Agenda item

Road Closures

Edward Lord asked a question of the Chairman of the Planning & Transportation Committee concerning recent road closures and their impact, particularly in relation to the Bank Junction experimental safety scheme.

In reply, the Chairman outlined the significant planning which had been involved to ensure that recent and ongoing major projects were delivered as efficiently and quickly as possible, to minimise the effect of necessary works on traffic. He noted the timely delivery of the recent Tower Bridge project and confirmed that the Bank Junction safety scheme would not be implemented until the Cannon Street works had been completed. He also reminded Members that the safety scheme could be amended at any time to alleviate road closures elsewhere, in order to ensure the free-flow of traffic.

Observing that a significant number of Members wished to speak on this matter, the Lord Mayor suggested that, in accordance with Standing Order 2, Members might wish to consider the suspension of Standing Orders 13(6) and 13(9).

Motion – That Standing Orders 13(6) and 13(9) be suspended for the duration of item 12.

Upon the Motion being put, the Lord Mayor declared it to be carried.

In response to a number of supplementary questions, the Chairman stressed that the issue of safety was of paramount importance and highlighted the duty on the City Corporation, as the highway authority, to ensure that the Junction was as safe as possible. The mandate to pursue this was clear, particularly given the Coroner’s expectations that improvements would be implemented following the tragic death of Ying Tao. Whilst noting that black cabs were amongst some of the safer drivers using the Junction, it was not viable to make exceptions for taxis as part of the scheme without impacting the overall safety of the proposals. The Chairman also agreed with an observation that it was incumbent on all road users to use the Junction safely and undertook to provide interested Members with details of relevant training and information provided to cyclists.

The Chairman also made reference to traffic modelling which showed that the closure of Bank Junction was not expected to have a negative impact on traffic and informed the Court that he had undertaken to provide the Policy & Resources Committee with an update after four weeks to assess the trial’s early success. He urged taxi drivers to work with the City Corporation during the trial, to help accurately monitor the impact of the changes and inform future decisions. The importance of proper signage and enforcement, amongst other elements in ensuring the viability and success of the trial were emphasised. It was also confirmed that local businesses had been closely involved in developing the Bank Junction proposals and work was ongoing to ensure that their needs around loading, unloading and access were met.

Noting the importance of enforcement in ensuring the success of the Bank Junction proposals, particularly in relation to illegal parking and illegal loading and unloading, the Chairman confirmed that five additional civil enforcement officers were being appointed to focus specifically on the new distributor roads associated with the scheme.

The benefits of the scheme to air quality were also touched on, with the Chairman welcoming the commitment of black cabs to ensuring that no new vehicles would be diesel; the move away from diesel and towards electric buses was also welcomed.