Questions from the Public for Written Response:
1) The School Street for Hayes Primary unfortunately did not go ahead. To reduce traffic, improve safety in George Lane and promote active travel in line with Government and TfL guidelines will the council commit to maintenance and improvement of Rookery Lane so that it’s a usable route all year round?
Officers are looking into the feasibility of improving this foot path and have arranged to meet with Ms James to progress this matter.
2) After School Street application was made for George Lane the process for introducing a School Street changed, with public consultation no longer being required. As the process has changed, will the Council agree to a temporary trial of School Street for George Lane?
I am pleased to report that as TfL LIP funding has been reinstated, the promised consultation will be programmed for the coming months.
3) George Lane was earmarked as a School Street, subject to a public consultation which did not happen before TFL withdrew its funding due to COVID-19. If funding becomes available again for active travel via TFL, is Bromley Council in the position to pick up the public consultation and more forward with this much needed proposal?
I am pleased to report that as TfL LIP funding has been reinstated, the promised consultation will be programmed for the coming months.
4) Reference: Department of Transport letter to TfL 30 October 2020, Page 5 For the H2 Funding Period, TfL or the Mayor (as appropriate regarding their respective statutory obligations):
g. Commits to set aside at least £75m within the H2 Funding Period to continue the delivery of healthy streets and active travel programmes including funding for the London Boroughs under the local implementation plan process.
Question: In light of the success of five Bromley borough School Streets and commitment to set aside £75m for active travel would the Committee look again at the possibility of securing Chislehurst Schools Streets, particularly at Mead Road Primary School, in a cul de sac, as are three current School Streets.
As TfL LIP funding has been reinstated, the promised consultation regarding a school street for Hayes School will be programmed for the coming months. Bromley will monitor the ongoing value of the six temporary school streets, plus feedback from the Hayes consultation, before charting a course for any future school streets.
5) HM Government’s Code of Practice on Consultation, July 2008, states “consultations should normally last for at least 12 weeks”. Will the Open Space Strategy 2021-2031 consultation last for at least 12 weeks (unlike the recent Air Quality Action Plan consultation)? If not, why?
It will not. The Council will always consult for as long as is needed, with the length very much depending on the complexities and brevity of the subject of consultation. I was pleased with the level of responses for the air quality action plan, which any council would have been pleased by and if we receive a similar level for this parks strategy, I will equally be delighted, with our initial length of 8 weeks of formal public consultation most probably being adequate but there is always an option to extend if this is deemed as needed. Consultation has been underway for a little while now and arguably our informal consultation will last longer than 12 weeks.
6) During the heavy rains of the past month, several pavements and roads have been flooded, so that it is difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to get past. What procedure should residents follow in order to request the council to take action at these locations?
Specific issues of flooding can be reported using the Council’s website where officers will inspect the matter to determine whether work needs to be undertaken to clear a blockage in the Council’s underground drainage system. Pooling water can also be a result of natural gradients and road camber and may not be due to blockages within the drainage system itself. Where such issues exist, consideration may be given to including the location on our forward drainage works plan.
7) The DfT’s Gear Change clearly states the government’s goal for more active travel. Further it empowers local authorities to take bold decisions to enable this. In light of this, what road changes has the council made that enabled children to more safely cycle to school this term?
Active travel is much more than cycling, you will have seen a number of changes implemented by Bromley Council to support social distancing whilst walking and cycling post June 2020. Bromley Council has for many years encouraged children to try cycling and become more confident and skilled cyclists. Through much of the
summer lockdown, Borough’s cycling instructors were conducting escorted rides, helping new riders know how to safely cycle to school and to work, often over some fair distances. Dr Bike sessions have been very well attended, as people returned to bikes not used for years, and cycle training recommenced for children as soon as it possibly could. Work started back in the summer to introduce some temporary, segregated cycle routes in Shortlands and in Crystal Palace. Work also continues to introduce improved cycling routes in the vicinity of schools in Orpington and in Penge.
