Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Development which presents evidence for session 3 as defined by the Scrutiny Board within the inquiry terms of reference.

(Report attached)

The Acting Head of Transport Policy  presented a report of the Director of Development which provided information to the third session of the Board’s inquiry into transport challenges and issues in the City as set out in the terms of reference agreed at their 1^st December meeting 2011.

The following officers were in attendance:

Andrew Hall - Acting Head of Transport Policy

Gary Bartlett - The Chief Officer Highways and Transportation

Mark Philpott - Transport Projects Manager

The Board were advised of the Park and Ride proposals for the City as detailed in the report.

In response to the received report the following areas were discussed:

Consultation on placement of park and ride sites

The Board stressed to officers the importance of Ward Members and the public being fully consulted at an early stage on park and ride sites under consideration  so that local people and elected Members were fully aware of what was happening in there ward.

Location of Park and Ride  sites

The implications for the Bodington site if NGT is not approved by the Dft and the serious traffic congestion problems on the A660 road which could be addressed by a park and ride site at Bodington. The Board requested that careful consideration be given to the placement of sites to ensure that when in operation they genuinely have an impact on traffic congestion in Leeds.

The Board also sought confirmation from officer that future planned housing developments were taken into account when considering potential park and ride sites.

Section 106 Monies

Also in relation to this matter the Board sought clarification on the section 106 monies available for transport and the potential loss of S106 funding in August if any delays are encountered in delivering transport schemes. If this was to be a problem the Board requested that relevant variation to S106 terms be sought by officers to ensure that the money is utilised.

Development Cost of Park and ride Sites

The Board acknowledged the considerable cost associated with developing and delivering park and ride schemes and expressed concern regarding how the necessary funding would be obtained.

Viability of Bus Park and Ride

The Board considered the effectiveness of park and ride schemes and whether they are an appealing way of getting people to travel by other modes of sustainable transport and not commute into the city centre by car. It was stated that travelling by bus was often not as attractive as using park and ride train stations which have proved to be very successful at getting people to refrain form bringing their cars into the city centre. The Board considered the success of bus park and ride schemes in other cities as set out at Appendix A to the report.

Charging Policy for Park and Ride

The potential charging structure was queried. The Board stated that park and ride would need to be an affordable option. It was felt that details of any charging policy and negotiations should be brought back to Scrutiny for discussion.

RESOLVED – The Board resolved to note the contents of the report.