Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interests.

It was confirmed that all items of business would be considered in public.

 The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting the traffic calming measures in Vine Lane including the installation of a zebra crossing and speed bumps. A representative from the petition was in attendance and made the following points: 

·         Concerns were raised about safety of pedestrians given the heavy traffic flow in Vine Lane.

·         Due to the speed of vehicles, it was difficult to make safe vehicle turns at the junctions of Sylvana Close and Chestwood Grove.

·         The existing chicanes had limited use in calming traffic as when there was no oncoming traffic, drivers tended to drive in the middle of the road to avoid speed bumps.

·         Residents requested speed bumps so that it would encourage drivers to slow down.

·         There was no proper footpath for pedestrians which was particularly concerning for children that attended local schools. It was emphasised that there was a need to increase the safety for children and adults when crossing the road.

·         Residents requested additional signage as vehicles travelled too fast.

·         There had been a number of near miss accidents and action needed to be taken to avoid any serious incidents.

·         Representatives of the Council that had visited the area in question had also agreed that vehicles were travelling too fast.

Councillor Ray Graham attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Councillor Graham supported the points raised by the petitioner and added that traffic towards Sylvana Close exceeded speed limits. A traffic calming pillow or wide speed bump was requested to manage the traffic flow.  As there were blind corners on Vine Lane, there needed to be some signage to warn people. It was accepted that there would be difficulties in installing a zebra crossing due to the lack of pedestrian ways on either side, Nonetheless, there was a great need to provide safety given the close vicinity of schools and increase of traffic.

The Head of Transport and Town Centre Projects and the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager considered that it would be sensible to include warning signage as an integrated part of the scheme to address concerns. A consultation had taken place and the results from that needed to be analysed. The consultation process was explained, and it was acknowledged that based on the investigations thus far, it was clear that there was some support for measures to be put in place. It was noted that due to drainage issues, lack of footways and the nature of Vine Lane road, there were challenges on what could realistically be achieved. A zebra crossing may unfortunately not be viable on technical grounds; however a crossing point at St Andrews would be reviewed.

Councillor Riley listened to the concerns of the petition organiser and was keen to mitigate the issues raised. It was questioned whether an additional footway could be installed and officers confirmed that this was impossible due to the  frontages and width of Vine Lane. It was noted that the nature and construction of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting a reduction to the speed limit on all roads within the conservation area of Harmondsworth to a maximum limit of 20mph. A representative from the petition was in attendance and made the following points: 

·         The petition had been organised by the Chair of Governors  of Harmondsworth Primary School and Chairman of Harmondsworth Horticultural Association. The current situation had impacted the whole village in all roads.

·         In Harmondsworth, there were already some roads with 20 mph speed limits however this varied along other roads where they were 30 mph speed limits.

·         Harmondsworth village had a school with over 200 children and children were encouraged to walk to school. This caused serious concerns for pedestrian safety as vehicles travelled at high speeds.

·         There was a church and pub in the community that was used by many residents. In order to access the church a road had to be crossed and there was a concern for elderly residents with the high speed of travel of scooters, mopeds and vehicles.

·         A road watch outside the village had been conducted in conjunction with the Harmondsworth Residents Association and police.

·         Many roads had off-street parking resulting in narrow space on roads.

·         Taking action and introducing 20 mph speed on roads in the village would improve the life of all residents and put them first.

Councillor Peter Money attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Councillor Money supported all the points raised by the petitioner and added that there was an inconsistency in the speed limits in the village that caused confusion. Signage would make the speed limits on the roads clearer.  Harmondsworth village was a small place with small roads that had a local school, church and two pubs. The village would benefit from consistent speed limits. Previously, Sipson village experienced similar issues, but the situation had improved with the introduction of 20 mph zones. Cllr Money urged the Cabinet Member to take some action and put residents safety first.

Councillor Riley listened to the concerns of the petition organiser and responded to the points raised. It was agreed that 24/7 traffic surveys would be completed. This information was useful to inform the process as they provided information on the speed of vehicles, volume of traffic and and the types of vehicles using the road. It was welcomed that the petition had been organised by the Chair of Governors for Harmondsworth School and the school and Council’s School Travel and Road Safety team remain able and willing to work closely with the school, provided the school reciprocates, in order to help address the issues of speeding. The surveys would be undertaken during term time in September to ensure that accurate data could be collected.

The petition representative noted that the school had worked with the Council some years ago on the existing 20mph zone scheme, and all agreed that the present request and consequential actions will potentially provide an excellent opportunities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from Botwell Ward Councillor Janet Gardner, the lead petitioner, requesting a formal consultation by Hillingdon Council on the introduction of a 20 mph limit and other traffic calming measures. Councillor Gardner from the petition was in attendance and made the following points: 

·         Concerns were raised regarding safety, disturbance and noise as a result of speeding vehicles.

·         There had been a number of issues with speeding in the area that had caused incidents such as traffic lights, walls, railings and telegraph posts being hit. 

·         People drove around the roundabouts the wrong way recklessly often doing ‘donuts’.

·         The roads where issues had been identified involved two wards and the situation was dangerous.

·         The concerns had been raised with the police and petitioners were advised to raise the issues with the Council. Speed surveys had been conducted by the police.

·         Surveys were requested so that information regarding speed could be collected and further action could be taken.

Councillor Jazz Dhillon attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor in support of the petition. Councillor Dhillon supported all the points raised by the petitioner and added that there were often unorganised car events that started in the Asda car park, Hayes, later effecting roads in the whole area. The police had been made aware of the issue and although people had been identified, it was difficult to take action as drivers drove off quickly or used false number plates. It had been questioned whether speed bumps could be provideda along  Millington Road to try and stop the activity and whether the issues could be escalated with the Asda car park owners. Cllr Dhillon emphasised that there was a significant disturbance to the neighbourhood and action needed to be taken. Residents were frustrated with the situation. Concerns were also highlighted about cars speeding along Station Road and it was raised whether Transport for London could be contacted regarding the phasing of the traffic signals.

Councillor Oswell attended the meeting and spoke as Ward Councillor. Cllr Oswell considered the 20 mph speed limit zone to be a good start to address the issues and urged the Council to contact the Asda Car Park to take action.

Councillor John Morse attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and added that Bourne Avenue ought to be added to the consultation as it had similar issues. Residents needed to see some demonstration from the Council that action was being taken to address the issues raised.

Councillor Scott Farley attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and highlighted that Council owned car parks were also being used inappropriately. Concerns raised about speeding and noise were reiterated.

David Knowles emphasised that collaboration and a joined-up approach with the police was needed to manage the issues raised. The Asda car park (Millington Road Estate) was not within the Council’s remint as it was a private estate and traffic calming measures could not be introduced unilaterally by the Council. There had been reports of other areas in the Borough  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.