8) The 2020 UN Stockholm declaration agreed 20mph (30kph) as a standard for roads where vulnerable road users mix with motor vehicles (also supported by OECD and NICE). Towns, cities, and countries around the world are using this to enable safer active travel. What plans does LBB have to adopt 20mph?
Bromley’s Priorities remain to reduce the incidence of injuries on our roads and provide facilities so residents can make a choice to adopt active travel with the benefits that brings. In light of the lack of evidence that introducing widespread 20mph limits, Bromley has no plans to divert road safety funding etc., to introduce such area-wide 20mph zones. However, in light of evidence that drivers respond better to warnings or regulations where they can see the reason for them, part time advisory 20 limits are being introduced around schools in the Borough, on a case by case basis.
9) In response to a previous question, you wrote “advisory 20mph limit signs are seen as being more effective at alerting drivers to the presence of children in the vicinity of schools at the appropriate times of day”. What evidence has the Council based this assessment on?
Research commissioned by the DfT showed that following the introduction of signed-only 20mph limits the median speed fell by just under 1mph and found no significant change in collisions and casualties. However, other research has found that drivers will respond to signs that warn them of a specific hazard such as a sharp bend or a school when children will be about. Part time advisory 20mph flashing signs near schools appear to have an impact on driver speeds and awareness of danger. These flashing 20 signs are in great demand by schools where poor behaviour by passing drivers is of concern.
10) On the first day of Autumn term, a 13-year-old was hospitalized after he
was hit by a car on Upper Elmers End Road. Is the council considering
measures to make it safer for school students and residents to cross
Upper Elmers End Road?
Yes, a study is underway to identify popularity of travel routes and safety issues in the area, using historical data and traffic counts as well. This study will inform us which routes are the most frequently used and which are the main crossing points and if there are particular issues at any of those crossing points. We can then consider possible measures, subject to the usual review and prioritisation processes and Road Safety Audits. As the home to school journey is just one of the journeys that children will make unsupervised as they progress towards adulthood, it is as important that we skill children to be able to make any journey safely. School Road Safety Officers have therefore held virtual lessons with Eden Park High school pupils to educate them on how to safely cross the road using identified crossing points.
11) Would the Portfolio Holder provide details of numbers of each type of free and discounted travel cards issued by LB Bromley and/or Transport for London to Bromley borough residents, and usage amounts for each type of card charged back to LB Bromley for 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-2020?
This is actually a matter for the Resources portfolio and I do not have this information. I have requested the information that Bromley might hold and will be able to forward this to you in due course. You may need to contact TfL directly to request information they hold.
12) Would the Portfolio Holder kindly provide a detailed update on implementation and completion dates per scheme funded via DfT/TfL Streetspace/EATF Tranche 1, MHCLG RHSSF, and ongoing/ring-fenced LIP3 ; and details of progress per scheme submitted for DfT/TfL Tranche 2 Streetspace funding?
Traffic Engineering LSP Civils Schemes:
– Crystal Palace Park Road semi segregated cycle lane – implemented October 2020
– Thicket Road pedestrian improvements – under construction
– Southend Road Refuge – implemented October 2020
– Homesdale Road Temporary Zebra – construction in November 2020
– Bromley Road/Albemarle Road semi-segregated cycle route – under construction
– Bromley Road Parallel zebra crossing – under construction
– Kent House Road temporary zebra crossing – implemented October 2020
– Beckenham Lane (Valley Primary) temporary zebra crossing – construction in November 2020
School Streets
– Malcolm Road – implemented September 2020
– Dyke Drive – implemented September 2020
– Park road, St Mary Cray – implemented September 2020
– Tillingbourne Green – implemented September 2020
– Hookswood Road – implemented September 2020
– Overbury Avenue – implemented November 2020
School Social Distancing Schemes
– Hawksbrook Lane – implemented September 2020
– Towncourt Lane – implemented September 2020
– Gates Green Road – implemented October 2020
– Social distancing signage around 114 schools –implemented August 2020
Advisory 20mph Around Schools – being installed at present
– Chislehurst CE Primary
– Churchfields Primary School
– Worsley Bridge Primary
– Valley Primary
– Parish Primary
School Social Distancing Schemes– being installed at present
– Farnborough Hill
– Shirley Crescent
– Perry Hall Rd
Town Centre Social Distancing Schemes – installed in July, modified as and when necessary
– Bromley
– Beckenham
– Penge
– Orpington
– Social distancing signage around 33 district centres and shopping parades – implemented June 2020
No Tranche 2 funding has been awarded to London boroughs yet.
