ECCLESHALL PARISH COUNCIL – TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE – Wednesday, January 3^rd 2024

A meeting of the Traffic Management Committee was held on Wednesday, January 3^rd at Eccleshall Community Centre at 7.00 pm, preceding a meeting of the Planning Committee.

Present were:-

Councillor P. Jones (Chair)                         Councillor S. Perren

Councillor D. Hall                                           Councillor R. Langford

Councillor G. Dale                                      Councillor A. Reid (from 7.05pm)

Councillor R. Taylor                                   Councillor C. Wilkins

Councillor D. Hall

Mrs S. J. Worden (Clerk)

One member of the public.

Observer: Cllr. M. Gosling

1).   Apologies:-

Apologies were received from Cllrs. Hill and Ryan-Bloor

2).   Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, October 4^th, 2023:-

The minutes, which had previously been noted by the Council were agreed and signed.

3).   Speed Indication Devices: –

Update on Croxton SID Installation:

The post has been installed and the new fixings are with Mr. Jones, who will fit them when the post is first used. A new rota has been provided and the new post should be in use during Jan/Feb. A refund has been issued for the s.50 licence application as it was no longer required.

(Cllr. Reid joined the meeting at this point).

On a separate note, it was advised that Walton Hall School are in discussions with County Cllr. Pert to consider solutions for safer access to the school, which only has one available access point. Traffic turning right across traffic can cause issues. It was noted that it is the only Staffordshire school with no speed restrictions outside of it.

4).   Parking:-

Update from the Parking Working Group, including the results from the town centre public parking survey undertaken in October 2024:

Members were provided with a copy of the survey results for discussion (appended to the minutes) and the working group meeting notes with proposed follow up actions.

Discussion points included:

• Weds-Fri inclusive were the main days where respondents had most trouble parking.
• Some visitors would be ‘short stay’ i.e. pharmacy prescriptions, Katharine Houe donations, dry cleaning etc, so would it be worth exploring changing the parking restrictions to allocate a number of 30 minute short stay areas near the Stone road roundabout, and possibly the rest having no restrictions at all. This would be easier to enforce with officers, who could also pick up on double yellow line parking whilst in attendance.
• Marking out of clear parking bays to make best use of the available space.
• Local traders are taking up parking spaces that could be used by their customers. Could they consider parking elsewhere, at least at the busiest times identified?

Recommended actions for approval arising from the working group proposals:

• The Clerk will request costs for changes to parking restrictions and marking of bays, to help determine feasibility.
• The Clerk to explore costs and feasibility of tractor signs to advise drivers to give way/be cautious near tractors in town.
• To share survey data with traders and ask for support in parking elsewhere during peak periods.
• To ask Highways the feasibility of adjusting pavement splays by the Stone Road roundabout to help large vehicles to navigate it easier.

Any further actions and progression will be taken forward by the committee as the working group was considered to have completed its remit. If any projects arise from the discussions, a new group can be formed if required.

5).   Correspondence

• Residents have expressed concerns that the Stafford Street pedestrian crossing is located too close to the Stone Road roundabout, following a recent accident. It was noted that during the planning process, there was extensive research undertaken by the relevant authorities into the best location for the crossing. If placed further up, it was considered that pedestrian habits would still result in a number of people crossing at the end rather than walk up to the crossing, reducing the effectiveness of installing a crossing. It was resolved to recommend writing to County Cllr. Pert to request the possibility of upgrading the crossing/improving the visibility.

6).    Items for the next meeting

Any items for the next meeting can be forwarded to the Clerk.

6).   Date of next meeting:- 3^rd April 2024, 7pm.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 7.37pm.