Report to Cabinet Member for
Communities, Service Delivery and
Improvement
8 October 2015
Subject:
Petition requesting measures to make the roads around
Fairfields School safer for pedestrians.
Status:
Routine Matter for Decision
Report Ref:
Ward(s):
Eastrop
Key Decision:
No
Key Decision Ref:
Report of:
Head of Community Services
Contact:
Barry Ford on extension 2592 or (01256) 845592
email barry.ford@basingstoke.gov.uk
Appendices:
Papers relied on to
produce this report
1. Location plan
Nil
1
Executive Summary
1.1
This report advises the Cabinet Member for Communities, Service Delivery
and Improvement of a petition that has been received requesting measures to
make the roads around Fairfields School safer for pedestrians.
2
Recommendation
It is recommended that:
(i)
the receipt of the petition is noted;
(ii)
30 minutes ‘free parking’ be allowed in Castons Car Park during the start
and finish of the normal school day;
(iii)
neither changes to the existing parking controls on Council Road or
increased parking enforcement in the vicinity of Fairfields School be
accommodated;
(iv) a 20mph speed limit not be progressed as the Fairfields area is already a
20mph Zone; and,
(v)
the petition organisers are advised accordingly.
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PRIORITIES, IMPACTS AND RISKS
Contribution to Council Priorities
This report accords with the council’s Budget and Policy Framework and directly
supports the Council Plan priority of creating neighbourhoods where people feel safe
and want to live.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Term
Definition
MAIN CONSIDERATIONS
3
Petition
3.1
A petition has been received Fairfields School Council. The petition contains
249 signatures and has been signed by pupils, parents, carers, staff of the
school and local residents. Also, 12 ‘tear-off’ slips in support of the petition
were received. The petition states:
“We want to make the roads around Fairfields School safer for pedestrians.
We call on Basingstoke and Deane Council to implement the following;
1. Extend 30 minutes free parking to Castons Car Park to create an
alternative parking place to reduce cars parked next to the school.
2. Review the parking restrictions in Council Road to make bays available as
a drop off point for school children.
3. Traffic wardens to prioritise checking people don’t park on the zigzag lines
or double yellow lines.
4. Consult on introducing a 20mph speed limit around the school”.
3.2
A location plan of Fairfields School is reproduced at Appendix 1.
4
Current Situation
4.1
The highway authority, Hampshire County Council is responsible for road
safety, including traffic calming and school travel planning. Schools
themselves are responsible for reviewing their own travel plans on a regular
basis.
4.2
The existing parking controls at Council Road consist of ‘shared use’ bays
along its western side that combine 3 hour limited waiting with residents’
permit parking. Also, one other bay is allocated to Key Worker permit holders
i.e. staff of the school. Along the eastern side of Council Road there are
double yellow lines and a School Keep Clear marking i.e. a yellow zigzag
marking.
4.3
Short term parking issues occur near to all school sites. Also where a school
has a good reputation and/or serves a large catchment area there is not a
realistic solution to the twice daily influx of vehicles. At school sites where
there are on-street parking controls there are problems with vehicles stopping
on the yellow lines for short periods, at the start and finish of the school day.
However, with a large number of schools across the borough it is only
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possible for the council’s Civil Enforcement Officers to patrol them on a
periodic basis which means that short term parkers are unlikely to be deterred
for any sustained period. Also where the Borough Council has carried-out
parking enforcement operations jointly with the police the situation soon
returns to normal.
4.4
The whole of the Fairfields area that is bounded by Hackwood Road, New
Road and Winchester Road became a 20mph Zone on 1 December 2003.
This low speed Zone has both horizontal and vertical traffic calming features
e.g. speed cushions and/or kerb build-outs that positively influence the speed
of traffic.
4.5
On 23 September 2015 the Cabinet member for Communities, Service
Delivery and Improvement, a ward councillor and an officer visited the school
and met with two pupil representatives of the School Council who were the
designated lead petitioners and the Deputy Head teacher. The lead
petitioners explained the reasons for the petition and the Cabinet member
confirmed that the views of the petitioners would be considered when deciding
upon the petition.
5
Options Analysis
5.1
The council introduced 30 minutes free parking in its short stay car parks in
April 2014. Also, there is already an agreement with Kings School at Sarum
Hill that allows parents dropping-off and picking-up their children to park for
free in both Brinkletts and Sarum Hill long stay car parks during the start and
finish of the normal school day e.g. 8.10 - 8.40am and 3.20 -3.45pm.
Therefore, although not a short-stay car park, arrangements could be made
for parents to have 30 minutes free parking in Castons Car Park to allow them
to drop-off or pick-up their children at Fairfields School. The exact timings will
coincide with the start and finish of the normal school day.
5.2
The parking controls at Council Road currently do not prevent parents from
dropping-off or picking-up their children. On that basis, there is no justification
to provide a specific drop-off facility that would otherwise prove difficult to
enforce due to its short duration. As explained in paragraph 4.3 the absence
of effective enforcement means that such parking controls are likely to soon
fall into disrepute with no real benefit to the parking situation.
5.3
Currently the council’s CEOs patrol the Fairfields School area twice a week as
they are only able to provide attention to this and other school sites
commensurate with their other parking enforcement duties. The possibility of
the council’s CSPO’s having an occasional presence outside the school has
also been examined but, they have no powers to deal with parking and their
core workload prevents such attendance.
5.4
At both entrances to the Fairfields area e.g. via Southern Road or Cliddesden
Road there are regulatory road signs that advise of its 20mph status and
throughout the Zone there are traffic calming features that help to maintain
low speeds. There is no requirement to install additional speed limit reminder
signs throughout the 20mph Zone which would otherwise introduce
unnecessary street clutter in this conservation area.
5.5
While Fairfields School does have a school travel plan it has not been
reviewed for some time. The free 30 minute parking arrangement at Castons
Car Park may serve as the catalyst for a review of the school travel plan.
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6
Corporate Implications
6.1
Financial Implications
6.1.1
There are no financial implications resulting from this report.
6.2
Risk Issues
6.2.1
There are no risks associated with the proposed way forward.
6.3
HR Issues
6.3.1
There are no HR issues resulting from this report.
6.4
Equalities
6.4.1
There are no Equalities issues resulting from this report.
6.5
Legal Implications
6.5.1
There are no legal implications resulting from this report.
6.6
Any Other Implications
6.6.1
There are no other implications resulting from this report.
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Communication and Consultation
7.1
Ward members have been advised of the recommendations contained within
this report and no adverse comments have been received.
7.2
Should the proposed way forward be agreed, the free 30 minute parking in
Castons Car Park (at the start and finish of the normal school day) would be
advertised in the school’s newsletter.
8
Conclusion
8.1
The council is able to meet the first demand of the petitioners and will allow
parents to park free for 30 minutes in Castons Car Park at the start and finish
of the normal school day.
8.2
However, it is not possible to make changes to the existing parking controls on
Council Road or to increase the level of parking enforcement in the vicinity of
Fairfields School. Also, in light of the existing Fairfields area 20mph Zone
there is no requirement to consider a 20mph speed limit.
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