13) The ECS Performance Overview notes that the numbers of people killed or seriously injured is not declining. What affect does the council anticipate that reducing the staff in Traffic and Road Safety will have on the numbers of KSI in Bromley?
There are no plans to reduce the number of staff in the Traffic and Road Safety Service and Bromley will continue to work hard to drive down the number of people seriously injured or killed on our streets.
14) Ensuring road safety is a statutory obligation, how does the council plan to replace the missing parking revenue and TfL funding used to fund Traffic and Road Safety team?
TfL funding for road safety has been reinstated.
15) The minutes of the 29 January 2020 meeting noted that Bromley was one of the few Councils committed to measuring procurement omissions. The Portfolio Holder kindly informed attendees at the 29 January meeting that LB Bromley local authority Scope 1 emissions were just 1% of Borough emissions (with a further 1.5% Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions). Typically some 50% of emissions in urban areas are produced by buildings (LBB buildings produce 58% of LBB
emissions- agenda item 3.29) Residential building stock is usually the main contributor. Bearing in mind the legal 2050 zero net emissions target for the UK (and by implication for each LA) what initiatives (such as retrofit to improve energy efficiency – a huge work load, aided by the Green Homes Grant) can LBB introduce now to start working towards 2050 compliance? Examples of initiatives for all LA emissions are evidenced in the Carbon Neutral Nottingham 2028 programme – see: https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/cn2028
Retrofitting the Country’s building stock is a massive undertaking, the National Government has set the ambitious target to achieve the 2050 target. A joined-up approach will be the most efficient way to achieve this target since the target implies nationwide changes and emissions donot stop at borough boundaries; therefore, the most cost-effective changes should be implemented first to have the most significant impact. It is appropriate therefore that the Government sets the context, defines the programmes and Bromley works as a delivery partner. As such, this issue is being addressed at a pan-London level by organisations such as the GLA and London Councils where working groups are currently being set up to develop retrofitting action plans in close collaboration with boroughs, including Bromley. London Councils’ green recovery proposals, Climate Change Programme, and the Green New Deal mission will be the key frameworks/initiatives to guide and support boroughs in the delivery of deep retrofit works. The Council has for decades highlighted the action of individual households in the borough to proactively address their emissions. In the past we were able to award Environment Awards to exemplary projects. It will not be possible to achieve the 2050 target without residents taking personal responsibility and making changes. Therefore: The Council’s website signposts the Simple Energy Advice website that provides advice on ways to save energy in your home. This Government endorsed site advises what action property owners and tenants can take to improve energy efficiency and save money, including information on home energy grants. Recently we have also commissioned a report that has modelled the number of households by EPC bands across the borough. We intend to contact the worst performing households (366 G rated homes) with targeted communications, awareness raising and sign posting to the relevant schemes. The Council is a member of the South London Energy Efficiency Partnership (SLEEP) where our partners operate in the borough providing free energy saving advice to Bromley’s residents to help them saving money whilst staying warm. Services include referrals to national and regional grant funding schemes, debt relief, 1-2-1 sessions, community group sessions, home visits, energy audits, community training in energy assessment programmes and more.
16) As the word “accident” can be extremely upsetting to those bereaved or seriously injured by reckless drivers, would the Portfolio Holder agree Bromley should now follow the Met and Road Peace’s lead and use the word “collision” instead of “accident” when reporting those killed or seriously injured in road traffic incidents?
Given the variety of incidents that can occur on our network, no single term would seem to encompass them all. Typically, the terms of incident and collision are more regularly used as factual descriptions. I am, reluctant to mandate any particular terminology given the range of incidents that occur on our network; however, I would hope that we are considerate of all involved in such incidents.
