Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director, Environment which updated the Committee on progress of the review of all traffic orders in the City being undertaken as a result of the motion that was passed at the Court of Common Council meeting in April 2022.

Members were informed that Stage 1 of the review was to compile a list of all permanent and experimental traffic orders. This was completed in September 2022 and comprised over 1,500 measures introduced by a traffic order. Stage 2 of the review was to assess the orders against the outputs from the data collected and assessed against relevant City of London Corporation policies such as the Transport Strategy. The methodology in relation to Stage 2 was agreed by the Planning and Transportation Committee and Court of Common Council in September and October 2022. Stage 3 would look to implement any modifications that were identified. The Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee was tasked with scrutinising the detail and they agreed the scoring and ranking system as well as to expand Stage 2 to include a) a desktop study which scored and ranked the 1,299 traffic orders in scope and b) a more detailed site assessment as well as further work on 78 of the poorest scoring/performing orders. Following the site visits recommendations had been made to amend or consider amending 36 orders. Officers also identified an additional 32 orders which could benefit from being amended.

An Officer informed Members that if the Planning and Transportation Committee and Court of Common Council agreed, a new programme would be established to assess the merits of these of the recommendations and where appropriate changes could be delivered as part of existing or planned projects or by using underspend from the review. If additional funding was required, this would follow the usual bidding process.

The Chairman commented on the extensive volume of work involved in this review. He stated that it was testament to the Streets and Walkways Department that out of 1,200 orders reviewed by the external consultant, only 32 were identified as orders that would benefit from alteration. The Chairman stated that this showed the thorough work of Officers.

A Member commented that this was a high-quality report and that the programme should be considered for nomination for an award once implemented. He suggested using funding reserves to achieve early results in a cost-effective way.

A Member congratulated Officers on the comprehensive piece of work. He commented that although he would like the work on Fleet Street to happen soon, it could not take place while the works currently being undertaken on Fleet Street were taking place as it would increase disruption. He suggested that the proposal to introduce a no right turn at the junction of Fleet Street and Whitefriars Street should be frozen until after the building works so that it could be considered in detail in light of the road layout and usage that would arise after the major developments had been completed. He raised concern that introducing it now would cause short term closures.

An Officer informed the Committee that the way in which traffic would move around the Salisbury Square development would be part of a holistic review so if it was agreed as part of this review to introduce a no right turn at the junction of Fleet Street and Whitefriars Street, it would not be implemented until the development was completed.

A Member requested that Ward Members be involved in the consultation before any proposals were implemented. An Officer advised that the recommendations in the report were recommendations for further consideration and were not necessarily the recommendations that would be implemented. He confirmed that Ward Members would be consulted and the traffic order changes would require a formal statutory consultation process.

A Member stated that a meeting had taken place between the clerk of a concerned livery company and Officers and he thanked Officers for attending. An Officer confirmed that contact with the livery company had been maintained.

A Member congratulated those involved in the work. She stated that the motion was passed by the Court of Common Council as a result of concern about how the streets in the City were working. This review proved the streets were working well and Officers were correctly applying Traffic Management Orders. She informed the Committee that some of the servicing and off-street delivery areas identified as successes were in The Minories and Aldgate High Street. There was an extended pavement for use when busy but also provision for off-street unloading and unloading during peak times.

A Member raised concern that in Mincing Lane and the surrounding streets, the safety of cyclists was not being reviewed. An Officer stated that the contraflow was implemented some time ago as a result of cyclists using the streets in this way. The contraflow helped facilitate them and improve safety. Data had suggested it had made an improvement and there was not a set of accident issues related to contraflow cycling. However, Officers would address concerns raised and would carry out engagement if Members or the general public requested further discussion about how the contraflow cycling operated and any improvements that could be made. Officers stated that they would consider Mincing Lane in more detail.

A Member raised concerns about signage and suggested that Member input could be useful. An Officer stated that Officers could look into specific examples. He further stated that some signage was governed by statute and there were sensitivities around the positioning of signage as there had to be a balance between the signage required for traffic and space for pedestrians moving around footways.

RESOLVED, That the Committee

1)      Note the outcome of the review, including the recommendations for the 78 traffic orders and measures that were the subject of Stage 2b detailed investigations (Appendix 1).

2)      Note that officers have identified an additional 32 traffic orders and measures that could benefit from amendments to improve the way they support delivery of Transport Strategy outcomes (Appendix 5).

3)      Note that implementation of any modifications identified (Stage 3) will be taken forward through a new programme or within existing and planned projects, subject to funding and approvals.

4)      Agree to allocate the remaining unspent amount of £300,000 towards the delivery of changes to the traffic orders identified in Stage 3 of the review that are not being progressed as part of existing or planned projects. Where additional funding beyond this allocation is required, it will be subject to the usual process.

5)      Agree not to proceed any further with the review of TfL’s traffic orders and measures on the Transport for London Road Network.