To receive questions from members of the public who wish to ask a general question in respect of matters within the Council’s area of responsibility or influence.
Subject to the Chair’s discretion, members of the public may ask one question and one supplementary question, which should relate to the original question and answered received.
Councillors may also ask questions under this agenda item.
Minutes:
(1) Mr. Marston enquired about the progress or what was planned for the “ill-thought-out” Broom Road cycle lane. There had been a consultation one year ago, but Mr. Marston had not heard anything since. He had made comments and asked what the situation was. Mr. Marston stated that it seemed to have been designed as if it was a flat area, but it was not due to the “Eddie the Eagle” roundabout which for cyclists was not a simple thing to get passed. Was any notice taken of the consultation and have there been any changes planned?
The Leader explained that Broom Road Cycle Scheme was consulted on around a year ago, but a final version of the Scheme had not yet been published. It was still the expectation that something would go ahead in that location. However in terms of the final design and responding to the consultation, the Leader was not aware of further progress.
The Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment, Paul Woodcock, explained that the matter did need to be looked into by his team. He confirmed that there was still an intention to progress, and he agreed to meet with Mr. Marston to run through the concerns and provide an update on the stages of the Scheme, the next steps and the timetables.
In his supplementary, Mr. Marston stated that a lot of safety concerns had not been taken into account and as proposed, the Scheme would be against safety and against encouraging bus use by taking out bus stops. Mr. Marston asked if anyone present had any information on the usage of those bus stops?
The Leader explained that no one in the meeting had that information to hand but if Mr. Marston left his contact details at the Town Hall, a Member of Mr. Woodcock’s team would be in touch regarding his concerns.