a Transport Strategy for Newton Abbot:-
Managing growth of housing and employment on top of any growth in travel;
Enable redevelopment of the town centre;
Bus station capacity and enhancement;
Intensification of land uses at Brunel Industrial Estate;
Air Quality Management in and around the town centre.
Other areas covered by the document were:-
How do we measure congestion?
Data and information used;
Current schemes in progress or in preparation;
Work currently being undertaken on the Strategy;
One-way system issues.
In response to comments by Members, Mr Moss explained in detail issues relating to one-way traffic systems, where they are appropriate and inappropriate, and in particular what would, in his opinion would improve matter sin Newton Abbot. Mr Moss explained issues relating to traffic movements, preferences of the bus companies, surveys carried out on journey times and practical studies. He also explained that what had been found in Newton Abbot involved the following:-
Problems with junctions and the links between them;
Correlations with school runs and pedestrian crossing points;
Urban traffic control and signalled junctions;
Car parking, both on and off-street.
The Chairman then invited Members to ask questions and make comments to the County Council representatives, which included the following:-
Long-term planning with a view to building a rim around the town taking into account the effects of future development;
One-way systems;
Improvements created arising from the ASDA development, problems with Balls Corner, further pedestrianisation of Queen Street;
Further problems likely to be caused by the new hospital and jetty Marsh Phase II/III;
The Kensington experiment;
Cycleways and narrow pavements and roads.
At the conclusion of discussion on the item, the Chairman thanked the County Council representatives for their extremely interesting and enlightening presentation, whereupon Mr Ardley & Mr Moss left the meeting.
268. NEWTON ABBOT PEDESTRIANISATION PRIORITY AND ENHANCEMENT WORKS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
The Project Engineer (South), Devon County Council/Environment Department, Mr Bob Jones, gave a progress report and answered Members questions on the works being carried out in Lower East Street, Highweek Street and Market Street and Bank Street. It was explained that with regard to Phase 2 (Wolborough Street) there was a possibility it could be let to the current contractor.
Members raised issues relating to the future use of Highweek Way by pedestrians and buses; closure of Bank Street; and bus engines left running at the bus terminal.
269. ROAD SAFETY AND CYCLING MATTERS
(a) The following issues were raised by the Newton Abbot Cycle Club: -
Cycling route along Ashburton Road;
Welcoming the Milber Decoy crossing;
Support for the cycle route from Kingsteignton but problems with crossing the railway line.
(b) Members raised and noted the following issues:-
Widening of the Ashburton Road;
A cycleway map was to be produced in 2008.
270. LOCAL TRANSPORT FORUM
(a) Meeting
The Chairman of the Local Transport Forum, Councillor Mrs Daphne Watts presented the Minutes of the 9th Meeting of the Newton Abbot Local Transport Partnership held on 24th October 2007 and stated that it was a very useful meeting with representatives of the bus companies present making if extremely informative.
This report was received and noted.
(b) Matters arising
The Clerk reported that in connection with item 5(d) a response had been received that the disabled convenience was in working order and accessible but only with a Radar key.
271. BUDGET REQUIREMENT 2008/09
The Town Clerk requested the Committee to consider its budget requirements form 2008/09. Following discussion it was unanimously
RESOLVED that the Finance & General Purposes Committee be requested to provide the sum of £250 in the precept for 2008/09 in order to cover the cost of repairs to bus shelters and any other likely expenditure.
272. STRATEGIC WORKING PARTY
The Committee noted report of Strategic Working Party meeting held on 18th October 2007 (previously circulated).
273. CORRESPONDENCE
Devon County Council Delivery of Parish Lengthsman Service and Fly-Posting on the Public Highway
The Committee received and noted a letter from Devon County Council regarding delivery of Parish Lengthsman Service and fly-posting on the public highway.
With regard to fly-posting on the public highway, the Committee discussed the powers of the County and District Councils in dealing with advertising from vehicles adjacent to the highway. The Project Engineer (South) reported that meetings were taking place between the two principal authorities to work together to control such abuses.
274. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
It was agreed that the next meeting of the Transportation Committee would be held on Wednesday 27th February 2008.
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Chairman