NOTES FROM THE HARPENDEN LOCAL HIGHWAYS AND TRANSPORT STAKEHOLDER FORUM HELD IN PARK HALL ON THURSDAY 2 OCTOBER 2014
Present: Cllr David Williams (HCC) Cllr Theresa Heritage (HCC) Cllr Mary Maynard (Harpenden TC & SADC) Cllr Rosemary Farmer (Harpenden TC & SADC) Cllr Mick Ellis (Harpenden TC) Mr John Charlton (SADC – Parking Enforcement) Mr Larry Heyman (Govia) Mr Neil Middleton (Association of Passenger Transport Users) Mr John Copping (Arriva Buses) Mr Mohammad Younis (St Albans & Harpenden Taxis)
34 members of public
1. Apologies for absence
Cllr Julian Daly (SADC) Brian Saffrey (BCAG)
2. Opening Comments
Cllr Williams introduced key stakeholders around the table to the meeting. He pointed out the information that had been left on participant’s chairs and on the display boards about fault reporting for Highways and airport noise for Luton Airport.
3. Petitions Presented to County Councillors
There were no petitions handed to County Councillors at the meeting. Cllr Heritage reported that she had received a petition from residents in Lower Station Road/Harpenden Public Halls location regarding flooding.
4. Govia Thamelink Railway (GTR) New Franchise
Larry Heyman presented an update on the new franchise which commenced on 14 September 2014. The franchise runs for 7 years and when Southern and Gatwick Express join the franchise by the end of July 2015, will cover 22% of all passengers travelling on the network. It will comprise of Thameslink, Great Northern, Gatwick Express and Southern.
The key themes are: new trains; more reliable and faster services; easier journeys and better information; responsive to customer priorities on the station and train; and invest and engage developed staff.
There will be a timetable of new rolling stock on Thameslink from 2016-18 which will be configured of 2+2 carriages. London Bridge railway station will be closed from December 2014 for three years in order for dedicated Thameslink platforms to be installed. There will be 4 trains per hour to Gatwick during this period. When the new rolling stock is introduced there will be a 26% increase in capacity into Central London, 10,000 more seats and 50% more capacity (including standing passengers). The core rush hour trains will consist of 12 carriage trains.
September 2015 will see the introduction of smart card ticketing which is currently being trialled in Southern. There will also be an extension of the Oyster card to definitely St Albans and possibly as far as Luton Parkway and free Wi-Fi on 104 stations.
November 2014 will see a new customer app including loading information, 2016 will see door to door journey planning and car parking availability. Real time train information will be available on all trains in 2016.
Neil Middleton (APTU) reported that his organisation was of the opinion that the new franchise would offer a reduction in the current service and there had been a disappearance of information that had been previously been available.
Daniel Harding – Q: Why do Govia prevent people from returning between 1630- 1900? A: This was introduced in 2006 and the Dept of Transport will review when new stock is available but it is likely to remain in situ until 2018.
Oliver Harper – Q: With the removal of seats, will there be more priority seating available? A: Priority seating is well established and enforced. It will be better identified with the new seat configuration.
Donald Robertson – Q: The current contract for the shuttle bus service from Luton Parkway has a break clause on 6th December 2014. Does Govia think the service will continue? A: Govia want the service to remain but it will have to increase to meet an increase in demand.
David Thurman – Q: Are there any plans to reintroduce Boxing Day travel? A: Network Rail likes to undertake infrastructure work during the Christmas holiday period and there are no plans for a change to this at the moment.
5. Highways
Streetlights
Cllr Williams reported there is an ongoing programme of maintenance with a number of major road resurfacing projects being completed.
Highways Locality Budget (HLB) – The majority of Cllr William’s budget has been spent on resurfacing with the remainder on pavements/footways. A considerable amount Cllr Heritage’s budget has been used on the new crossing on Piggott’s Hill Lane and several schemes on the Cross Farm estate.
Going forward, HLB will be considered for tree work which was previously undertaken by the District Council. This may include some works being undertaken by Harpenden Town Council on behalf of the Highways Authority but this needs to clear some legal constraints before this work can be undertaken.
G George (Piggott’s Hill Residents Association) – He wanted to thank Cllr Heritage for her support of the pedestrian crossing. Another resident asked when the zebra crossing on Southdown Road (adjacent to the shops) would be painted. Cllr Heritage replied that she had reported it to be undertaken.
Cllr Williams reported that in future, all new street lights will be new technology LED lights with the old stock lights being phased out. The County Council will be investing in this technology primarily on ‘A’ roads. If lights go out, please report them on the website but residents may find that when the clocks change, there may be some lights that also go out which is a glitch in the timing mechanism. If more than 1 light goes out at this time, please report it, the website is continually improving.
