A Highways update will be delivered on highways and transport works taking place in the ward.
Minutes:
All to note:
· Parking restrictions were introduced on Heacham Drive (near Somerset Avenue) on 26 July;
· Proposals for parking controls on Exploration Drive and residents’ parkingon the Discovery Road housing development are out to consultation, which ends on 3 December;
· Civil Enforcement Officers have made 88 visits to Byford Road since 1 June 2019, but have not needed to issue any penalty notices. 13 visits have been made to Egerton Road and 1 penalty notice has been issued. Civil Enforcement Officers report that there appears to be less of a parking problem since some bollards were put up;
· Consultation on the installation of double yellow lines at junctions near to Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School is underway as part of the Schools Safety Programme. The consultation period ends on 2 December;
· “Pencil” and “child” bollards have been installed at St Peter’s School, Belgrave to highlight the presence of school children to motorists;
· Bollards have been fitted to prevent parking near to the traffic light crossing on Abbey Lane at Wade Street;
· Bollards were fitted at Jean Drive / Butcombe Road in October;
· Railings were fitted at 65-71 Beaumont Leys Lane in October;
· Red Hill Way has been surfaced dressed;
· If funding is available, repairs will be carried out to concrete parking bays on Cashmore View, Wheatley Road and Hadrian Road;
· Following local concerns about speeding vehicles on Heacham Drive, which is in both Abbey and Beaumont Leys Wards, two speed surveys were commissioned in September. These ran 7 days, 24 hours a day. One at 34 Heacham Drive showed average speeds of 27.5mph and the other at 97 Heacham Drive showed average speed of 25.7mph. It is recognised though that a small number of vehicles travel above the 30mph speed limit;
· The Somerset Avenue Area 20mph scheme with traffic calming is planned for March 2020. This includes Cheltenham Drive, which connects to Heacham Drive. Work programmes for this financial year are set, but Heacham Drive could be considered for inclusion in a future programme, alongside other priorities and requests;
· Speed limit enforcement can only be done by the Police, but the City Council operates the Community Speedwatch programme. Each scheme within the programme has to be volunteer-led, but the data collected will be passed to, and used by, the Police;
· Concerns about speed enforcement should be passed to the Police, as it may be possible to have a road designated as a Site of Community Concern and therefore appropriate for Safety Camera Van Enforcement. These sites are time limited and are in addition to the regular Safety Camera mobile site list;
· Some small central islands will be placed in Halifax Drive, to reduce vehicle speeds on the downhill section to Beaumont Leys Lane, but this work is not scheduled yet;
· It is hoped that work can be done to reduce accidents at Redhill Circle, where Loughborough Road merges, but a scheme has not been drawn up yet;
· The major road scheme in Ravensbridge Drive is almost complete;
· Work on the Abbey Park Road underway, improved bus links into the city centre and cycle lanes. The Belgrave Gate North to Belgrave Circle cycle lanes are scheduled to start in January 2020, for completion by autumn 2020;
· Funding for bus stops on Somerset Avenue has been secured from the Blackbird Fields Development. These will be installed after the new bus shelter contract is signed; and
· Some “Think Bike” hi-visibility rucksacks for motorcyclists have been provided by
www.shinysideup.co.uk and can be collected from City Hall by contacting simon.white@leicester.gov.uk
Highways officers to investigate reports of parking problems outside St Patrick’s Church, Beaumont Leys Lane.
All invited to send concerns about speed enforcement to the Police on the community page at www.speedorsafety.com
Volunteers interested in running a Community Speedwatch scheme invited to contact Raj Shukla at Leicester City Council (raj.shukla@leicester.gov.uk).