Agenda item

To review the update on the recommendations made by the Sustainable Transport Strategy Task Group.

The committee received an update on the recommendations made by the

Sustainable Transport Strategy Task Group.

The update was introduced by the Associate Director for Planning,

Infrastructure and Economy. The report had provided a helpful opportunity to

reflect on progress and he provided an update on key areas:

·       Progress on reducing short trips was through the development of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) which was delivered in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC).

·       There was a strong officer partnership with HCC and work remained ongoing on the joint strategic plan with neighbouring authorities.

·       Beryl Bikes were keen to extend the service into neighbouring areas and the council was facilitating these conversations, but otherwise had limited control over this. 

·       The task group rightly underlined that low traffic neighbourhoods should only be a priority where residents supported the interventions. Some initial feasibility work had been carried out and was close to conclusion. Members were invited to discuss any known traffic issues with the team but these would only be taken forward with extensive support.

·       The team had a good relationship with HCC’s school travel planning team. A virtual engagement session with local schools, facilitated by the Mayor, had taken place and ongoing work was taking place with interested schools, but schools’ capacity was understood.

·       Work with local businesses remained ongoing. Watford Business Connect Forum was planned for March and would provide an opportunity to facilitate conversations. The forthcoming car club would also look to serve businesses.

·       Behavioural change, including travel habits, was being picked up through the Sustainability Strategy, including changes to travel behaviour.

The committee discussed the importance of enforcing lower speeds, there had

been little progress on extending 20mph roads through the borough. Almost

90% were suitable for a 20mph limit but only 30% were 20mph. Progress at HCC

on this issue had stalled although their approach was gradually changing. One

issue was the requirement for average speeds to be below 25mph to avoid the

need for unpopular traffic calming measures.  It was noted that the council

would continue to lobby for more 20mph streets in appropriate locations in the

partnership working with HCC.

Turning to school travel plans, it was explained that HCC used a system called

ModeShift STARS to develop and monitor travel plans. Members also discussed

school streets which were becoming commonplace in London. Officers noted

that few had been implemented in Hertfordshire as there was nervousness

around the reaction to closing streets, but it was an initiative worth exploring

further. The first stage would be to ensure schools were engaging with active

travel plans to avoid relocating traffic issues. The Portfolio Holder added that

school travel planning was a journey and the positive working relationship with

HCC would facilitate further progress.

Following a question, officers explained how the car club would operate where people could have a short hire of a car booked through an app. It was a meaningful alternative to owning a car, or a second car.  The procurement exercise for a partner would be underway shortly and there would be a strong preference for electric vehicles in the scoring.  It would be well-suited to Watford which had parking issues and would support car-free or car-light developments and build confidence in electric vehicles.

Responding to a question from Councillor Ahmed, it was noted that the car club was unlikely to be suitable for taxi drivers looking for a temporary vehicle due to the business model. His personal interest in this question was noted.

Discussing the Beryl Bike scheme, the limitation appeared to be the number of bikes and ebikes were disproportionately popular. Beryl had been chosen in part due to the ability to scale the scheme.

Officers agreed to provide statistics on the levels of usage of the Beryl Bike

scheme as well as the number of electric vehicle registrations in Watford.

RESOLVED –

that the report be noted.