6. Flooding & Drainage
There were two significant flooding episodes during the Summer. Cllrs Heritage and Williams asked Highways engineers to look at flooding on Luton Road and this is ongoing but it may not be resolved quickly.
Cllr Williams reported that there has been an ongoing gully cleaning programme with the drains which have been cleared marked with blue paint. The programme has commenced in North Harpenden but South Harpenden has yet to begin.
The flooding at the bottom of Station Road adjacent to the Public Halls is being addressed with organisations including Thames Water and Highways.
7. Parking Schemes
John Charlton (SADC Parking Enforcement) reported that there are parking issues outside the Tesco store on Luton Road. He is taking this to the District Council’s Car Park Working Party and is considering Controlled Parking Zones. In addition, he has undertaken consultations with residents in The Avenues to discuss dealing with commuter parking. The Manland Avenue parking scheme is in its final consultation stage.
In South Harpenden there will be parking restrictions in Crabtree Lane (under the railway bridge), Southdown Road and Queens Road. Concerns were raised that this would force drivers to park on other residential streets (Walkers Close). Cllr Heritage reported that she is working with residents concerned about inconsiderate parking in Paddock Wood.
8. Questions from Members of the Public
David Harding – Q: What is the timescale for the tree work that will be undertaken by Harpenden Town Council? A: It is currently a pilot scheme and there are some obstacles that have to be overcome before the work can start. It would be basal work to trees that could be undertaken with pollarding as part of the Councillor’s HLB. Alan Bunting – Q: The drain gratings in Park Mount and Roundwood Lane are blocked and do not appear to have been cleaned out which exacerbates the flooding on Luton Road. A: Once the drains have been cleared, they are marked with blue paint. If you feel that any of the drains have been missed out then please let one of the councillors know.
Q: Delivery vehicles for Tescos are often parked on double yellow lines. A: Tescos have applied for loading restrictions outside the shop and this is ongoing.
Lester Ferguson, Luton Road – That is it inevitable that there will be flooding is not acceptable. Whilst gully cleaning has started, there is a poor middle and no end of the project in sight. Early intervention would help.
Adrian Jackson-Robins - In the majority of circumstances, emptying the gullies is not going to help as the majority of gullies in Park Mount and Roundwood Lane don’t work due to other factors.
Leslie Freitag – The gully cleaning programme will not solve what is a historical problem which is poor street cleaning but that has become better recently. Mr Freitag also commented on Cllr Heritage’s pledging of funds for street furniture painting in the town centre.
Clive Parker, Crabtree Lane Q: When are parking restrictions in Crabtree Lane around school being considered. Recently there have been 3 domestic pets killed, two RTA and 1 road rage & near miss. Residents have noticed an increase in traffic with parking enforcement on only one day. He has observed performance cars using the hill for hill climbs. A: Cllr Williams reported that the junction project for Crabtree Lane/Chesterton Avenue is being progressed but it will take a long time to come to fruition. Historically, it had to be demonstrated that speed restrictions came with heavy engineering works but the rules for these had been relaxed.
Alan Faulkener, Luton Road – Q: Will anyone do anything about the parking restrictions in the bus stop being flouted by delivery drivers from Tesco? A: John Charlton replied that he would look at the parking restrictions at this location and chase up enforcement.
David Thomas: Since Tescos have been on site, parking has become a nightmare and enforcement doesn’t happen.
Len Puckey, Walkers Close – Q: Worried about traffic from Queens Road transferring to Walkers Close and other areas like St John’s Road. A: Cllr Heritage replied that the crossing on Walkers Road would be implemented early 2015 which would have it’s own parking restrictions.
Andrew Yaxley, The Avenues – Q: He has been writing to the council for three years about abusive parking but hasn’t seen an enforcement officer. It is being abused by commuters who park and walk to the station. Early parking restrictions would solve the issue but not parking permits. A: Cllr Williams reported that it is not always commuters who park in The Avenues but people who work in Harpenden Town Centre. J Charlton reported that some residents do not have sufficient off street parking which is why parking permits are being considered for this scheme.
Additional parking at the railway station would alleviate some of the parking issues but Cllr Heritage reported that there is no capital funding for the scheme to build a two storey car park at the railway station.
David Rankin – With SADC considering building 500 homes off A1081, with 1000 cars on the site, there has been no consultation with Herts Highways regarding the affect that this development will have on Harpenden’s roads.
Andrew Buchanan: He leads a group of residents who are talking with councillors about the feasibility of running a community bus transport scheme using electric buses which would be run on a social enterprise basis.
9. Close
Cllrs Williams & Heritage thanked everyone for attending and the next meeting will be Thursday 19th February 2015.
The meeting closed at 21.00.