Agenda item - Deputations from members of the public.

A list of deputations received by the due date of 12noon on the 13^th July, 2017 will be circulated separately as part of an addendum at the meeting.

18.1      The Mayor reported that one deputation had been received from members of the public and invited Mr. Fitzpatrick as the spokesperson for the first deputation to come forward and address the council.

18.2      Mr. Fitzpatrick thanked the Mayor and stated that: “Air pollution leads to worsening asthma symptoms, heart disease and even lung cancer, is being associated with changes in the brain linked dementia and can lead to children growing up with smaller lungs. Statistics show that in 2010 this kind of pollution lead to over 100 early deaths in Brighton and Hove.

Residents in Woodingdean have uncovered potentially illegal levels of air pollution specifically the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide. The results show that children walking to and attending Woodingdean Primary School would be particularly affected. Road transport is the major source of nitrogen dioxide with diesel vehicles being worst; some admit more than five times as much as petrol cars. The EU’s legal annual limit for the gas is 40 micrograms per cubic meter but that limit isn't like a speed limit where 49mph in a 50mph zone avoids the speeding fine. Pollution levels below the limits are still bad for your health. We monitored 12 sites for two to four weeks. The results give a snapshot for that period and aren't directly comparable to annual data however if levels were as bad across the year as for the duration of our study it could mean that at least one site would be blighted by illegally polluted air.

The main cross roads in Woodingdean is significantly above the legal limit, two other sites are very close to breaching this limit, one of which is where the school children cross the road to get to school twice a day. Diesel vehicles and the heavy build-up of traffic in Woodingdean is likely to be one of the main reasons for this. There's a clear increase in traffic through the village. Most recently we believe due to the traffic related to redevelopment of the Royal Sussex Hospital site being routed through the village. The traffic also got noticeably worse after the road works near the Co-op shops and the traffic light changes that followed.

We would like to see what can be done to these traffic lights which are at the crossroads of Falmer and Warren Roads and Warren Way a modern way to improve the flow of traffic and reduce the amount of stationary traffic however this must not be done at the expense of pedestrians who need to cross at this Junction. We’d like to make it clear that we understand this isn't an issue solely for Woodingdean, indeed it is a citywide problem. As such we're very keen not to just shift the problem somewhere else instead we'd like the council to look seriously at citywide traffic reduction alongside bringing in measures to see the dirtiest vehicles restricted from sensitive areas and encourage the transition to cleaner vehicles as quickly as possible.

We would like the hospital trust to urgently review the construction vehicles being routed through Woodingdean with a view to ensuring that only those with the cleanest Euro 6 engines are used. To tackle traffic levels the council needs to take a stronger line on new developments with lots of car parking which generally just creates more traffic causing more congestion and pollution. It also needs to give more focus to improving choice so that people have genuine alternatives to using a car. That means greater bus priority and a significant investment in walking and cycling infrastructure for example with the advent of the e-bike even in Woodingdean there be real opportunities to reduce car traffic if the roads are made to feel safer and cycle friendly.

Suggestions from the pupils of Woodingdean Primary School involved in the monitoring included diverting traffic away from Woodingdean. This sounds like a quick and easy solution but the likelihood is that this just shifts the problem to another community in the city. The pupils also suggested getting more children to walk to school which means fewer car journeys dropping off the kids and educating drivers about the problems and the impact it has on others. Channelview Road is a busy cut through which has got worse with traffic queues on the main roads. I've personally had my cat killed by a speeding car, someone's crashed into our parked car and someone else threatened to beat me up after I asked him to slow down.

We don't want to wait until my child or anyone else's child is killed or hurt before something is done to address this issue. Please look at the supporting documents which are included and please refer this matter to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for debate.”

18.3      Councillor Mitchell replied, “I am interested to hear about your project.  I totally agree with you that we need more travel alternatives to the car and we as a council are constantly looking for opportunities to do this, as well as enabling and promoting sustainable forms of transport, as well as using planning policies such as car free housing.  Your deputation will come to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for further debate, but I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the council's ongoing air quality monitoring at the Woodingdean crossroads carried out to national standards demonstrates that pollution levels are below legal limits not above them.  In addition I can confirm that the lorries from the hospital site are euro 6 and that goes for the main contractor and the subcontractor.

The council's air quality officer has already made contact with the school and he's very happy to share our methodology and our results with you and to help in any way that we can with the project.  This is a very important situation and a very important topic.  Separately I have asked officers to prepare a report on current air quality in the city across the city, the measures already taken, the measures currently underway to improve it, and possible next steps.

Thank you for coming and I look forward to the further debate activity.”

18.4      The Mayor thanked Mr. Fitzpatrick for attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the deputation.  She explained that the points had been noted and the deputation would be referred to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for consideration. The persons forming the deputation would be invited to attend the meeting and would be informed subsequently of any action to be taken or proposed in relation to the matter set out in the deputation.

18.5      The Mayor noted that brought the item to a conclusion.