Agenda item

The draft scrutiny review report is enclosed.

The chair invited comments on the draft scrutiny review report and the following points were discussed and agreed:

·  There was support for an expanded recommendation on Schools Streets; integrating these with the wider network of neighbourhood streets and linking in with the  Movement Plan, to increase journeys taken by foot and cycle.

·  A longitudinal study with a health partner on the impacts of LTNs, to compliment the existing work with Guys and St Thomas Charity, would be useful.

·  More evidence is needed on the importance of increasing cycling among underrepresented cohorts, particularly women. Only 9% of women cycle regularly compared to 21% of men.  Sustran’s research emphasises the importance of making cycling infrastructure improvements to safety and convenience to increase participation. Women are more likely to use separate lanes and make more linked up journeys. Women from ethnic monitories are particularly unlikely to cycle. Children are another group who need support and information, and the current provision of cycle proficiency courses will be added to the report.

·  There was a discussion on car usage and parking and if the council is doing enough to monitor this, including monitoring demand for parking permits and making use of publically available information from the DVLC on car ownership, in order to monitor trends.

·  The recommendation on an Emissions based parking policy, arising from the first scrutiny report on Air Quality, was discussed .Members considered if this ought to include diesel, size (given for every electric car sold, 17 SUVs are purchased) and multiple vehicles in the same household .Members were concerned about differential impacts on low income people, families and people living in low PTAL areas, and balancing this with the desire to reduce car use.

·  Members discussed the continued need to lobby central government for more public transport and more funding.

·  The reference to a borough-wide greening programme ought to include more ecologically friendly maintenance of housing estates, including less mowing of grassy banks and verges, and more composting.

RESOLVED

The report text will be updated to reflect the discussion and the following changes made to the recommendations:

·  Recommendation 2: add that longer term the council ought to  conduct a longitudinal study with a health partner such as King's College Hospital or Guys and St Thomas Hospital  Foundation Trusts  NHS Foundation Trust looking at the long term impact of LTNs on the health of residents.

·  Recommendation 3:  More generally and in the longer term strategies are required to build on School Streets and to ensure that walking and cycling are increasingly built into the whole journey to school as part of the Movement Plan and that the number of and proportion of driven journeys are continually being reduced.

·  Recommendation 5:  on cycling will include recommending more work on understand the barriers to participation and the actions that will increase cycling rates, including ensuring the wider cycling infrastructure is inclusive.   

·  Recommendation 8.5 on Emissions based parking policy will include a recommendation that the policy looks at the parameters of vehicle size, fuel, and multiple vehicles per house.

·  Recommendation 8.6 on Greening will include the addition that the commission would like to see a focus on more ecologically friendly maintenance of housing estates, including less mowing of grassy banks and verges. Green waste also ought to be converted to compost, see Earth Cycle.