Portsmouth City Borough Council Cabinet Member for Transport Meeting

Apologies were received from Councillor Brian Madgwick, with Councillor George Madgwick attending as his representative.

There were no declarations of interest.

Gareth James, Transport Strategy Team Leader, presented the report, the purpose of which was to provide an update on the operation of the existing rental e-scooter trial and recommendation for continued participation in the extended trials as announced by Department for Transport (DfT). The report also recommended moving to a sole operator model for shared micromobility (rental e-scooters, bicycles and electric bicycles) in Portsmouth and set out the process for achieving this.

Gareth highlighted that the scheme had enabled rental bikes and e-scooters to be introduced in a controlled and safe manner and that they were a popular addition for travel options on shorter journeys. In addition, it had supported the ambitions of Portsmouth's Adopted Transport Strategy 2021 - 2028, particularly policy C.

Gareth also stressed that not extending the trial may mean that the Council and its residents would no longer experience the positive outcomes whilst some negative outcomes may be anticipated.   The illegal use of private scooters would continue even if the rental scheme were to end and could potentially increase as those who had come to rely on the rental e-scooters may use private e-scooters instead.

Members' questions

In response to member questions, officers clarified:

·         The rental scheme trial was originally scheduled to end on 30 November 2021, but the Government had extended the trial three times and it was now scheduled to end in the summer of 2026. 

·         The tender process may result in an operator that is not VOI as it will be between operators on the framework which includes VOI and Beryl.

·         The specification being drawn up was based on the feedback and evidence on all the different aspects of the scheme.   This included that it should be a fully docked scheme.

·         Safety had been a key focus for Portsmouth and Solent Transport in its monitoring and evaluation of the trials.  They were confident the data on safety was accurate which was from the operators with a cross check being carried out to ensure data is not being missed.

·         An exercise commissioned by a consultancy called TRL, in relation to data collection, was detailed in the report at 3.22.  This would be a representative piece of sampling across Portsmouth, Southampton, and Isle of Wight to encompass different demographics and both users and non-users.

·         In relation to enforcement, positive talks had been held with local Police who had informed they may be moving to a more robust enforcement regime for illegal e-scooters.

·         With regard to a new legal framework for e-scooters, there was work going on at the DfT at officer level.  The understanding was that they were planning to run a consultation with the public on what the regulatory framework for private e-scooters should look like.

·         Voi ran a backward engineering exercise to ascertain the split between public reports of misuse and Voi reports of misuse.  The vast majority of reports were from Voi operatives on the street.  There had been a slight upturn in public reports.

Member comments

Members were keen that a docked system for e-scooters and bikes should continue.

Members requested that recommendation 4, be changed to include consultation with the Cabinet Member and opposition spokespersons to ensure the specifications for the new operator were acceptable.  This was agreed.

Members suggested that a link straight through to the Voi app to report misuse could be added to the My Portsmouth App to aid improved reporting levels from the public.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Transport:

1.    Approved the renewal of the Vehicle Special Order (VSO) for Portsmouth's rental e-scooter trial until 31 May 2026, in accordance with the DfT's new end date for its national trials.

2.    Approved the extension of Voi's contract to operate the rental e-scooter scheme by one month, from its current expiration date of 31 May 2024 to 30 June 2024, to align its end date with that of Beryl's current operating contract for bike share;

3.    Approved Portsmouth City Council leading a Solent Transport procurement to select a sole micromobility operator for all existing Solent schemes from summer 2024 onwards;

4.    Delegated authority to the Assistant Director of Economy, Planning and Transport to continue to implement the rental e-scooter trial within the parameters established by the VSO and DfT until 31 May 2026, and, in consultation with the Assistant Director for Procurement, and the Cabinet Member for Transport and Opposition spokespersons, for Portsmouth City Council to award and enter into an operating contract with the highest scoring tenderer identified through Solent Transport's procurement.

Alison Lawlor, Operational Transport Planner, presented the report, the purpose of which was to consider the public response to the proposed parking and waiting restrictions in several locations in Portsmouth.

Members' questions

There were no questions.

Members' comments

As the local ward councillors were happy with the proposals, members were happy for them to go ahead.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Transport:

1.    Approved the proposed No Waiting At Any Time restriction in Sennen Place adjacent to No. 36;

2.    Approved the proposed removal of the permit holders only 4:30 - 6:30pm bay outside No.8 Pepys Close to facilitate off road parking facility;

3.    Noted that the remainder of TRO 26/2023 is being brought into operation under TRO 26A/2023 and is in the process of being implemented.  The approved proposals in this report will be brought into operation under TRO 26B/2023.

Liam Norman, regeneration, presented the report, the purpose of which was to provide an update on the trial permitting private hire vehicles (PHVs) to utilise five bus lanes, which were approved at the meeting of the Traffic and Transportation Cabinet Member on 5 July 2022 and subsequently implemented on 14 November 2022, and to recommend next steps for the trial.

Liam noted the report detailed the current status of the trial and the data collected, and it covered recommendations for the future of PHVs in Portsmouth's bus lanes.

Deputations.

Bruce Hall - AquaCars, in favour of the report.

Portsmouth Cycle Forum provided a written deputation which had been circulated to members at the meeting. 

