Issue - meetings

Following deferral at the last meeting due to lack of time, to consider and debate the following motion, submitted by Cllr Michael Jones, notice of which was given on 26 January 2021.

‘This Council considers that licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire taxis offer a means of getting around the county for those who either do not have access to their own vehicle or need to get to places that are not already served by other forms of public transport. This Council considers that licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire taxis carrying more than one passenger results in a reduction of carbon emissions, which contributes towards this Council’s ambition to tackle climate change. This Council also believes that this would also assist in reducing traffic congestion at peak times, so would have a substantial impact on reducing pollution in general.

This Council therefore calls on the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure to:

(1)        Facilitate a 12-month pilot scheme to enable licensed hackney carriages and private hire taxis to utilise the bus lanes in Crawley (excluding the Fastway network of guided bus lanes);

(2)        Report back to the Environment and Communities Scrutiny Committee ahead of the end of the pilot scheme on the benefits or otherwise ahead of a decision whether to make it a permanent arrangement; and

(3)        Explore opportunities when future new developments and infrastructure improvements are programmed and designed to expand the bus lane network around the county to facilitate the reliability and punctuality of the public transport network and contribute towards the reduction of carbon emissions.’

104.1  Due to lack of time the motion on bus lanes fell away.

To consider the following motion, submitted by Cllr Michael Jones, notice of which was given on 26 January 2021.Note: The Chairman has indicated she intends to refer the motion to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure for consideration. It will therefore not be debated at this meeting.

‘This Council considers that licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire taxis offer a means of getting around the county for those who either do not have access to their own vehicle or need to get to places that are not already served by other forms of public transport. This Council considers that licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire taxis carrying more than one passenger results in a reduction of carbon emissions, which contributes towards this Council’s ambition to tackle climate change. This Council also believes that this would also assist in reducing traffic congestion at peak times, so would have a substantial impact on reducing pollution in general.

This Council therefore calls on the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure to:

(1)        Facilitate a 12-month pilot scheme to enable licensed hackney carriages and private hire taxis to utilise the bus lanes in Crawley (excluding the Fastway network of guided bus lanes);

(2)        Report back to the Environment and Communities Scrutiny Committee ahead of the end of the pilot scheme on the benefits or otherwise ahead of a decision whether to make it a permanent arrangement; and

(3)        Explore opportunities when future new developments and infrastructure improvements are programmed and designed to expand the bus lane network around the county to facilitate the reliability and punctuality of the public transport network and contribute towards the reduction of carbon emissions.’

82.1     The motion on bus lanes was deferred to the next meeting due to lack of time.