Questions from the Public for Oral Response:
1) I am a resident of Tylney Road, and for years, cars have been driving too fast down the road. There have been several times where I’ve nearly been hit by speeding cars due to lack of visibility. Will the Council commit to reducing speed on Tylney Road, and how?
The Council has installed traffic calming measures on Tylney Road, including a raised table and school-time 20mph flashing signs. Parked cars in Tylney Road also help reduce the speed of traffic. Speeding motorists are a police responsibility.
Supplementary: What action has the Council taken to protect school children in the vicinity if Tylney Road. If no action has been taken, what action will be taken in the future?
I can only repeat what I have just said. We have put in a raised table, we have also put in 20mph flashing signs. I drive down Tylney Road all the time. The fact that there are parked cars on both sides and by the junction of the mini roundabout does actually mean that traffic slows down. If there are problems on occasion with speeding traffic, I suggest that you talk to your Ward Councillors who will be members of your local Safer Neighbourhood Team Committee and they will raise the matter directly with the police.
2) There are two blocked drains or gullies in the High Street outside number 172, the site of the old Harvest Moon Pub. These are continually blocked and cause severe flooding in the road and pavement after it rains. How often are these gullies and drains cleared and when was such cleaning last carried out?
All 35,000 roadside gullies in the borough are scheduled for cleaning at least every
other year. Some gullies including the ones on the High Street need traffic
management to carry out safely the work. The two gullies are on our work
programme planned for overnight on 23rd January 2023, when the problem will be
investigated.
Supplementary: The two drains opposite 172 High Street are often blocked. How often are drains cleared? When were they last cleared? I would like to thank Cllr Kim Botting for escalating the matter.
The drains have been cleared out. If there continues to be an issue with flooding then please report it again. This can be reported to your Ward Councillor or to myself.
3) Following the snow in mid-December, I found it difficult as a pedestrian to walk to school due to ice on the pavements, and slipped over once due to it. This was also dangerous for elderly people, who find it difficult to keep their balance. Why didn’t the Council grit pavements?
The Council are unable to treat all footways following snowfall. Priority treatments are based on the following criteria
– Transport interchanges e.g. railway stations, bus terminals and routes to them;
– Town centres
– Outside schools and safer routes to schools (walking bus routes)
We have a ‘Snow Friends’ programme, where residents are able to assist in snow clearing and spreading salt on local footways
Supplementary: I have been told that there are not enough volunteers for ‘snow friends’ and some of those who are volunteers did not receive their supplies on time. Why was this? When we have very cold weather, will the Council not commit to gritting pavements and shop fronts to ensure safety?
We can’t afford to grit every road in the borough. The priorities have been set over
many years and they are the right ones.
Questions from the Public for Written Response:
1) On the Council’s web page ‘Sustainability Reports’ you have used the Govt statement on climate change, but replaced the phrase “due to human activity” to “influenced by human activity”. Please confirm that the Council accepts that human activity is the dominant cause of climate change with more than 95% probability as per the IPCC 5th Assessment Report.
https://www.bromley.gov.uk/sustainability/sustainability-reports
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/climate-change-explained
https://www.democracynow.org/2013/9/27/headlines/ipcc_scientists_now_95_certain_climate_change_caused_by_humans
In our recent sustainability report we cited that ‘climate change is influenced by human activity’. This statement refers to the fact that a large amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are caused by human activity, thus human activity is a significant factor influencing climate change. The overwhelming scientific consensus, including the study cited by the IPCC, points to there being a high probability that human activity is the dominant driver of climate change.
2) I understand that the Committee re-examines their Risk Register before every meeting. Was the issue of extreme heat and the potential of wildfires specifically addressed in the latest review? What was the outcome of the deliberations?
The Council maintains risk registers at several levels across the organisation. The risks created by the extreme heat that was experienced this summer, including the risk of fire, were raised at a service level where applicable, with our grounds maintenance and arboricultural risk registers, for example, being updated and our contractors reviewing and updating their risk assessments accordingly.
3) Cllr Bennett has described himself as a motorist, cyclist and pedestrian. The Council also states road safety is their no.1 priority. How does this correlate with Bromley’s consistent opposition to 20mph roads, bollards, traffic calming, LTNs, zebra crossings, or any other
measure which hinders or slows motor traffic within the borough?
Bromley is committed to road safety and invests finite resources where they are most likely to save lives – be that through targeted road safety education programmes or engineering measures at cluster sites. There is no opposition to zebra crossings (many of which have been installed in recent years) or traffic calming where a need is identified..
4) Bromley has the highest levels of car ownership in London. Thicket Road, in SE20 endures over 1million vehicles passing through it per annum (3,500 per day). Traffic on this residential road has more than doubled in a decade. Speeding is habitual and cycling and walking is an unpleasant experience. Does the council intend to do anything to address car dominance in the borough?
The Council has a published plan through which it seeks to facilitate safe travel by whichever means is most suitable for our residents. Artificially preventing traffic from using one road simply displaces a problem elsewhere. Where road safety issues are identified they will be addressed on a priority basis. Speeding vehicles is a police responsibility.
5) In view of the very serious on – going climate change conditions, what plans do the council have to reduce traffic pollution and car use, and encourage the use of more measures such as car clubs?
