(i) By Councillors Dr Barnard, Mrs Ingham and McLean to the Executive Member for Planning and Transport
Having campaigned consistently, over many years, for safer crossing points on Harvest Ride, we are delighted with the new Puffin crossing [connecting Quelm Park with Sopwith Road]. This will help keep our residents safe. However, given the speed of traffic on Harvest Ride, a further crossing is desperately needed to allow pedestrians to get from the southside of Harvest Ride to Whitegrove School and Westmorland Park safely. Can you confirm to us and our residents that money for this infrastructure project will be found from the capital budget, given the extra burden of new housing that has been place on Harvest Ride?
(ii) By Councillor Temperton to the Leader of the Council
In July 2019, seven months ago, the Council unanimously agree to meet the government’s target of eradicating its net contribution to climate change by 2050. On 6 February 2020, a Freedom of Information request asked if the Council had calculated the carbon footprint across the Bracknell Forest area. The response was ‘No’. Is this calculation being done now?
Minutes:
Councillors Dr Barnard, Mrs Ingham and McLean asked Councillor Turrell, Executive Member for Planning and Transport the following published question:
Having campaigned consistently, over many years, for safer crossing points on Harvest Ride, we are delighted with the new Puffin crossing [connecting Quelm Park with Sopwith Road]. This will help keep our residents safe. However, given the speed of traffic on Harvest Ride, a further crossing is desperately needed to allow pedestrians to get from the southside of Harvest Ride to Whitegrove School and Westmorland Park safely. Can you confirm to us and our residents that money for this infrastructure project will be found from the capital budget, given the extra burden of new housing that has been place on Harvest Ride?
Councillor Turrell replied that across Bracknell Forest significant improvements had been achieved in road safety. He stated that reductions in numbers of deaths and injury accidents had been sustained over a number of years. This had been achieved by putting in many road safety measures, including traffic lights, crossings and improvements to paths and cycleways. He added that highways were regularly inspected and safety provision was reviewed in the light of evidence coming from recorded incidents. He explained that provision of appropriate highway infrastructure was sought at the planning stage.
Councillor Turrell was pleased that the recently installed crossing was welcomed and was making a difference to residents. He noted the views of the community and local Members that pedestrians wished to cross Harvest Ride in the location referred to in the question. He advised the meeting that officers had already been considering the future opportunity to provide a traffic light crossing in this location but that improvements of this type needed to be designed, planned and budgeted for. The draft 2021/22 transport capital programme would be developed and he hoped that this scheme would be part of the proposed programme, subject to no unforeseen budget pressures or emerging issues which take greater priority. He concluded that he was pleased to confirm that currently this location had a good safety record.
In response to Councillor Ingham’s supplementary questions he confirmed that he would be happy to meet with residents to hear their concerns and he advised that care should be taken in crossing the road in that location before an additional crossing was installed.
Councillor Temperton asked the Leader of the Council the following published question:
In July 2019, seven months ago, the Council unanimously agree to meet the government’s target of eradicating its net contribution to climate change by 2050. On 6 February 2020, a Freedom of Information request asked if the Council had calculated the carbon footprint across the Bracknell Forest area. The response was ‘No’. Is this calculation being done now?
Councillor Bettison OBE replied that officers were working with the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) to establish a set of baseline figures for the council’s own current carbon footprint. It is anticipated that this work would be completed during March 2020. APSE’s methodology follows the principles of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol and the carbon conversion factors used are taken from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategies’ GHG Conversion Reporting publication. This will allow for a consistent approach to comparing emissions and using recognised techniques for future reporting.
Councillor Bettison OBE displayed a slide showing DEFRA statistics for carbon dioxide emissions for local authority areas which showed that the per capita emissions was 6.7 per person in 2005 but reduced to 3.7 tons per person in 2017. He concluded that he believed the Council would be able to achieve carbon neutrality and acknowledged it was the borough’s residents who would make this reduction possible.