Agenda item

To consider a report by the Traffic, Parking and Road Safety Manager (copy attached) to consider the findings of the review undertaken on traffic and parking in ten of the County’s towns and villages.

9.40 a.m. – 10.30 a.m.

 

The Head of Highways and Environmental Services introduced a report (previously circulated) detailing the findings of the Traffic and Parking review and recommended actions being proposed as a result.  The review had been restricted to the ten main retail town centres in the county and explored what traffic and parking related interventions the Council could implement to benefit town centre retail in terms of increased footfall and trade.

 

The report contained two separate elements recommending members support –

 

(1)       the development of the recommended actions for submission to the relevant Member Area Groups (MAGs) for local consideration, and

(2)       further work being undertaken as part of the freedoms and flexibilities budget process to examine the potential of varying parking charges between towns.

 

The Traffic, Parking and Road Safety Manager provided some context to the report and elaborated upon the review methodology and proposed measures to address key findings.  Members discussed the review report with officers and the following points were raised –

 

·        responses to the residents and business community questionnaires issued as part of the review had been encouraging, with a higher than average return rate.  The majority of concerns highlighted in the responses related to vehicles occupying on-street parking spaces for longer than the allocated time.  This had a detrimental effect as it deterred others from stopping/visiting local towns and therefore the local economy suffered

·        there was a need for sufficient short stay parking spaces across the county in order to increase town centre footfall

·        sufficient on-street parking was also required to encourage passing trade and improve the health of the local economy and MAGs would be best placed to determine an appropriate time limit for their particular areas

·        to reap economic benefits an element of incentivising residents/visitors to visit local shops, cafes etc. was needed to entice them into town centres; this in turn should pay dividends

·        enforcement work required to be better managed, avoiding regular patrol patterns in towns.  Enforcement staff also patrol different towns around the county to avoid over familiarity with public/business people which could potentially lead to less rigorous enforcement

·        an appropriate balance should be drawn between rigorous enforcement action, applying a common-sense approach on a case by case basis whilst at all times being courteous and showing respect towards all concerned; the introduction of body worn cameras would positively influence future behaviours

·        there was a need for clear and correct signage in all of the county’s public car parks and also on approaching roads into the towns to ensure traffic was guided into appropriate car parks – particularly in tourist areas such as Llangollen, where tourists could be directed to use outlying car parks to free-up town centre car parks for shoppers

·        a number of members were keen that once the MAGs had discussed and agreed the appropriate actions for their areas, that the respective town/city/community councils be informed of the decisions

·        discussion needed to take place on the advantages and disadvantages of a county-wide standard parking charges scheme or a variable scheme which would suit individual towns’ own needs.  Discussion on future car parking charges would form part of a forthcoming budget workshop session in preparation for the 2016/17 budget

·        any future parking strategy and/or charging policy would need to be sustainable and whilst members were keen for a focus on regeneration rather than income generation officers advised it would have to balance the needs of the local economy against the need for the Council to raise income as part of its general drive to reduce budgetary demand

·        members raised a number of points relating to parking problems within their local areas and there was also some disagreement over a number of the review recommendations and accuracy of the data used, particularly in the Llangollen area.  Officers advised that the majority of those issues had been raised within the study and the detail of how to resolve individual problems would be discussed at length in the respective MAGs in due course

·        whilst there were common issues across all towns a tailored approach to addressing them taking into account local circumstances would be required and it was accepted that MAGs were best placed to debate and determine appropriate traffic management actions for their individual areas – it was resolved to amend recommendation 3.2 of the report to include the need for MAGs to agree the necessary actions

·        various types of car parking incentives and schemes were outlined, including indicative costs of installing and maintaining different types of parking meters, number plate recognition systems, etc.; whilst a number of measures had been explored some were costly and unpopular with the public and in the short term the use of enforcement officers was recommended

·        the potential additional parking pressures in Llangollen as a consequence of the proposed new health centre and supermarket were raised and officers advised that a separate report on managing that traffic pressure had been commissioned, as had a report on traffic and parking management pressures in the town when special events were held at the Pavilion.  Officers agreed to share that report with the Dee Valley MAG when available;

·        members were advised that traffic officers would be contacted for advice once planning applications for Local Development Plan (LDP) developments were received with a view to recommending traffic management plans for the sites due for development;

·        the issue of displacement due to new/revised parking restrictions was discussed and how that could be managed in future as was the availability of coach parks across the county, and

·        members requested information on the annual income generated by each of the county’s car parks.

 

Officers clarified that some of the review elements required local decisions for individual areas but others, such as the varying car parking charges, would need to go through the decision making process for members.  The committee agreed to receive a report back on conclusions of the parking charges review prior to its submission to Cabinet.

 

RESOLVED that the Committee –

 

(a)       receive the report and note the contents of the Review;

 

(b)       support in principle the development of the series of recommended actions in the Review as summarised in Appendix C to the report, including the calculation of indicative costs to each of the actions, and the discussion and agreement of those actions with each of the respective Member Area Groups;

 

(c)        support the undertaking of a further piece of work to examine in greater detail the potential of varying parking charges between towns according to supply and demand as identified by the Traffic and Parking Review, and

 

(d)       receive a further report on the conclusions of the varying parking charges review when available and prior to its submission to Cabinet.

 

[Councillor Rhys Hughes voted against resolution (c) above.]

 

At this juncture (11.20 a.m.) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break.