Agenda item

This item is to:

(a)    Receive any new petitions: to receive any new petitions. The lead petitioner is  entitled to briefly introduce their petition by providing a statement in writing, and a response to any petitions received will then be organised for a future meeting;

(b)  Consider reports on petitions previously received:

           i.           Petition - Speed Reduction Northern Bypass - St Georges roundabout - Northgate roundabout, Morpeth

(c) Receive any updates on petitions for which a report was previously   considered: any updates will be verbally reported at the meeting.

(a) Receive New Petitions

Mandy Trotter (lead petitioner) was in attendance and handed in a written petition and advised of an e-petition which had also just closed which requested a pavement/cycleway connecting Red Row Drive to Barrington Road.  She provided an introduction to the petitions which included the following information:

·       Red Row Drive was the connecting road from Barrington Industrial Estate, through a residential area, avoiding the town centre and providing access to the A1147 and Spine Road. It was a very busy, short stretch of road with blind bends with industrial traffic to horses using the road.

·       There was only a limited stretch of pavement and for approximately 400m there was no pavement and no alternative but to walk on the road against oncoming traffic as using the grass verge was unacceptable and impossible for those with pushchairs, mobility issues and wheelchair users.

·       It linked the community to Bedlington Station, Bedlington and Choppington giving access to local shops and transport etc and to the east linked with Bomarsund, Stakeford and the A1147 giving access to TT Electronics Welwyn Components, Rutherford Cancer Centre and Earth Balance.

·       Barrington Industrial Estate was part of the community and it was understood that access was needed to the Spine Road along Red Row Drive. Remondis were supporting the request and had pledged a contribution of £1500 towards the cost of the scheme, should it go ahead.

·       A pavement/cycleway would provide a safer route to the new rail link rather than using the Welwyn Bridge, with the increased traffic accessing the new car parks.

·       The e-petition had received 286 signatures and the paper petition had another 34 signatures and showed the strength of feeling from local residents.

·       Pedestrians were the most vulnerable of road users and were owed a duty of care. There should always be sufficient space for a wheelchair or twin set pushchair to pass comfortably without being forced to step into the road.

·       Northumberland’s Local Transport Plan 2011-2026 promoted safer and healthier travel, including walking and cycling.

·       The petition was not a complaint regarding the level of traffic using Red Row Drive, but was a request from the community for a pavement/cycleway to rid the anxiety and make it safe and fit for purpose.

Councillor Foster, local Ward Member thanked the lead petition for bringing this forward stating that she fully supported the request.  This had been requested for a number of years, however due to costs involved had not been taken forward.  There was a risk to pedestrians having to walk on the road with the high number of large vehicles using the road and the speed of vehicles.  Anyone with mobility problems could not use the safe school route over the bridge as they needed to use a flat route. The road also provided access to the Industrial Estate and to a café.  It would be a natural route for users of the new railway station and demand would increase with its opening. She advised that she would be willing to contribute funding to a scheme and was sure that the Councillors from neighbouring wards would also wish to do so as this route was well used by their residents.

The Chair thanked the lead petitioner for her attendance and asked that a report be prepared for a future meeting.

(b) Petitions Previously Received – Speed Reduction Northern Bypass – St Georges roundabout – Northgate roundabout, Morpeth.

A report on the petition had been circulated with the agenda.  Vicky Oakley, lead petitioner addressed the Committee speaking on the petition.  The following information was noted:-

·       Councillor Towns had been contacted on this matter in the spring of last year and had advised that he would seek a speed reduction but it would be unlikely that a crossing would be accepted.

·       Following a freedom of information request, it became apparent that there had not been clarity on exactly what had been requested.

·       The request was supported by residents, Hebron Parish Council and Northgate hospital.

·       The bypass was a busy 60mph road. With the Council’s emphasis being on more walking and cycling it is imperative that crossings were safe.  Numerous parents had come forward with their concerns about the crossing, many thought it was a matter of time before something fatal happened and felt let down that their previous attempts to get something sorted had not been listened to.

·       There were two large new estates, The Meadows and St Andrews Gardens, a hospital and the wider population of Fairmoor who used the crossing to walk into Morpeth on a daily basis or walk along the path on the bypass road.  These estates hosted families with children of school age and the hospital had patients with complex needs and the capacity of which was to significantly increase.

·       In addition to the extra patients, there would also be significant extra traffic using the bypass road to go to and from work. There were also plans to build hundreds of houses just off the St Georges roundabout. This roundabout would be used to service this new housing estate and traffic would be filtering onto the bypass road and onto the A1.

·       Children who walked to school on their own had to make a judgement call on the speed of the traffic travelling the bypass road and judge when they felt it was safe to cross with the significant damage that could be inflicted to a child should they be hit at speed highlighted.

·       The petition was started as parents felt their voices were not being heard and in an attempt to protect their children from the dangers of the road.  Parents wanted the speed reduced between St Georges roundabout and the Northgate roundabout in addition to a safer crossing on the road.

·       Whilst Councillor Town had advised that it would be unlikely a zebra crossing would most likely not be appropriate, the zebra crossing close to the roundabout on the B1337 from Morpeth to County Hall was referenced.  There would also be an argument for a speed reduction based on noise reduction for the residents of The Meadows, with a similar speed reduction in force on the road coming into Morpeth beside Southfields.

·       If families were to be encouraged to allow children to walk to school then the route needed to be safe and currently it was not.

·       Comments submitted from both parents and staff at the hospital were read out and had been included on the original petition letter.

·       It was hoped that all Councillors could work together to ensure that children were safe and parents confident to allow their children to walk to and from school and to achieve the wider goals of the Council in increasing levels of walking and cycling.

N Snowdon advised that a Safe Routes to School Assessment was to be carried out to identify any improvements and signage that was required and to also consider if any speed reduction was necessary.  It was hoped that the assessment would be completed and feedback provided prior to the end of the school term.  There was currently a speed survey on the route. 

Councillor Towns, Ward Councillor, thanked both the lead petitioner and Officers advising that this had been a design issue with the bypass with the land previously not allocated for housing.  He supported the petition to get some action.  He had met with Mr McCartney on site and advised that whilst traffic slowed down when approaching the large roundabout it accelerated whilst coming off the roundabout and felt that the danger was with traffic leaving the roundabout. He was not 100% convinced that installing a pedestrian crossing would make it safer.   He believed that the pedestrian crossing referenced in Morpeth had only been installed in that location as that was where people would continue to cross even if a pedestrian crossing was installed elsewhere.  He welcomed the petition, but did not know the answer but hoped that their concerns would be addressed as much as they could be.

Members stated that they would be cautious in imposing speed restrictions on longer stretches of road as, unless they were seen as logical to drivers, they were often ignored and therefore should only start when speed became a danger to pedestrians. It was considered that housing developers should be held to account and to pay for this kind of local infrastructure and make safe travel plans for children to walk and cycle.   The vulnerable nature of patients from the hospital also crossing the road was highlighted and it was suggested that additional signage and proposals to meet their needs should be taken into consideration.  The possible use of a crossing patrol officer should also be considered, however officers highlighted the difficulties experienced in recruiting to these roles across the County.

Members agreed that a report on the findings should be considered by this Committee with any identified works possibly being included in the Local Transport Plan.

(c) Updates on Petitions previously received – no updates were provided.