Decision details

The Committee considered a report on the Cheshire East Crossing Facilities Strategy for adoption into formal Council practice.

The proposed strategy would help the Council improve the way it managed and maintained the local highway network by providing a consistent process for considering crossing requests and determining the priority for funding.

Members were reminded that there was no statutory requirement to provide crossing facilities and the demand for crossing facilities far outweighed what the Council could build or maintain. There were additional costs incurred on top of installing a crossing facility which included the maintenance and additional infrastructure.

The Committee welcomed the report and asked questions in respect of

-       Whether it would be better to maintain the crossing facilities already in place rather than putting new ones in which would mean more maintenance issues and end up being safety issues if they are not maintained?

-       Whether consideration could be given to more economic elements for crossings be looked at rather than the expensive elements given the current financial situation.

In response officers reported that

-       The priority for the Council was safety and to maintain the assets that were already there.

-       The report outlined alternative options available that may be more viable financially and do the same job the public wanted that made crossings safer.

In response to a question in relation to whether it was national criteria that was used to assess whether a school warrants a crossing patrol, as this area came under the remit of a separate department in the Highways service, officers agreed to provide a written response.

RESOLVED: Unanimously

That the Highways and Transport Committee is recommended to:

1. Approve the adoption of the Cheshire East Crossing Facilities Strategy in Appendix 1 of the report.

2. Delegate authority to the Director of Highways and Infrastructure to make technical amendments to the Cheshire East Crossing Facilities Strategy and its Prioritisation Matrix and update the Highways and Transport Committee on any significant changes as required.

The Committee adjourned for a 10-minute break.

Councillor C Browne left the meeting after consideration of this item and did not return.