Purpose

Policy review to allow for changes since
policy review in Feb 2024, to include; review of dropped kerb
requirements, review of enhancing suspension removals / relocation,
introduce Anti-idling PCNs; policy approach to food delivery
drivers waiting time and school streets enforcement.

Content

10.1.1

Members of the committee
considered a report of the Executive Director Neighbourhood
Services detailing the current enforcement policy regarding the
criteria for dropped kerb and raised carriageway enforcement, to
propose that bus gates are still enforced as bus lanes rather than
under moving traffic enforcement, to detail circumstances for
vehicle removal under dangerous / obstructive removals criteria.
Also, minor amendments including sections explaining car club
permit holder bays, adding cycle track exemptions for utility
companies, bus stand exemptions and more detail on loading (general
guidelines and food delivery drivers).

 

 

10.1.2

During discussion of the
item it was decided that the
recommendations be amended by the deletion of paragraph (b) from
the original report;
(b) Agree to
enforcement against vehicles parked in a special enforcement area
on part of the carriageway raised to meet the level of a footway,
cycle track or verge without the requirement for tactiles to be
present.
 

10.2

RESOLVED: That the Waste and Street
Scene Policy Committee;
 

a)   
In relation to dropped-kerb parking enforcement :
                                         
i.   
Request that officers conduct a review of the
resourcing implications for the enforcement of vehicles parked in
front of dropped kerbs for driveways and report back to committee
with detailed proposals, and,
                                       
ii.   
approve the temporary application of the amended
enforcement priorities detailed in paragraph 5.1, Alternative
Option 1 pending the conduct of that review, and presentation of
that report.

b)   
Agree to proposals to continue enforcement of bus
gates as a bus lane contravention instead of a moving traffic
contravention.

c)   
Agree other changes to the Sheffield City Council
Civil Parking, Bus Lane and Moving Traffic Enforcement Policy v1.2
as listed in the summary changes, including previously omitted
exemptions, reference to car club permit holder bays and more
information on loading guidelines.

d)   
Agree to delegate the decision to reduce the loading
observations concessions for food delivery drivers in line with
standard loading observations to the Executive Director, City
Futures as an Officer Decision once consultation on this is
completed.

 

 

10.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

10.3.1

Continue to enforce dropped
kerbs in front of driveways regardless of an H marking being
present but to further review the impact on resource due to
requests for such enforcement.

 

 

10.3.2

Prevent parking at junctions
with raised carriageways and risks to other road users

 

 

10.3.3

Continue enforcement of bus
gates using bus lane enforcement to avoid the risk of being
challenged based on statutory guidance directions for not issuing 6
months warning notices for existing bus gate sites.

 

 

10.3.4

Improved information for
transparency in the Sheffield City Council Civil Parking, Bus Lane
and Moving Traffic Enforcement Policy.

 

 

10.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

 

 

10.4.1

Dropped kerbs in front of driveway

 

 

 

Alternative Option
1:
An option that alters
priorities so that the tactile dropped kerb (and raised
carriageways) remains the highest priority due to safety issues for
other road users; for driveways an “H” marked kerb is a
medium priority and a dropped kerb with no H marking is the lowest
priority. Staff would be deployed to enforce based on this priority
criteria depending on staffing resource available.

 

 

 

Alternative Option
2:
Make it a requirement for
enforcement that driveways must have a H marking for a PCN to be
issued. This would reduce demand on CEO time to help meet other
demands for enforcement deployment. There is an opportunity cost
deploying officers to often more outlying areas which generally
have few if any other restrictions close by which can be tied in
for checks whilst an officer is deployed there.

 

 

10.4.2

Carriageways raised to meet
the level of a footway, cycle track or verge.

 

 

 

Alternative Option
1:
Where a carriageway has been
raised to meet the level of a footway, cycle track or verge, only
enforce where there are tactiles (as is the case for pedestrian
dropped kerbs).
 
However, the above would still
need to be considered for appeals. This would not negate parking
issues at locations such as Division Lane where tactiles have not
been provided.

 

 

 

Alternative Option
2:
Where a carriageway has been
raised to meet the level of a footway, cycle track or verge, do not
enforce in the absence of other restriction signage. However, this
would risk unenforceable parking on such junctions and problems for
other road users as a result.

 

 

 

Alternative Option
3:
Where a carriageway has been
raised to meet the level of a footway, cycle track or verge, sign
the street as a Restricted Parking Zone (RPZ) to negate the need
for yellow lines. However, this would need changes to signs and
lines on the rest of the street and wider zone and a budget to do
so. It is also likely to need a TRO review as the waiting and
loading restrictions would need to be uniform within the zone
created.

 

 

10.4.3

Bus
gate enforcement

 

 

 

Alternative Option
1:
For new and existing bus gates
issue PCNs for contravention reason ‘Using a route restricted
to certain vehicles’ (moving traffic enforcement) instead of
‘Being in a bus lane’ (bus lane
enforcement).
 
However, we risk being
challenged in the first 6 months of this being changed at the
existing 9 bus gate locations if we continued to issue PCNs for
these rather than revert to warning notices. If warning notices are
issued for that period there would be a financial impact on the
service, as well as different enforcement being applied to drivers
depending on when they drove through the existing bus
gates.
 
If we issued for contravention
reason ‘Using a route restricted to certain vehicles’
(moving traffic enforcement) for new bus gates only and
‘Being in a bus lane’ (bus lane enforcement) for new
sites, this may cause confusion for motorists that receive PCNs
having driven through bus gates at different locations.