Portsmouth City Borough Council Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation Meeting

No apologies had been received.

No interests were declared.

Hayley Chivers, Acting Transport Planning Manager introduced the report and in response to questions explained that:

At the point of installation, if the car ownership is confirmed, the bay is marked.  If it is not, the team will check again periodically.  The bay marking is done in phases.  Some bays have been unmarked for a while.

The number of charges made at an EV point is monitored, not the number of vehicles using it.

One supplier has recently increased its price and the other is likely to do so soon.

There are no time restrictions on the use of the points.  If there is an issue of overstaying, the council will look to understand the reason.  Letters may be distributed to residents explaining that the points are for sharing.  A financial incentive for overstaying may be introduced if necessary.

More than 300 requests have been received and further funding is being sought. 

DECISION
The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation noted the report.

Gareth James, Future Transport Zone Project Manager introduced the report.

Councillor Stagg noted that problems with scooters can be reported even without the registration number on 0800 376 8179.

In response to questions, Gareth James clarified the following points: 2

Serious injuries that have been recorded in Portsmouth have not been life-changing and affected the user rather than third parties such as pedestrians.

37% of users reported that their use of public transport has reduced since the start of the trial. It is not known whether this is affecting some bus routes more than others. If you don't need a car for the first part of your journey, you may use public transport or walk for the second part.

Respondents were asked how they would have made the journey if they had not used an e-scooter. The percentage of people using e-scooters instead of a car is at the high end of expectations compared with international cities.

Safety is paramount. The first recommendation in the report is to continue to offer the training sessions in more areas of the city and promote helmet use. The report indicates that users feel safer in segregated bicycle lanes, officers are therefore looking more actively into tying in with planned cycle routes.

The number of respondents who said that they used an e-scooter and would recommend others to do so has reduced slightly. The main barrier to using the service that users reported was the availability of parking. Work is ongoing to extend and improve parking facilities.

Surveys tend to attract respondents with strong views on the subject, for or against, and those with more moderate views do not participate as often.

One of the main concerns raised was the use of private scooters.

The best source for accident data is the provider although it is self-reported. Police forces across the county report e-scooter accidents in different ways.

Bike share schemes have recently started in the city and Southampton. The council is looking into what kind of accident comparison could be made.

The Department for Transport is gathering feedback from many stakeholders to shape the legislation that it will introduce in 2024.

Actions

1. More detail will be sought regarding the effect on public transport, who the users are, the journeys they are taking and their mode of transport.

2. The council will talk to the consultancy that is helping with the monitoring and evaluation of the scheme about how to obtain a more representative sample.

3. The Hampshire Constabulary's position on the illegal use of private e-scooters on public land will be reported back.

DECISIONS

The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation:

1.     Noted the information contained in the report on the rental e-scooter trial to date, including Voi's commitment to continue running Safety Skills events and providing complimentary helmets to attendees at the events.

2.     Approved renewal of the Vehicle Special Order (VSO) for Portsmouth's e-scooter rental scheme to 31 May 2024, in accordance with the Department for Transport's new end date, to legally enable the trial to extend beyond its scheduled end date of 30 November 2022.

3.     Approved the extension Voi's contract, initially by 12 months, to enable Voi to continue operating the trial beyond the scheduled expiry of the current Contract Period on 30 November 2022.

4.     Noted that an update of the rental e-scooter trial to date will be brought to a Traffic and Transportation Cabinet Member Decision Meeting in September 2023, as well as any decisions to be made about the service with respect to the remainder of the trial or the post-May 2024 period.

Michelle Love, Safer Travel Manager introduced the report and in response to questions, clarified the following points:

The cycle forum has always given the view that they would like to see contraflow cycling in one-way streets.  Officers give updates on road schemes at the cycle forum meetings. If this scheme is approved, the forum will be involved in the final design.

The resident door knocking was ward specific.

This was initiated by the Milton Ward Councillors and if it is approved, the Central Southsea Ward Councillors can be involved.

There is currently an average of 26 vehicles per hour using these roads.  It is a residential road used by residents.  The traffic volume would be unlikely to increase if this scheme is implemented; however, it will be monitored and if the volume increases, mitigation measures would be put in place to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

£120,000 was identified in the capital budget 2020-21; £40,000 was allocated to this scheme and the remainder to the Active Pompey Neighbourhoods.  It is called a Low Traffic Neighbourhood because it was published and decided on before this scheme came into being. 

The Active Pompey Neighbourhood is in Central Southsea.

DECISION

The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation approved the implementation of TRO 58/2022, to implement a series of one-way streets including contra-flow cycling, following resident engagement and formal consultation.

A written deputation from Ms Ashby against the recommendation had been received and circulated to members prior to the meeting. 

Kevin McKee, Parking Operations Manager introduced the report and in response to questions, explained that:

The measurements in the deputation were inaccurate; however even if they were correct, vehicles would still be able to pass.

The person making the deputation lives opposite the proposed bay and currently parks one of their cars on their hardstanding and the other on the carriageway in front of their dropped kerb.

In one section of this road, vehicles park partly on the pavement on the North side to ensure there is space for traffic to pass.  If a bay were to be implemented outside number 53, it may be that cars will partially park on the pavement opposite i.e. on the South on this part of the road.

There was a disabled bay outside number 45 and the photo in the report shows the markings.  As it is no longer in use, vehicles park fully on the carriageway on the opposite side of the road.  When it was in operation, vehicles would not be parked fully on the carriageway as this would block the road.

Ward Councillors have not made any representations about this application.

The bay would be 1.8m wide.  It would not remove parking; rather rearrange existing parking.

The cost to the resident for off-road parking is likely to cost thousands.  However, there are grants available.  

DECISIONS

The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation:

1.    Approved that the Disabled Persons' Parking Bay in Old Farm Way (outside no. 53) is implemented.

2.    Noted that the remainder of TRO 130/2022 came into operation under TRO 130A/2022 on 15 August 2022, due to no objections being received to those proposals.  Therefore, any proposal approved following this report will be brought into operation under TRO 130B/2022.

Michelle Love, Safer Travel Manager introduced the report and in response to questions, explained that:

The feasibility study was part of the background information and is listed in the appendix.

This scheme fits the criteria for the Local Transport Plan budget because its aim is to reduce speeding and casualties.  The council has a statutory duty to investigate speeding and casualty rates and carry out studies or solutions to bring them down.

Tristan Samuels, Director of Regeneration added that the feasibilities are set and part of the improvement work is doing more detailed design work up front so the costs can be narrowed down.  This is one of the schemes that predate the feasibility improvements that were put in place.

Schemes have always been prioritised.  More work is carried out now to help prioritisation.

Michelle Love clarified that the budget for the feasibility work was estimated at £100,000.  When a detailed design is drawn up, updated figures will be provided.

Langstone Road is 700m long.  The recommended spacing for speed humps is between 70 and 100m.  That is what the pricing was based on.

DECISION

The Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation approved the installation of speed cushions on Langstone Road in Baffins Ward.