The Petition of residents of Leicester East,
Declares that the lack of parking, improper lighting and fast moving traffic around the Shree Sanatan Mandir is inconvenient and dangerous for worshippers and other road users. The temple has widespread links with communities across Leicester and holds many events and services for a large number of people.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Leicester City Council to take action to increase safety and accessibility in the area, to allow visitors to reach their place of worship. The Petitioners require assurances that measures will include better parking and appropriate lighting, before any harm is caused by the current conditions.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Keith Vaz, Official Report, 5 February 2015; Vol. 592, c. 524.]
[P001431]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
The overall responsibility for traffic management on local roads and parking enforcement rests with the relevant local authority, as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of parking policies and to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local business and those who work in and visit the areas.
Where problems occur, the DfT looks to local authorities to use their traffic management powers under the Road Traffic Regulation Act (RTRA) 1984 to make traffic regulation orders (TROs) to introduce traffic management measures such as residential parking schemes or other parking charges to balance the supply and demand for road space in the light of local needs. The DfT has published advice and issued guidance in its “Operational Guidance to Local Authorities: Parking Policy and Enforcement”, this is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operational-guidance-to-local-authorities-parking-policy-and-enforcement
With regard to speeding traffic, the DfT has issued revised guidance in January 2013 aimed mainly at local traffic authorities who are responsible for setting speed limits on local roads. It has been designed to help explain to everyone why and how local speed limits are determined. This guidance was revised following a full public consultation in 2012 and is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-local-speed-limits
With regard to traffic calming, it is important to remember that its primary purpose is to reduce vehicle speeds in areas where inappropriate speed is a problem. Traffic calming plays an important role in improving road safety and each 1 mph reduction in vehicle speed resulting from traffic calming has been found to reduce accidents by around 5%.
Our published guidance on the design of traffic calming measures is in Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/07 “Traffic Calming” which is available on the DfT website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-transport-notes
The management of street lighting in England is the responsibility of local highway authorities, who have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highways in their charge. While authorities do not have a duty to light any particular parts of their networks where lighting has been provided, the authority has a duty to maintain it. The decision to install any additional street lights in the vicinity of the Shree Sanatan Mandir would be a matter for Leicester city council.
In line with the coalition Government’s commitment to localism, Ministers and officials have no remit to intervene in the day-to-day affairs of local authorities except where specific provision has been made in legislation.