To note that Councillor Corall Jenkins has stood down from the Committee.

The Committee noted that Councillor Corall Jenkins had stood down, and that Helen Hemstock had replaced Gary Smerdon-White as the representative of RideWise.

Roger Bacon

Councillor John Doddy

Helen Hemstock  -  Work commitments

Councillor Dave Liversidge  -  Personal reasons

Alan Marshall  -  Work commitments

Hugh McClintock  -  On leave

Councillor Sarah Piper

Councillor Parry Tsimbiridis  -  Personal reasons

None.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 11 December 2018.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 December 2018 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

To consider the report on the current committee Terms of Reference.

Andy Holdstock, Senior Project Engineer (NET Project), presented a review of the Committee’s current Terms of Reference. The Committee was satisfied that the review was in line with the requirements of the Nottingham Express Transit System Order (2009).

If an additional organisation beyond the current membership wishes to put itself forward as a formal representative of users of the tram system, it should contact the NET Project officers at Nottingham City Council.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  endorse the report on the Committee’s current Terms of Reference;

(2)  produce an updated Terms of Reference based on the report, for agreement at the City Council AGM on 20 May 2019.

To consider the report of the Head of Operations, Nottingham Trams.

Mike Mabey, Head of Operations at Nottingham Trams, presented a report to update the Committee on the performance and progress of the Nottingham tram system from 1 November 2018 to 31 January 2019, highlighting the following points:

(a)  the tram network celebrated its 15th Birthday on Saturday 9 March. Levels of punctuality (94.4%) and reliability (97.9%) were extremely high, while performance had improved due to a reduction in incursions onto the track, traffic collisions and traffic congestion;

(b)  the introduction of small cones had reduced the number of vehicles encroaching onto Lenton Lane Bridge and further road signage was being considered, but there had still been two drink driving incidents, which were difficult to prevent. The introduction of retractable bollards had been explored, but there are concerns about their reliability. Discussions are also underway with the Local Highway Authority regarding the introduction of deterrence measures at a number of other locations;

(c)  a media campaign has been undertaken to raise awareness about avoiding vehicle collisions with trams. The Local Highway Authority is investigating the possibility of updating traffic signal technology to improve traffic flow along sections of the Line One traffic corridor, which has the potential to assist in improving tram reliability;

(d)  there is a good dialogue with the East Midlands Ambulance Service and its control centre to avoid emergency vehicles parking on the tram tracks. Unfortunately, ambulances are not always able to respond to serious passenger illness or accidents on the trams immediately, so further planning is needed to identify places where a tram with a passenger requiring medical attention can stop so as not to block the tram tracks, while still being easily reachable by the emergency services;

(e)  when trams were particularly busy over Christmas, Travel Officers focused on central stops in the City to help manage passengers entering and exiting the trams, to assist in making the process more orderly and speedy, and to improve security. Consideration is being given to additional measures on platforms to improve passenger flow;

(f)  a special timetable was introduced for Bonfire Night to reduce the number of trams per hour from 8 to 7 (so trams had more time to load and unload passengers at busy stops and keep to time). There were no incidents during the switch-on of the City Christmas Lights or during the New Year’s Eve event held at the Old Market Square (as the Castle grounds were closed for renovation work), and the reduced timetable again worked well;

(g)  to improve defensive driving, the depot’s tram simulator (purchased in 2014 so that drivers could learn their routes when access to the tracks was limited) has been upgraded to present drivers with hazardous situations in a randomised way, to help improve their reactions to unusual situations;

(h)  the display on the tram ticket purchasing machines is now easier to use. Changes were made to some fares and tickets from 7 January 2019, with the introduction of student tickets and altering the labelling of ‘Return’ tickets to ‘Day’ tickets, as the usage of ‘Return’ tickets had caused confusion for some passengers. Although the price of tickets (which is set by Tramlink) overall has risen by less than inflation (and the price of season tickets has been frozen), the cost of some types of individual ticket has increased by a greater degree than others. Bus fares have also gone up, this year.

RESOLVED to note the performance and progress update for 1 November 2018 to 31 January 2019 from Nottingham Trams.

Nothing to report.

Nothing to report.

To consider a letter of complaint relating to tram availability and reliability during December and January 2018/19.

Kate Knight, Assistant Project Manager (NET Project), presented a report on a written complaint from a member of the public relating to tram availability and reliability during December 2018 and January 2019. The following comments were made:

(a)  the October to December period can be difficult for the operation of trams and, unfortunately, a number of minor and unrelated technical faults occurred to some trams during December 2018 and January 2019, resulting in them having to be withdrawn from service at short notice. Unfortunately, power supply issues also affected tram services during the period. Timetable changes were put in place where necessary to minimise the impact and every effort was made to ensure that customers were kept informed as transparently as possible. Tram drivers should be informing customers when service disruption occurs. Possible ways of improving tram availability are being explored with the maintenance contractor. While busy trams can be uncomfortable, even if the passenger numbers are within safe limits, they should be sufficiently regular to meet usage demands.

Committee members raised a written complaint from a member of the public relating to the time taken to repair broken street lights along the tram track between Cator Lane and Bramcote Lane, Chilwell. The following comments were made:

(b)  it is very concerning that the repair of the street lights had taken such a long time, and this should not happen again in the future. Currently, the responsibility for the repair of the lights rests with Tramlink, but it will be handed over to the County Council, shortly. Tramlink should ensure that as many snagging issues as possible are resolved before responsibility for elements of the network are handed over to other bodies, working together with Nottingham Trams where appropriate.

The Committee noted that some members had received correspondence relating to conditions for tram drivers shortly before the meeting, which would be forwarded to Nottingham Trams.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  note the concerns raised by the member of the public relating to tram availability and reliability during December 2018 and January 2019;

(2)  seek a written reply to the complainant from Nottingham Trams to explain the causes for delay and the action taken, to be agreed by the Chair and Vice-Chair;

(3)  note the concerns raised by the member of the public relating to the very long time taken to repair broken street lights along the tram track between Cator Lane and Bramcote Lane, Chilwell;

(4)  note that the responsibility for this maintenance issue would be transferred to Nottinghamshire County Council, shortly.

To consider the Forward Plan of future agenda items.

The Chair introduced the Committee’s Forward Plan for the next municipal year, following the full City Council elections in May.

RESOLVED to note the Forward Plan.