Question

Number

Questioner

Supplementary Question (delivered verbally by Mrs Protherough during the meeting).

Question to

SPQ 1

Ms Carole Protherough

Leominster

Have the consulted views of the various stakeholders including: parents students and disabled people who use mobility vehicles - and who may share the two-way cycle lane at some risk on Aylestone Hill - been incorporated into the design. How does a child on a bicycle get from the shared-use footpath, which appears to finish at the entrance of Broadlands Lane to complete their journey safely to arrive at Aylestone and Broadland schools, and how does this destination link to the homes children live in in the local catchment area - the origin of their journey. 

Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee

Response by Cabinet Member Transport and Infrastructure (delivered verbally during the meeting).

Thank you for the supplementary question I will take what you've just said to the officer who's in charge of the design and the consultation process that is currently coming towards an end and ask them to consider your view, as to whether the design is adequate or needs upgrading. We will aim to give you a written response from the officer who is right at the at the heart of delivering this scheme. Thank you Mrs Protherough.

Question

Number

Questioner

Supplementary Question (delivered verbally by Mr Hardy during the meeting).

Question to

SPQ 2

Mr Jim Hardy

Hereford

According to the council's website, local cycling and walking infrastructure plans were introduced seven years ago and most local authorities now have one in place. Even when this Council finally has one in place it is still giving itself 10 years to implement it, how soon does it plan to have a truly comprehensive cycle network in Hereford and how much government funding does it anticipate receiving towards it.

Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee

Response by Cabinet Member Transport and Infrastructure (delivered verbally during the meeting).

Thank you for that question. The LCWIP (Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan) will be delivered on the schedule that we have published. How that is interpreted going forward will be no different to any other council. We have to have an LCWIP in place to be able to get active travel funding, we still await for a number of changes from the new government coming forward as to what their policies are going to be around this, but we are in no different a place to any other authorities at this moment in time as to what we can and can't deliver, but it is all in the mix, we are looking at it we are proactive in it and we will deliver accordingly. Whether or not active travel and cycling is funded to a greater or lesser degree going forward will depend on what is found in that consultation. It is in the mix at the present moment, I can't answer further than, but you will hear in due course what we find with our LCWIP thank you.

Question

Number

Questioner

Supplementary Question (delivered verbally by Mr Milln during the meeting).

Question to

SPQ 3

City Councillor Jeremy Milln

So your response says this Scrutiny Committee had decided it wont now consider the relationship between vehicle speed and active travel, citing the additional benefits (such as accident reduction and liveability) for not doing so, when normally these would be the reasons for doing so.

It is frankly astonishing this Committee is not currently minded to consider the enormous cost, health and public safety benefits for active travel which accrue from addressing vehicle speeding. More than four years has elapsed since Full Council passed the motion to progress this. I therefore ask again will this Committee seek to bring this work back on track with an appropriate recommendation to support active travel by urgently investigating area wide urban 20mph including around schools and accident blackspots?

Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee

Response by Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee (delivered verbally during the meeting)

The committee hasn't given up on the topic of 20mph speed limits, in fact it is still very interested in looking at it, but it wants to look at it in a different way. We have had discussions on it within the committee and while we haven't taken the specific link between the 20mph speed limit and active travel forward today, what we are minded to do is to look at speed limits generally in the context of road user safety - that's of particular concern to me as a pedestrian, because I do find speeding of real concern when I'm actually walking into Ross or walking out of Ross. So, what the committee has done, it hasn't stopped its investigation of 20mph speed limits, what it wants to do is to look at it in a different context and that will be a candidate for our work programme next year. I can assure you we have not lost sight of it, we are just going to look at it in terms of road safety measures next year. I hope that's that satisfies your concern.

Question

Number

Questioner

Supplementary Question (via email)

Question to

SPQ 5

Mr Peter McKay

Leominster

If you will not scrutinise the identified issue of concern in isolation, my suggested topic having being accepted by the Government Support Team and passed to your committee for scrutiny, will you scrutinise the upkeep of highway and path records in general, this not having been covered by your earlier scrutiny of public right of way matters, with it reported in Hereford Times in April this year that some applications for corrections are still undecided after 27 years, if you will persue your seeking a change to the legislation to enable a more efficient process to be used, with a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan being raised that will require accurate information?

Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee

Response by Chair of Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee

The Chair thanked Mr McKay for his question and gave an assurance that the committee would consider whether or not to incorporate the suggested topic as part of its work programme.