As set out in the Council’s Transport Plan, the Council invests in measures to support sustainable transport to give residents as much choice as possible as they travel around the Borough. There have been a number of zebra crossings, refuges and cycle routes introduced
in recent years. The popularity and impact of car clubs was severely hampered by Covid (people were much less willing to share cars with strangers) but the Council will continue to support their introduction where viable.
6) When was the lake at Kelsey Park last dredged and what was the cost?
The Council does not appear to hold records on when the lake was last dredged.
7) Please describe the basis for the calculation of the £2million item for dredging of the lake in Kelsey Park in the Capital Programme Paper discussed at the Executive on Wed 18 January, including what lakes at Kelsey Park are included.
The cost estimate is based on an early contractor involvement report produced by Land & Water, an environmental civil engineering firm, who undertook an initial assessment of the work required to remove silt from the Upper and Lower Lakes and from the silt trap in Kelsey Park in June 2022.
8) Can the Portfolio Holder provide an update on progress with the installation of a perimeter fence at Hoblingwell Wood Recreation Ground as this was a commitment made when planning permission for the cycle track was approved in 2021?
The Council was hoping to fund a perimeter fence at Hoblingwell Recreation Ground, however when costs for this fence were refreshed in summer 2022, prices were in excess of £50k, with an upper estimate for a full metal fence near to £190k. These costs are considered prohibitive within available budgets and therefore alternative options for increasing safety and reducing anti-social behaviour are being considered, including funding potential repairs to the floodlighting. Security arrangements at the site are kept under review, with action being taken within the available budget. We will also continue to look at opportunities to raise the necessary funds to install a perimeter fence.
9) Risk Register title : Climate Change, (ID Ref. 22) Existing Controls in Place to Mitigate Risk of Flooding.
The Register relies on 2 documents as Existing Flood Mitigation Controls (3) : – Bromley’s Surface Water Management Plan, and Local Flood Risk Strategy. Updated copies, are currently unavailable on the Council’s website, and written requests to officers, including the Director of Corporate Governance on 9/12/22 have not been productive. Do these documents exist?
Original versions of these documents do exist, and I’ll ensure that you are provided with copies.
10) Re. Agenda item 11
Given the ECS Performance Overview indicates that 82 schools currently have Travel Plans, would the Portfolio Holder kindly provide a list of those schools with details of issues that each school has included in its Travel Plan, for example the parking and road safety issues outside Warren Road Primary School – https://warrenroadprimary.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2021/08/STARSTravelPlan18062019-1.pdf
Please see the below list of schools with an approved travel plan:
Each school travel plan is the property of the individual school and can only be provided by the school itself.
- Alexandra Infants School
- Alexandra Junior School
- Babington House School
- Balgowan Primary School
- Bickley Primary School
- Biggin Hill Primary School
- Bishop Justus School
- Blenheim Primary School
- Breaside School
- Bromley High School
- Bullers Wood Boys School
- Bullers Wood School
- Burnt Ash Primary School
- Charles Darwin
- Chelsfield Primary School
- Clare House Primary School
- Coopers Technology College
- Crofton Infant School
- Crofton Junior School
- Darrick Wood Infant School
- Darrick Wood Junior School
- Darrick Wood School
- Downe Primary School
- Eden Park High
- Elmstead Wood Primary School
- Farnborough Primary School
- Glebe School
- Gray’s Farm Primary School
- Green Street Green Primary
- Harris Academy Orpington
- Harris Girls Academy Bromley
- Harris Primary Academy Beckenham
- Harris Primary Academy Beckenham Green
- Harris Primary Academy Kent House
- Harris Primary Academy Shortlands
- Hawes Down Primary
- Hayes Primary School
- Highfield Infant School
- Highfield Junior School
- Holy Innocents RC Primary School
- Keston CE Primary School
- La Fontaine Academy
- Langley Park Boys School
- Langley Park Girls School
- Langley Park Primary School
- Leesons Primary School
- Mead Road Infant School
- Midfield Primary School
- Oak Lodge Primary School
- Parish CE Primary School
- Perry Hall Primary School
- Pickhurst Junior School
- Poverest Primary School
- Pratts Bottom Primary School
- Raglan Primary School
- Ravens Wood School
- Red Hill Primary School
- Riverside School
- Scotts Park Primary School
- Southborough Primary School
- St Christopher’s School
- St David’s College
- St George’s CE Primary School
- St James’ RC Primary School
- St John’s CE Primary School
- St Joseph’s RC Primary School
- St Mark’s CE Primary School
- St Mary Cray Primary School
- St Mary’s RC Primary School
- St Olave’s School
- St Paul’s Cray CE Primary School
- St Peter & St Paul RC Primary School
- St Philomena’s RC Primary School
- St Vincent’s RC Primary School
- Stewart Fleming Primary School
- The Ravensbourne School
- Trinity CE Primary School
- Tubbenden Primary School
- Unicorn Primary School
- Valley Primary School
- Warren Road Primary School
- Wickham Common Primary School
11) Re Agenda item 12a
I note from the Parking Services Review documents that APCOA has deployed ‘wearable compact environmental pollution monitor trackers’ on CEOs at a number of local authorities. Given concerns about air quality amongst Bromley borough residents would the Portfolio Holder kindly ask APCOA to deploy air quality sensors in our borough?
Bromley considered the use of wearable air quality monitors but decided that this was not the most useful way of collecting air quality data.
