Rugby Road Traffic calming – HGV ban and refuse traffic

 

1st meeting Wednesday March 16th 2005, at 48 Rugby Road

 

  1. About 10 people were present (from Rugby Road, + Richard Mallender, green councillor for Preston Park ward).

 

  1. The meeting was called by Malcolm Dawes and Paul Tofts to take forward the idea of a petition from the Road to call for a HGV ban and for the council to instruct the refuse trucks to stop using the Road as a thoroughfare. This would address the long standing issue of HGV through traffic.

 

  1. The plan to expand the depot at Hollingdean has aroused much concern, and the two issues are linked (yet also each can be approached separately). Two meetings have been held in Downs Infants School about this; the last had 150 people attending.

 

  1. Issues:
    1. A reinstatement of a left turn at five-ways from Ditchling Road into Stanford avenue would be needed, or else a left turn into Preston Drove.
    2. If the depot were to go ahead, there would be a large amount of traffic, all day and in both directions.
    3. The choice of depot site, and the use of large vehicles, were not at first sight correct.

 

  1. A website www.peace-in-rugby-road.org.uk, set up by Paul Tofts, summarises the main issues regarding HGV traffic, and can be expanded as appropriate. He asked for email addresses of those interested.

 

  1. Juliet Mccaffery (one of the labour councillors, who has worked on this) will be invited to future meetings.

 

  1. Caroline Taylor (#21) is a school governor at Downs junior school and will be raising these issues.

 

  1. Possible action was outlined as: petition (see below), direct action (see below), letter writing (see below), deputation to council (to be done with petition), public question to council (not pursued- less impact than petition), media involvement (see direct action).

 

  1. Petition plans:
    1. Wording – Jenny will finalise this
    2. Letter for voters – Malcolm will draft this, to include

                                                               i.      invitation to join deputation to council on 28 April at 4pm

                                                             ii.      request for email address

                                                            iii.      notification of website giving information

    1. Electronic voters list – Richard will produce this (having produced a paper version of the electoral roll); Paul will format it to produce individual lists for each doorstepper. Children to be invited to contribute. Steve Reeve produced a touching letter from his daughter.
    2. Doorstepping:

                                                               i.      Numbers 1-21 Caroline Taylor (#21)

                                                             ii.      23-49 (corner with Southdown Avenue) Leighe (#39)

                                                            iii.      51-63, 60-96(?) (above Southdown avenue) – Cath (#64), with help from Nicola Swainson (#60) and Sophie (#68)?

                                                           iv.      2-30 Steve Reeve (#10)

                                                             v.      32-58 (corner) Malcolm Dawes (#52)

    1. Timescale – to be completed well before next meeting.
    2. Delivery to full council meeting on April 28th (near start at 4pm): to include a deputation; the petition could be split into 2 or 3, to be delivered by more than one councillor, for added impact.

 

  1. Direct action possibilities:
    1. Double parking, blocking carts (or road narrowing?)
    2. Picketing refuse drivers to explain where we are coming from (early morning; Jenny?). Contact with Trades Union? Letter to bin men? (Cath).
    3. Demo by school children (Cath? Around 8:45am), with Argus in attendance.
    4. HGV ban notices (unofficial)

 

  1. Letter writing (and E-mailing):
    1. To include David Lepper MP, other prospective parliamentary candidates, and school governors (please give Paul details, for website)
    2. Steve Rogers (#39) proposed producing individual letters for each voter to send.

 

  1. Next meeting Wednesday 6th April 8pm 48 Rugby Road (no more than 12 please!)

 

Paul Tofts March 25, 2005