Agenda item

Report attached

The report before Members detailed responses for the provision of a fully accessible bus stop opposite 175 to 185 South End Road as an alternative to a previous proposal for a fully accessible stop outside 300 to 314 South End Road that was deferred on 16 September 2014.

The Committee considered a report at its meeting of 16 September 2014 which dealt with various proposals for South End Road. With regard to a proposal to make the stop outside 300 to 314 South End Road accessible (Drawing QN008-OF-A44A), it was resolved that the Head of Streetcare should consider and consult on an alternative location as the current proposal would not allow a vehicle crossing to be provided to 306 South End Road.

Staff reviewed the section of South End Road and developed a new proposal which would relocate the stop opposite 175 to 185 as shown on Drawing QN008-OF-A44-2A. The accessible footway for the stop would be outside the former Albyns Close site, with a clearway covering this position and extend to outside 294.

This position would not affect the redevelopment by the Council’s Housing Department P1034.14 which would be providing a new access on South End Road whereby the adjacent parking layby would be changed to accommodate the development.

The report detailed that by the close of consultation, seven responses were received as set out in the appendix.

Councillor Frederick Thompson in his response considered that the revised proposals were a fair compromise, Councillor Burton expressed opposition to the proposal and he stated he had received copies of letters from people also objecting. The Metropolitan Police had no issues with the proposals.

Three residents objected to the proposals, with one resident supplying an 18 signature petition against the scheme. St John & St Matthew Church also objected.

The objectors raised the following points:

·         Location of the stop was near a dangerous bend with associated comments regarding driver speed, behaviour and damage to street lighting,

·         Stationary buses would cause traffic congestion with associated concerns about air pollution,

·         People overtaking buses would block the road,

·         Why should the stop be moved to accommodate other residents,

·         Current bus stop operates satisfactorily,

·         Impact on access to premises,

·         Cost of proposals,

·         Stop should move to existing layby outside Albyns Close.

In response, the Committee noted from the report that the current bus stop required work to make it fully accessible for modern low floor buses with two-door operation. The alternative location would be visible to oncoming drivers at least 75 metres in advance. This distance deemed better than the stopping sight distance (SSD) recommended in Manual for Streets for 37.5mph (60kph) which was 59 metres and was therefore considered acceptable by staff.

Officers are of the view that localised traffic holdups would be sporadic at peak times and drivers would shortly re-join queues at Rainham Road to the south and Airfield Way to the north.

In accordance with the public participation arrangements the Committee was addressed by two local residents speaking in favour and against the scheme respectively. 

The resident speaking against the scheme stated that he favoured keeping the bus stop in its current location. The resident informed the committee that he had lived in the area for many years and had witnessed changes in the levels of vehicular traffic and the speed of traffic. The resident noted a recent accident where a speeding vehicle collided with a street light. The resident raised concerns over the alternative location which he felt would encourage dangerous overtaking resulting in the potential for head-on collisions. 

A resident speaking in favour of the scheme considered the current location of the bus layby to be inefficient and dangerous, especially when in use by two buses. The speaker noted that the layby cannot accommodate two buses with the consequence that  the second bus sticks out into the road. The speaker was also of the opinion that the current stop was too close to the busy Mungo Park Road junction and the pedestrian crossing. The new stop location would aid the future residents of Albyns Close and would be a safer location and better for traffic flow.

During a brief debate, a member sought clarification on the alternative layout and sought the advice of officers on the possibility of reducing the footway to accommodate the bus stop layby. The Committee was informed that a reduction in the footway may require utilities to be moved and Officers questioned whether there would be sufficient footway capacity to allow for a reduction.

A Member enquired if the layby outside Albyns Close could be modified, together with modifications to the development site access, to enable use by buses.  The Committee was informed that there was a planning consent for the development site and that the layby was not long enough to fully accommodate a bus.

A Member, speaking in favour of the relocation, stated that an on-road stop would allow buses to pull in and out efficiently reducing waiting times. The Member proposed that the Committee vote for recommendation 1(b). 

The Committee RESOLVED:

1.            That having considered the report and the representations;

To recommend the Cabinet Member for Environment that the bus stop accessibility improvements opposite 185 to 195 South End Road be implemented as shown on Drawing QN008-OF-A44-2A (alternative location).

2.         To note that the estimated cost of £12,000 for Recommendation 1(a) and £5,000 for Recommendation 1(b) for implementation would be met by Transport for London through the 2015/16 Local Implementation Plan allocation for Bus Stop Accessibility.

The vote for the proposal was carried by ten votes in favour with one abstention. Councillor Durant abstained from voting.