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Agenda Item 10: Annual Business Report (Work Programme)

Mayor’s response to RPS cross party working group

I would like to thank all members of the cross party working group for their input into the examination of the Residents Parking Scheme programme and their carefully considered report and recommendations submitted to Full Council in March.

You have my full and unreserved apology for the delay, there is no excuse for this other than officers have been focussed on responding to the feedback they've had on the Clifton Village scheme and making changes to the design. You have my assurance that I have always intended to give the report my full attention and to carefully consider each of the recommendations.

The report has shaped our thinking about the programme and makes some helpful suggestions as to how to make further improvements.

My response to each of the 10 recommendations is set out below.

Recommendation 1 That for any future schemes coming forward in 2014, the consultation process must be robust. It is essential that the parameters of the consultation are clear (i.e. what can be changed through consultation and what can’t). The Council must explain the consultation stages with a timetable of how the scheme will be delivered. Clear lines of communication must be opened with residents and businesses with prompt feedback given to queries and face-to-face meetings held where requested. The website must be constantly updated and it is critical to engage with traders, businesses and other commercial interests with a named RPS liaison officer.

I remain committed to listening to the views of local people. The consultation process for each scheme is published as a work programme on the website and we write to residents and businesses at each stage of the process advising them how they can give us their views, but this can be improved and I have asked that this recommendation is adopted by the project team.

We now have a dedicated Residents Parking stakeholder manager who has done excellent work to significantly increase the level of engagement with businesses and traders in the lead up to and following implementation of schemes. This engagement includes meetings with individual business, meeting business representative groups such as Town Teams or Business Improvement Districts, running business consultation drop in sessions and responding to enquiries.

We have also recruited another two Travel Advisors specifically to support businesses to prepare their staff for the change.

Recommendation 2 That the Mayor should work with all transport providers to carry out an urgent and fundamental review of the bus network throughout the city.

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The bus network is continuously reviewed. There is no reason to believe that a one off review now would deliver any additional benefit.

Recommendation 3 That the Mayor should undertake a review of park-and-ride provision to ensure that the inner ring area is served adequately and with the routes better reflecting the destinations that people want to travel to, e.g. the Zoo. This issue has been looked at in detail and as a result, the Long Ashton to Southmead Hospital 505 supported service was introduced in April 2014.

This service provides a regular link between Long Ashton, Clifton Village, Bristol Zoo and Southmead Hospital. Initial results show an increase of 65% in passenger journeys for the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year when the service ran less frequently from Bower Ashton. This increase is believed to be as a result of people finding alternative ways of travel following the recent introduction of the CliftonWood and Hotwells RPS.

As a specific response to the needs of businesses in Clifton Village, another new Park and Ride link is to be provided from the Portway Park and Ride which will travel directly to Clifton Village with three buses an hour.

I am also proposing a trial discount offer for this service, to encourage people to give Park and Ride a try.

Recommendation 4 That alongside the implementation of the inner ring RPS, off–street parking should be reviewed and the feasibility of new provision explored.

Off-street parking is also subject to a continuous review and has a particular focus at present on the Enterprise Zone area.

Recommendation 5 That any enforcement charges gathered throughout the inner zone should be used to repay the capital costs as early as possible, and that once the capital costs are paid off a review of permit prices take place with the goal of reducing permit pricing to the lowest possible level.

Enforcing the scheme is designed to reduce the number of traffic infringements and not a means of generating income. The pricing structure is designed to set the price at a level that is as low as possible, balanced with the value derived from the permit and the need to repay the borrowing associated with the scheme.

Each scheme is reviewed after the initial six months and annually thereafter to make sure the scheme works as well as it possibly can for the local area. With regards to permit prices, I will review the overall permit pricing structure after three years.

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Recommendation 6 That medical professionals frequently needing to travel to patients to carry out their duties within the city be issued with permits free of charge to allow them to carry out their duties in protecting public health.

I have asked officers to undertake a review of the price of this permit and I will provide an update at a later scrutiny meeting

Recommendation 7 That where possible alternative schemes should be considered and incorporated by the officers into the final model (i.e. such as the Clifton BID and Ashley proposals). Where a proposal is not feasible then a clear explanation as to why should be made available to the public.

All comments, suggestions and requests made during the informal consultation stage are considered before a final proposal is developed. I have asked officers to provide additional public information which sets out a clear explanation of our consideration and response to each request.

Recommendation 8 That the Mayor should carry out a formal review of current schemes being implemented, including emerging traffic patterns and the impacts on the outer ring before any further schemes are taken forward. A report detailing the review findings should be brought to SD&T Commission at an appropriate time before the Mayor makes any decisions on the outer ring. And Recommendation 9 That if the outer ring is explored in future, early provision of relevant data analysis to scrutiny and to the public including current traffic studies should be made.

Each scheme in the inner ring will have an initial six month review followed by annual reviews. As a result of the feedback we will make any necessary changes to ensure the schemes work best for the area.

I stand by my commitment to bring to Cabinet any discussion about scheme areas beyond the inner ring.

Such a report would include all relevant data and would scrutiny input would be welcomed.

Recommendation 10 That the Mayor should consider how to improve the public’s access to information during the decision-making process.

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We already publish information about the scheme programme, the stages of consultation and the outcomes of decisions online, we write to local residents and businesses at key stages of the scheme, along with publishing information in the media. I would welcome suggestions from the group of other ways in which we can improve access to information.

I remain committed to implementing the Residents Parking Scheme programme in order to improve our neighbourhoods and reduce congestion, but I have been and always will be committed to implementing them in a way that is sensitive to the views of local people, and improving the travel options for all those who need to travel to the city each day.