Meeting documents

            Meeting: Highways Committee (County Hall, Durham - Committee Room 2 - 08/08/2007 10:00:00 AM)

                  Item: A1 Minutes

         

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At a Meeting of the Highways Committee held at the County Hall, Durham on Wednesday 8 August 2007 at 10.00 a.m.

Present:

Members:
Councillors Bell, C Carr, Cordon, Davies, Forster, E Foster, Gray, Hodgson, Holroyd, Hunter, Knox, Maddison, Manton, Mason, Meir, Morgan, Pendlebury, Porter, Pye, Robson, Southwell, Tennant, and Walker.



Other Member:
Councillor Mrs Wright



A1 Minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2007 were agreed as correct and signed by the Chairman.


A2 Unclassified Eliza Street/ Thomas Street, Sacriston- Traffic Calming

The Committee considered a report of the Corporate Director, Environment regarding the objections received with regard to a proposal to install traffic calming humps in Unclassified Eliza Street/ Thomas Street, Sacriston (for copy see file of Minutes).

The Corporate Director, Environment explained that some residences of objectors had been omitted from the plan, and therefore a revised plan was circulated (for copy see file of Minutes).

Councillor Wright, the Local Member, advised of her support for the scheme. She explained that it was the residents who had asked for the problem regarding rat-running to be addressed. Prior to developing these proposals, every option to alleviate this had been investigated. She pointed out that there was no footpath on Eliza Street and therefore there was concern for the safety of residents entering the street from their back yards.

Councillor Southwell advised of his support for the scheme, however, he believed that the installation of road humps would not alleviate the danger for people, particularly children, exiting their back yards straight onto the street. He referred to the draft scheme which had been to close the through route beyond the northern end of Eliza Street, and enquired how many objections had been made to that proposal, and the number of vehicles using the street as a rat-run.

In response the Corporate Director, Environment advised that these figures were not available, and that the proposal to close the through road had been discounted at an early stage, and during the subsequent consultation there was no suggestion by any of the residents that the street should be closed. He pointed out that of the 86 householders that were consulted, only 5 objections had been made to the traffic calming measures. He suggested that if the road was closed to through traffic, this would cause problems with access to properties. Additionally, it would not alleviate the speed of vehicles in the two streets under consideration and there would be an increase in traffic on the other roads in the vicinity. He pointed out that it was the residents who had asked for the problem of rat-running through their streets to be addressed.

Councillor Tennant expressed concern for the safety of children leaving their back yards straight on to the street.


Resolved:

The Committee endorsed the proposal to set aside the objections and proceed with the scheme.


A3 Proposed Traffic Calming Scheme- Unclassified East Street, Blackhall Colliery

The Committee considered a report of the Corporate Director, Environment regarding the objections received with regard to a traffic calming scheme recently advertised for East Street, Blackhall Colliery (for copy see file of Minutes).

The Corporate Director, Environment explained that the residence of one of the respondents who had been in favour of the scheme had been omitted from the plan, and therefore a revised plan was circulated (for copy see file of Minutes).

Resolved:

The Committee endorsed the proposal to set aside the objections and proceed with the scheme as proposed.



Attachments

 8 August 2007.pdf