Issue - items at meetings - Chalky Road, Portslade - Casualty Reduction Scheme

Report of the Director of Environment (copy attached).

(1)         That the Cabinet Member gives approval to progress the recommended sites set out in this report to detailed design stage and to begin construction.

11.1         The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Environment seeking approval to enhance existing traffic calming features in Chalky Road, Portslade.

11.2         The Cabinet Member explained that, following the tragic fatal accident involving a child in Chalky Road in 2008, he had been working closely with officers and local Ward Members to ensure that action was taken to make the road safer, and that report proposed the implementation of further road safety measures.

11.3         Councillor Mitchell welcomed the report and in particular the relocation of build-outs, which were felt locally to be having a detrimental effect on road safety. She added that she hoped the need for a controlled crossing point would be kept under review.

11.4         Councillor West welcomed the measures, but raised concerns over the decision not to install a controlled crossing point; he asked for further information on the safety audits carried out and what evidence the council had used to determine that infrequently used crossing were dangerous. He also questioned whether the passive crossing point located near to the bus stop presented visibility concerns.

11.5         The Cabinet Member reported that during his visit to the site it had been evident that no single defined crossing point was preferred by pedestrians and that it would therefore not be appropriate to install a controlled crossing.

11.6         The Assistant Director for Sustainable Transport advised that the scheme had been safety audited and that a further audit would be carried out once the scheme had been given time to bed in. He explained that there was a requirement for national criteria to be met in order to install a crossing and that this included the presence of a single natural crossing point preferred by pedestrians. Any crossing point would be used infrequently and government evidence had shown that drivers would therefore be inclined to ignore it, making it more dangerous. He added that the crossing near to the bus stop was used most regularly and the intention was to adjust its location to improve visibility.

11.7         RESOLVED - That having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Cabinet Member accepted the following recommendation:

(1)         That approval be given to progress the recommended sites set out in the report to detailed design stage and to begin construction.