Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting safety measures on St John’s Road, Uxbridge. The lead petitioner attended and made the following points:

• Primary concerns related to the volume and speed of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) using St John’s Road;

• The time at which residents had experienced disturbance from HGVs ranged from as early as 5am and as late as midnight;
• The lead petitioner conducted their own count of HGVs on St John’s Road over a two hour period in April 2021. The count averaged one HGV per minute;
• With regards to safety, it was stated that the road was not built to sustain the current levels of HGV use;
• The narrow road and pavement led to instances whereby residents felt unsafe walking alongside the road, particularly with children attending the nursery and primary schools on St John’s Road;
• Debris from skips mounted onto the back of HGVs was known to spill onto the road and pavement. Further to this, an incident occurred where a HGV had lost control and tipped onto its side and crushed a bus stop;
• Residents had experienced damage to property in the form of cracks seen to be attributed to the vibrations caused by the frequently passing HGVs;
• Further concerns were raised as to the air and noise pollution caused by the level of HGV traffic on the road;

Councillor Burrows was also in attendance as Ward Councillor for Uxbridge South, he made a number of points including:

·       The Ward Councillor commended and supported petitioners in bringing the issue before the Cabinet Member and providing their insight as to the situation on St John’s Road;

·       It was acknowledged that there were industrial estates in the vicinity which were serviced by St John’s Road, mainly due to the weight limit on the canal bridge on Cowley Mill Road. Further to this, it was highlighted that as Covid-19 related restrictions were lifted, it was likely that traffic volumes could increase;

·       Recommendation two of the officer’s report was highlighted and Cllr Burrows expressed his support for a traffic survey to take place. The previous survey had taken place in 2018 and new survey data was seen as beneficial;

·       Cllr Burrows requested that the Cabinet Member consider investigating the actions that the Council could possibly take with regard to potential breaches of operating times by the HGV users;

·       A further request was made to assess the condition of the road and pavement as highlighted in the petition. To that end, the Ward Councillor suggested both the pavements and road on St John’s Road be added to a resurfacing programme

The Cabinet Member thanked the petitioner and the Ward Councillor for their comments and for highlighting the concerns experienced by residents. The Cabinet Member also noted the prevalence of industrial estates nearby to St John’s Road and highlighted the need for vehicles, including HGVs, to require access to those sites; the aim was to accommodate both residents’ needs and wellbeing, and the businesses that operate in the local area.

The issue around debris falling from skip lorries was highlighted and it was noted that, where feasible, the Council would work towards tackling this problem; in some cases, officers were contacting local companies that could be deemed to exacerbate this problem to ensure that measures are taken to address any potential accidents. The noise caused by skip lorries, particularly when the skips were empty, and the subsequent disturbance caused to residents had been drawn to the Council’s attention at another location in the Borough; however officers raised particular concerns as to the petitioner’s statement around the time of day that they were experiencing this disturbance. The petitioner was informed that the Council was currently looking into joining the London Lorry Control Scheme, administered by the body London Councils; the scheme would be a way in which the Council could enforce certain routes within the Borough to be taken by HGVs. However, it was also noted that St John’s Road sat adjacent to the Borough boundary with Buckinghamshire and discussions would need to take place with Buckinghamshire County Council around appropriate HGV access routes into Uxbridge. With regard to enforcement, it was highlighted that issues such as this could cut across a number of authorities including the Environment Agency, Transport for London and the London Borough of Hillingdon.

The Cabinet Member reiterated the importance of ensuring repair and maintenance is duly carried out on the stretch of road and pavement; it was noted that Ward Councillors would soon be asked to highlight areas of particular concern within their wards to the Cabinet Member, following this, he would consider which areas were to be added to the maintenance programme, Cllr Burrows was encouraged to highlight St John’s Road.

The Head of Transport and Town Centre Projects emphasised the need to obtain a clear and up to date picture on the volume of traffic on the road; this was reinforced by the petitioner’s statement that the situation had deteriorated since the last traffic survey was conducted roughly three years previously. It was noted that the traffic survey would be conducted by an independent company and would collect data on the volume, speed, vehicle type, weight and time of traffic. It was highlighted that the surveys could be positioned in multiple locations along St John’s Road, so long as they could be affixed to street furniture; it was agreed that the lead petitioner would consult with their Ward Councillor as to the exact number and locations of these surveys and this would be fed back to officers. With regard to giving a timeframe for these surveys, the Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager confirmed that a new batch of surveys were due to be conducted in the coming weeks and orders for further surveys were currently being placed, likely to take place at the end of June or early July, subject to receipt of the preferred locations from the petitioner. It was noted that these surveys would only be conducted during school term time, this was because traffic levels during school holidays could give atypical data.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport:

1)    Met with petitioners and listened to their concerns in regard to road safety and HGVs levels along St John’s Road, Uxbridge;

2)    Asked officers to undertake a 24/7 automated traffic count at locations along St John’s Road agreed upon by the lead petitioner and Ward Councillors;

3)    Instructed Highways Inspectors to assess St John’s Road in terms of road and pavement condition at the earliest opportunity; and

4)    Asked officers to review the Council’s powers with regard to enforcement of operating times for businesses operating HGVs in the vicinity.