Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to detail the road safety motion that was presented at the Full Council meeting 21 September 2023.

The Head of Highways and Transportation gave a presentation based on the Road Safety motion that was presented at Full Council on 21 September 2023. The committee was asked to note the information provided and invited to give its input into the strategy before officers began to liaise with partners and the public in January.

A discussion took place around the 85^th Percentile methodology (the speed at or below which 85 percent of the drivers will operate with open roads and favourable conditions), its effectiveness and whether this was a measurement that the Authority had to continue to use. Officers stated that this was currently the system used by the Police, so any change would need to be done as part of a wider consultation. Officers were currently investigating other possibilities but were happy to take any suggestions from members.

Officers stated they were in regular contact with the Police about Anti-Social driving and encouraged members to continue to feed any information on hotspots and ASB road issues to Highways.

Members stated that they would appreciate a meeting with the Police liaison officer for Community Speed Watch (CSW) as they felt that information had not been widely shared with them or the wider community they had contact with. Members felt they could have a more direct input into the CSW system (e.g. through volunteers and local intelligence) if they had access to more information. Members were concerned that any current volunteers may not have been given the option to choose either their own or other areas. Officers agreed to add a briefing and FAQ to the members briefing at the earliest opportunity, as well as arranging an in-person meeting with the liaison officer.

Officers agreed to review possible measures of success for the Road Safety plan. Members suggested that alongside statistics like casualty and accident figures that CSW reports, complaint / member enquiries figures and Speed Awareness Course figures for the area could be utilised.

It was stated that in certain areas, Pedestrian Crossings had proved useful in slowing traffic areas, but members stated that they were finding it difficult to contact officers re: these and other traffic related issues. The Head of Highways and Transportation said he would pass these concerns onto the relevant Police team.

Officers made suggestions that convex mirrors could have more widespread use in North Tyneside, and that while the digital Smile/Frown faces were said to have diminishing returns, officers and members believed they were useful visual deterrents.

A discussion took place about the ongoing issue of parking around schools, and what could be done about further encouraging parents and road users to be more considerate in those areas beyond the current methods employed. Officers mentioned that there have been some targeted interventions by Police, and they would continue their engagement with schools to see what action / education could be taken. The Head of Environmental Sustainability agreed that if members make them aware of specific schools, he will look into further engagement with them directly.