Agenda and minutes

It was confirmed that the meeting would take place in public.

This petition item was rescheduled for a hearing on 29 May 2013, due to the unavailability of a sign language interpreter.

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

• Residents found it difficult to leave the estate in the morning due to the volume of cars cutting through the narrow roads and due to parked cars, were considered wide enough only to accommodate one-way traffic.
• This was a residential area which was experiencing substantial safety issues, as speeding cars made it difficult for residents parked in the opposite direction between parked cars, to pull out onto the road.
• Two car accidents had occurred as a result of this issue.
• It was suggested that parents walking their children to local schools struggled to cross the roads.
• Due to the narrow roads, cars often mounted the kerbs and it was almost impossible for residents to access Lymington Drive.
• The issues concerning the roads had resulted in residents’ cars being damaged.
• Petitioners stated that permanent restriction would be acceptable, as officers had stated in their report that the request for the restriction of a ‘one-way’ flow of traffic on a part-time basis was not permitted by law.
• Appreciated that in order for any traffic measures to be introduced, the residents in the roads concerned, as well as those living in surrounding roads would have to be consulted and the majority would be required to be in support of any scheme.
• It was reiterated that speeding cars drove through Lysander Road, Chichester Avenue and Lymington Drive.
• Suggested that that Lymington Drive should be made into a permanent one-way direction in the easterly direction with a ‘no entry’ and a ‘no left turn’ turning into Lysander Road and Lymington Drive.

A Ward Councillor spoke (giving apologies for the other 2 Ward Councillors who were otherwise engaged on Council business) and raised the following points:

• Advised that he had been involved with issues raised by petitioners for some time and empathised with those who lived in the affected roads.
• It was suggested that the area was never designed for the volume of traffic, and neither were the size of the roads designed for the level of traffic.
• The roads were used as a short –cut during the morning rush hour to get to the ‘White Bear Roundabout’ and this has resulted in a half increase waiting time to exit the estate.
• The area was in close proximity of 3 train stations, namely Ruislip, Ruislip Manor and Ickenham stations compounded by Breakspear and Wood End Road which were usually extremely congested.
• Petitioners had highlighted a huge problem in the area, both in terms of safety issues for residents, as well as transportation issues.
• Requested a detailed survey to be undertaken, particularly in respect of petitioners being able to exit the estate in the mornings and asked that petitioners also be invited to accompany officers when they go on site, to assist in ensuring that the correct areas were targeted.
• Re-iterated support for petitioners in trying to achieve an acceptable outcome.
• Suggested that there were significant safety concerns regarding this issue and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

• Urged the Cabinet Member that something needed to be done about the road, as a 71 year old close family relative was recently involved in an accident caused by a speeding van.
• Expressed concerns about the ‘blind spot’ on the corner of the road, as speeding vehicles approached the road used as a cut-through.
• Advised that this was a residential area with housing estates as well as schools and the current 30ph speed limit was too fast.
• Suggested that residents would like measures such as ‘speed humps’ to be installed in order to slow down speeding vehicles. In addition, as many roads lead to Longmead Road, advised that a one-way system would further slow down traffic.
• Indicated that with the ‘blind spot’ on the corner of the road, it was very difficult to see vehicles coming around the corner and therefore, a one-way system would help.

 Two Ward Councillors spoke and raised the following points:

• Expressed concerns that cars picked up speed before they turned into the side roads and stated that the situation rendered an “accident waiting to happen”, particularly as residents were able to park their vehicles on the corners.
• Had requested installation of double yellow lines at Ninth Avenue, Longmead and West Avenue to prevent parking on the corner of the roads.
• Concerned that cars approaching with speed from Church Road in to West Avenue and Longmead (where cars would be park on the corners of the roads), often led to screeching cars approaching from the opposite direction, as they were forced to stop, and sometimes were forced to back out at Church Road.
• Urged the Cabinet Member to consider a 20mph speed limit for the entire estate including Longmead Road and in particular, making Longmead Road a priority.
• Advised that the entrance to Longmead Road, when approaching from Church Road, was quite flat and therefore, if slightly raised, would result in slowing down vehicles by prompting drivers to slow down, making it safer for pedestrians coming out of Longmead Road.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised. Councillor Burrows stated that recommendation 2 would be revised to include a 24-hour, seven day traffic speed and volume survey in Longmead Road; and an additional recommendation (4) would be added, instructing officers to monitor traffic on the corners of each of the junctions.

It was noted that the traffic survey would be undertaken during term-time and officers would discuss the outcome before coming up with suggestions and discussing with petitioners and their Ward Councillors.

It was noted that further evidence would be required before consideration could be given to reducing the speed limit to 20mph and highlighted that no Killed, Seriously Injured (KSI) evidence had been provided to substantiate a 20mph zone across the area.

Resolved – That the Cabinet Member:

1.                  Met and discussed with petitioners their concerns in detail          and explored possible options  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Two petition requests had been submitted.  Concerns, comments and suggestions raised at the meeting (by the one petitioner that was present) in respect of these included the following:

• There had been a substantial increase in traffic in the road with people coming from the Grapes Public House, Kingshill Avenue and Charville Lane had resulted in a serious problem of speeding.
• There had recently been a major accident in Grosvenor Avenue, which had resulted in two garden walls and a parked car being damaged.
• Requested installation of speed humps in the road to reduce traffic speed.

A Metropolitan Police Local Safer Neighbourhood officer added that a new Policing Module was introduced on 24 June 2012, where Safer Neighbourhood Teams focused on clusters of wards in the Local Police areas, with each ward having its own dedicated police constable, but only one dedicated Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) which had resulted in a stretch in officers covering areas.  Suggested that the problem in Grosvenor Avenue stemmed from cut-through speeding traffic, although generally, it was possible to have a two-way traffic flow in Grosvenor Avenue during the day; however, this was not the case during the evenings.

It was noted that a 12 weeks summer initiative had been introduced in the area (starting on the 3 June 2013) looking at all various issues (not just anti-social behaviour).  It was considered that the outcome of this venture was likely to have a long term effect on some of the issues that had been raised by petitioners.

The Ward Councillors of the area spoke and raised the following points:

·        Expressed concerns about the increase in the volume of traffic in Grosvenor Avenue and the issue of speeding in the road.

·        Expressed reservation about the Vehicle Activated Signs Programme, as suggested that motorists would ignore this after a period of time.

·        Suggested that there was also the issue of young people on mopeds speeding and carrying out ‘wheelies’ in the road and  expressed great concerns about the dangers to young children living in the area.

·        Concurred with petitioners that Grosvenor Avenue was used as a cut through and that there had been an increase in the level of traffic.

·        Stated that in 2009, this issue had been raised with the Cabinet Member and a traffic survey had been undertaken regarding speeding vehicles speed in the area at the time. It highlighted that the problem occurred during the evenings, whilst there were no issues of speeding vehicles during the day time.

·        Urged the Cabinet Member that urgent action was needed to address the problem and that it was imperative for some form of traffic calming measure to be installed.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised. It was noted that two traffic surveys had been undertaken in the area, in 2009 and 2012 when some high speeds had been recorded. However, Councillor Burrows advised that a certain percentage would need to be taken into account to establish whether the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.