Issue - meetings

Consider report by the Service Director Assets & Infrastructure.  (Copy attached).

With reference to paragraph of the Minute of 17 November 2017, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Assets and Infrastructure which provided details of the findings of the Parking Issues Working Group which had been set up following a recommendation by Committee.  The Working Group had been established to explore innovative solutions to parking issues in the Scottish Borders.  The Working Group had now concluded their investigations and a report on their findings, with recommendations, was attached as an Appendix to the report.  The Corporate Management Team considered the Report of the Working Group and endorsed the findings, subject to sufficient resources being available, apart from Recommendation Five.  The Infrastructure Manager, Mr Brian Young reported that there were significant financial implications associated with the other recommendations in the Working Group Report.  He further advised that Police Scotland had previously indicated that they would not utilise a Disc Parking system as it was not deemed sufficient evidentiary proof for a criminal prosecution.  Members commended the Working Group for their work and discussed the proposals in detail.  It was agreed to support the recommendations on the basis that a full evaluation of the introduction of the second CAT Team and their impact on parking issues would be carried out after one year.  The lack of uniformity across towns in the Borders with regard to the time limit for parking was highlighted and it was noted that this would be considered as part of the review of Traffic Regulation Orders.

DECISION

(a)    NOTED:-

(i) the findings of the Parking Issues Working Group;

(ii) that Corporate Management Team endorsed the following recommendations of the Working Group:

(1)   Recommendation One (Review of TROs) – Estimated cost £205k in-house or £225k external;

(2)   Recommendation Two (Car parking directional signage) – Estimated cost £28,500;

(3)   Recommendation Three (Updating single and double yellow lining; parking bay review; dropped kerbs) – Estimated cost from £28,250 to £278,250;

(4)   Recommendation Four (media campaign to “park fair”) – Estimated cost £10k;

(5)   Recommendation Six (Feasibility study) – Estimated cost £35k;

(b)   AGREED:-

(i)        not to proceed at this time with Recommendation Five of the Working Group Report (Potential Enforcement regimes) with parking issues continuing to be addressed through the work of the 2 Police Community Action Teams in the interim;

(ii)       that a further report be brought to Executive Committee after one full year of operation to review the effectiveness of those teams; and

(iii)    that, given that the estimated cost of implementing Recommendations One to Four and Recommendation Six of the Working Group Report was within a range of £306,750 and £576,570, Officers would proceed to implement these as and when funding was available within current resources, but noted that works would commence during 2019/20 and continue in future years as part of normal business activities