Highways & Neighbourhoods Cabinet Member – Minutes – 7 April 2015

164            (41) HIGHWAYS LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN PROGRAMME OF WORKS 2015/16 – The Director of Places submitted a report seeking approval for the Highways Programme of Works for 2015/16.

Transport capital expenditure was secured through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process.  The council was required to submit an LTP submission to the Department of Transport.  This plan set out transport priorities for the council.  This year had seen the continuation of the third generation of the plans.  They now covered a 15 year period.

As part of the LTP submission, council’s were required to produce a three year implementation plan.  It set out the programme of themes and expected outcomes for the plan over three fiscal years 2014/17.  The report detailed the second year of the plan, 2015/16.

Full details of the proposed Programme of Works was set out in the report and accompanying appendices.

Resolved – (a) That the Programme of Works detailed in the appendices appended to the report be approved; (b) that progress updates be submitted on the delivery of the programme and on the achievement of targets and indicators linked to the LTP process, and (c) that the principle that any current year LTP under spend from 2014/15 be carried forward and added to next year’s programme be supported.

 

165            (42) HUMBER AND WOLDS RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL: VOLUNTARY CAR SERVICE – The Director of Places submitted a report seeking approval for a grant to the Humber & Wolds Rural Community Council (HWRCC).

HWRCC provide a voluntary car service for elderly or disabled people who needed to make essential car journeys but who could not use public transport and had no car of their own or anyone who could otherwise transport them.

The service arranged for volunteers to provide journeys using their own cars.  The user paid the driver’s expenses for the trip, usually a sum between the bus fare and a taxi fare.

The service was based in Barton upon Humber and helped people living in the rural parts of North Lincolnshire.  It provided journeys within the area and to outside destinations such as hospitals.  The service was very highly valued by its users.  Since April 2014, the service was expanded to include Scunthorpe and Bottesford.  The scheme transported 6,193 passengers between April 2014 and January 2015.

The council had granted-aided the service for 18 years.  The money does not go to the users or the volunteer drivers but covers the cost of a paid staff member.  They acted as a broker between the clients who rung up to request transport and the volunteers who provided it.  The funding also covered telephone charges and a share of accommodation expenses.

Resolved – That a grant of £15,000 in 2015/16 to the Humber & Wolds Rural Community Council, to support the Voluntary Car Service, be approved.

166            (43) PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY CONFIRMED ORDERS – The Director of Places submitted a report advising the Cabinet Member of the success rate of Public Rights of Way Orders since 2001.

Public Rights of Way Orders created, diverted, stopped up and/or modified the public rights of way recorded on the definitive map and statement.  This was the legal record of where known public rights of way were located and any associated legal particulars that applied to them.

The report gave details on the process of making an order.  It explained that the council had made 258 orders since 2001.  Of these, notice of 116 were published.  As a result 18 were referred to the Secretary of State.  This in turn led to seven instances of written representations, four hearings and seven inquiries.

Resolved – That the council’s success performance in dealing with Public Rights of Way Orders be noted.

 

167            (44) AMENDMENT TO TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDERS BRITANNIA CORNER, SCUNTHORPE – The Director of Places submitted a report seeking approval to consult and consider amending the traffic regulation orders (TROs) relating to the closure of the Britannia Corner area of Scunthorpe during certain evenings.

A night time road closure in the area around Britannia Corner in Scunthorpe was introduced on a permanent basis in 2010. The key objectives of the night time closure were:

§  To improve the management of public order

§  To improve the management of taxi operations

§  To improve road safety, and

§  To improve the experience of the night-time economy for people visiting the area

The current traffic movement order, shown at Appendix 1 to the report, allowed closure of the road between the hours of 10pm and 4.30am on Friday and Saturday Evenings as well as on the day prior to Bank and Public Holidays, and on the 24, 26 and 31 December.  The barriers were operated by Humberside Police and Nitesafe, following procedures agreed with Safer Neighbourhoods.

Humberside police had formally requested amendments to the times of the road closure and other traffic order to better reflect current circumstances, shown at Appendix 2 to the report.

Resolved – (a) That the request made by Humberside Police to amend the traffic regulation orders relating to the closure of the Britannia Corner area of Scunthorpe during certain evenings be approved, and (b) that the Director of Places be authorised to progress action required to amend the traffic regulation orders.