Agenda item

Councillor Martin Goddard attended the meeting and spoke as a Ward Councillor in support of the petition. 

Concerns and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

·         Clare House Nursing Home was situated on Harefield Road and received visitors of all ages who were struggling to cross the road due to the excessive speed of vehicles travelling down it.  Staff at Clare House had also mentioned that traffic consistently travelled too fast along the road;

·         One resident had parked their car on Harefield Road and had their wing mirror broken off by a passing vehicle because this driver had refused to wait for oncoming traffic to filter through the narrower parts of the road;

·         Cars would often park on the bend of the road on the hill which made it difficult for traffic to pass;

·         Concern was expressed that pedestrians took their lives in their own hands when they tried to cross the road to get to the bus stop;

·         The petition organiser had collected signatures during daylight hours in the winter which meant that many working residents had not had the opportunity to sign the petition;

·         Harefield Road stretched from the Oxford Road roundabout to the top of Park Road so people working in Uxbridge used it as a cut through;

·         The southern end of Harefield Road had residents’ parking which meant that the traffic had to slow down to dodge and weave between the parked cars.  However, the road then opened up to the north which resulted in vehicles speeding up to 40-50 mph before hitting significant congestion at the traffic lights;

·         It was noted that the yellow box junction at the traffic lights on the junction of Park Road and Harefield Road had all but worn away which meant that drivers were ignoring it and the traffic often got backed up; and

·         Drivers travelling along Harefield Road were behaving aggressively, particularly when coming away from Uxbridge, and action needed to be taken to address this.  It was thought that this was likely to worsen as a result of the work associated with HS2.

Councillor Burrows listened to the concerns of the petitioners and responded to the points raised.  He advised that he knew the road really well.  The Cabinet Member advised that he would be unable to sanction a 20mph speed limit unless there was evidence to support this.  Alternatives to slow the traffic down might include speed cushions, raised tables or Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS).  He was mindful that emergency vehicles would also need to be able to access the road safely. 

It was agreed that traffic surveys be undertaken by an independent company 24/7 for a seven day period to identify the number, speed, type and time of vehicles travelling along Harefield Road.  The Cabinet Member advised that he would commission the survey when he next met with officers and that it would not be undertaken during school holidays.  The petition organiser and Councillor Goddard identified three places for the surveys to be located.  Following an analysis of the traffic survey data collected and the accident data, the Cabinet Member would then meet with the Ward Councillors to discuss the results and possible further action. 

Although the yellow box junction had not been mentioned as part of the petition, it was deemed to be significant.  As such, the Cabinet Member would add a resolution that instructed Highways officers to investigate and renew the lines if required.

RESOLVED:  Meeting with the petitioners, the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling:

1.      listened to their request for a 20mph speed limit and a "slow down" sign for Harefield Road, Uxbridge.

2.      asked officers to undertake traffic surveys, at locations agreed by the petitioners, and to then report back to the Cabinet Member.

3.      instructed officers to inspect the current yellow line box junction and, if required, remark it.

Reasons for recommendations

The Petition Hearing provided a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the petitioners of their concerns and suggestions. 

Alternative options considered / risk management

None at this stage.