Deputations are not minuted but can be viewed here: Agenda for Cabinet Member for Transport on Tuesday, 30th January, 2024, 2.30 pm Portsmouth City Council

Members' questions

In response to members' questions, officers clarified:

·         Road safety audits will be carried out on future proposed sites, including Tangier Road.  Until these are completed, it would not be possible to say what restrictions will be placed on those bus lanes.

Members comments

Members were happy with the report and agreed with the recommendations.

Members considered taxis and private hire vehicles to be part of the Council public transport strategy.  Of note was that the concession to use bus lanes was only available to Portsmouth City Council licensed private hire vehicles to incentivise licensing with Portsmouth City Council to keep standards high and maintain the safety of residents and drivers.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Transport:

1.    Approved making permanent the provisions of Portsmouth City Council (Various Roads)(Bus Gates and Bus Lanes)(No.184) Experimental Traffic Regulation Order 2022 permitting Portsmouth City Council licensed PHVs to continue to utilise the five bus lanes that were included in the trial, as specified in section 3 of the report;

2.    Approved commissioning independent Road Safety Audits to assess the implications of Portsmouth City Council licensed PHVs being permitted to utilise a further 22 bus lanes, as specified in section 8 of the report, and to determine the necessary mitigation measures and implementation costs;

3.    Approved the ongoing monitoring of road safety and air quality data for the five bus lanes that were included in the trial to help inform any future plans to permit Portsmouth City Council licensed PHVs to utilise more bus lanes.

Michelle love, Safer Travel Manager, presented the report, the purpose of which was to consider the implementation of the proposed one-way street within Beverston Road, Paulsgrove as outlined in Appendix A of the report.

Members' questions

There were no questions.

Members' comments

Members were in full agreement with the report and the recommendations.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Transport approved the implementation of TRO 115/2023

Simon Bell, Principal Public Transport Officer, presented the report, the purpose of which was to provide updated recommendations for concessionary bus passes reimbursement to bus operators in 2024/25 in accordance with the new guidance issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) on 30 November 2023.  He noted the change in the DfT guidance at Appendix A which listed all the categories, and that Portsmouth City Council falls within the medium urban category.

Members' questions

There were no questions.

Members' comments

Members were pleased to see that hospital appointment journeys had been made permanent.

Members were pleased that Portsmouth City Council fell within the medium urban category which was the best financial position for the city.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Transport:

1.    Noted the contents of the report;

2.    Approved that the bus operator reimbursement rate to continue using actual journeys made with a concessionary pass from 1 April 2023 using the revised guidance from the Department for Transport (DfT);

3.    Approved that the Council will use Medium Urban Discount Fare Factor to reimburse bus operators;

4.    Approved that any unallocated concessionary travel budget be used to meet the cost for supporting non-commercial bus services during 2024/25 following DfT guidance;

5.    Approved making the free travel to hospital appointments permanent noting the results of the trial.

6.    Delegated authority to the Cabinet Member for Transport in conjunction with the Assistant Director for Economy, Planning and Transport and the S151 Officer, to make any necessary changes within the allocated budget.

Michelle Love, Safer Travel Manager, presented the report, the purpose of which was to consider the objections to the Traffic Regulation Order 298/2023, Old Portsmouth Waiting Restrictions.

Michelle provided a verbal update on the Peacock Lane, raised table.  She advised that following the radar survey it had been discovered that there would not be sufficient water runoff as the land was almost flat and this would create a risk of ponding in the area.  The road width was 0.45m less that the ordnance survey mapping which means the area would be more congested than thought.  To rectify these issues, new drainage would need to be installed which would involve diverting some of the underground utilities at extra financial cost.  The recommendation was to remove this item from the scheme. 

Deputations

Anna Koor, FOOPA - supporting.

Robert Comlay - supporting. 

Sharon Morris - provided a written deputation which was circulated to members.

Deputations are not minuted but can be viewed here: Agenda for Cabinet Member for Transport on Tuesday, 30th January, 2024, 2.30 pm Portsmouth City Council

Councillor George Madgwick left the meeting at 15:26 during the deputations.

Members' questions

In response to members' questions, officers clarified:

·         A meeting had been held with FOOPA in relation to speeding on the High Street as there were differing opinions on which method of data collection should be used.  Portsmouth continued to use the method of speed data and evaluation that was commonly used across other local authorities and other constabularies.  FOOPA's opinions and evidence had been considered when making recommendations.   The raised tables would have the benefit of reducing the speed along the road.

Members' comments

Members were satisfied with the proposals as ward councillors had been consulted and were also happy.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Transport:

1.    Considered the objections to the Traffic Regulation Order for the Portsmouth City Council (Old Portsmouth Waiting Restrictions)(No.298) Traffic Regulation Order 2023 and Public Notices:Proposed Road Hump, High Street Old Portsmouth and Broad Street bus stop removal;

2.    Approved that the provisions of the Portsmouth City Council (Old Portsmouth Waiting Restrictions)(No.298) Traffic Regulation Order 2023 be made;

3.    Approved the Public Notices:Proposed Road Hump, High Street Old Portsmouth and Broad Street bus stop removal;

4.    Noted that the proposed Peacock Lane raised table is under investigation due to drainage requirements and that this information will be brought to a future Transport decision meeting if a verbal update is not available on the 30^th January 2024.