Agenda item

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of the Built Environment seeking agreement for the draft Transport Strategy to be published for public consultation.

The Director of the Built Environment introduced the item. This was the first long-term Transport Strategy devised by the City and reflected big changes in technology in recent years. The strategy would run alongside the Mayor of London’s strategy which ran for 25 years. The strategy was about enabling and supporting growth, and would be reviewed every five years, with the supporting three-year Delivery Plan updated on an annual basis.

The process had been ongoing for ten months so far, with around 2500 responses to consultation already undertaken. There had been input from a Citizens Panel and a Transport Strategy Board, as well as from the Local Plan and Streets & Walkways Sub-Committees. A track-changed version of the draft strategy that incorporated comments from Members of the Streets & Walkways Sub-Committee was tabled for the Committee’s information.

The strategy contained 10 main outcomes and 54 proposals. The strategy would create more attractive streets with more pedestrian priority, and aimed for lower emissions including a zero-emissions zone. Traffic reduction would help facilitate this and would require a co-ordinated approach. Internal and external partnerships would be key in delivering the strategy, and officers were exploring combined Committee meetings to oversee the delivery. The three-year Delivery Plan (for TfL funded projects) would be brought to the next Committee meeting. The consultation would include a bespoke website, and drop-in sessions and briefing sessions would also be arranged.

The Chairman commended officers for a challenging, radical and ambitious strategy that charted an exciting future, and opened up the discussion to the Committee.

A Member suggested that the strategy should include comparisons with the City’s competitors such as Manhattan and Singapore. The Chairman responded that visits to New York, Paris and Stockholm were undertaken during the development of the strategy to compare London’s progress on transport issues.

A Member expressed their pleasure at the focus on pedestrian priority but asked if the strategy could go further, and suggested that deliveries be night-time only. The riverside walkway was aimed for 2020 rather than 2022 and officers were asked to amend this in the document.

A Member added that the City was different as it was built on Roman roads and many other cities were rebuilt extensively after the Second World War, and asked what would happen to cycling if the area was pedestrianised, as the City could not implement networks like those in Amsterdam.

A Member commended the process in developing the strategy, particularly in consulting stakeholders on what they needed before drawing up proposals. There were ground-breaking suggestions in the proposal and it was important for the Corporation to work with the government and TfL to try and make them happen. Public transport was expensive in London and there was a need to bring the costs down. It was also important for joined-up working at Member and officer level to make full use of the Corporation’s powers and resources.

Officers were asked for assurance that major projects such the new Museum of London and Centre for Music projects had been factored in and co-ordinated into the strategy.

A Member queried whether some of the target dates could be more ambitious, particularly with regards to electric vehicle charging points and a sustainable logistics centre, which some cities already had.

A Member said that the proposal for a 15mph speed limit could be awkward and could be counter-productive if drivers were forced to drive below the limit. Cyclists were not covered by speed limits and the strategy needed to be clear in its position on dangerous or aggressive cycling.

A Member suggested that proposal 19 on accessibility to underground stations could be more ambitious. Whilst the Corporation did not control TfL it had control over many of the buildings adjacent to stations, and developers could be urged to work with TfL to improve access and accessibility to stations.

The Director of the Built Environment thanked Members for their comments and responded to the points raised. The targets around zero-emissions were ambitious but there was a need to be bold. Officers had looked at other cities and hosted a workshop in the City to learn but also develop the City’s own approach to the issue.

It was unclear how far technology would reduce the need for a speed limit in the future, but a 15mph limit would reflect the uniqueness of the City. However, all policies would be kept under review. Cycling had grown in terms of numbers and distances and the aim was to promote a relaxed and calmer culture of cycling in the City. Dutch infrastructure would be used around London where there was space, and safer behaviours needed to be encouraged.

Air quality would be looked at on an ongoing basis as proposals were developed. Extensive modelling was being undertaken on impact and ambitious targets and timeframes were put in place as it was an urgent public health issue.

The three-year delivery plan would provide more detail on timescales for projects such as the riverside walkway and the logistics centre, and major projects had been factored into the Transport Strategy plans, with specific plans to help facilitate the projects.

The pedestrian priority streets would not be fully pedestrianised, as access for vehicles would be wanted where it was necessary. The Corporation would make clear that it wanted to work with the government and TfL and encourage better affordability on public transport. The points about underground systems would be picked up. Officers had made enquiries about the Mayor’s Strategy and it was hoped the final version of the Transport Strategy would have a clearer indication about plans for City underground stations.

The Committee gave thanks to officers for their work on the strategy so far, and also to all the stakeholders who had engaged with and informed the process.

Arising from the discussion, the recommendation was then put to the vote amongst eligible Committee Members with 21 voting for and 0 voting against the application, with 1 abstention.

RESOLVED – That the Planning & Transportation Committee:

a)            Approve the draft Transport Strategy for consultation; and

b)            Authorise the Director of the Built Environment, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, to make further non-material changes and editorial changes prior to public consultation.

At this point, Alderman Gregory Jones withdrew from the meeting.