Agenda item

To consider and comment on the Transport Strategy and Sustainable Transport update report.

The Select Committee were advised on the Strategic Overview and Status of the Transport Strategy and Sustainability by Stephen Lloyd Jones (Sustainable Transport Officer). This included: off-street electric vehicle (EV) charging; on-street EV charging, licensed minicab engagement and DaRT87 Demand Responsive Transport.

Details of the approach and proposals for off and on street EV charging schemes were highlighted. Alternative models for the delivery of EV charging points were being considered in areas where the Council or Parish Councils had some control. The Committee were advised that an integrated approach to EV charging was required, ECC had a critical role and there were opportunities for a combined approach with the private sector.

The Sustainable Transport Officer informed the Select Committee that the licensed mini cab base was a high local mileage user group in the district, whose vehicles were kept at home, and over 50% had no viable means to charge an EV. This group were aware of the business advantage of EV, acquisition costs and viable means to charge a vehicle were the key barriers to the adoption of EV and work would continue with this group. A paper would be presented to the Licensing Committee on 21 March 2022.

The Committee were informed that an additional years funding had been approved by Cabinet for DART 87 ‘hybrid’ Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), this was a bookable service operated by Epping Forest Community Transport. ECC were developing a bus service improvement plan and the Council was working with ECC on the cycling legacy from Ride London.

The Committee considered the report and suggested that: the location, numbers and priority areas for on-street charging point requirements should be developed to allow effective liaison with Essex County Council, they were advised that there was an array of information available but this needed to be collated   The Committee also suggested that car clubs could be of value to the district, the officer detailed that the population density was not high enough to attract car club providers at this stage, although there was scope in the future developments near stations.

The Committee commented on the environmental pressures created by paving over front gardens and that greater consideration needed to be given to the balance between the restrictions on driveways, street parking pressure and charging points without trailing leads across the pavements. They also raised concerns on how communal charging points, especially in housing estates, could be controlled so that these spaces were not just used for parking.

The Committee noted that Essex County Council was responsible for highways including street furniture and lampposts and that concrete lampposts or lamp columns set away from the edge of the road were not suitable as electric charging points.

The Portfolio Holder, N Bedford, suggested that the uptake of home electric charging points at the point of EV purchase by private residents and Motability users should be encouraged. He confirmed that this work was being considered by the Portfolio Advisory Group on Air Quality and encouraged any member to come forward with ideas that could be given to the group for consideration.

The Committee noted that Cllr L Scott, Highways Portfolio Holder for ECC had offered to attend a future meeting and suggested that he could update the Select Committee on EV charging points and the bus improvement plan.

Resolved

The contents of the report were noted, and comments provided.