Agenda item

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 to rekindle this relationship with the school active participants in the process. Cllr Riley commented that from his experience with other school-related petitions, the involvement of school children provides a magnificent opportunity for the local community.

Officers discussed with petitioners and the Ward Councillor where the monitoring tubes should be located.

RESOLVED:

Meeting with the Petitioners, the Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport:

1)    met with petitioners and listened to their concerns in regard to vehicles travelling at high speed through the High Street and it’s side roads;

2)    asked officers to undertake 24/7 traffic speed surveys along the High Street and side roads, the locations to be agreed with petitioners;

3)    asked officers in the Council’s Transport and Town Centres Team to investigate any specific road safety concerns that petitioners may highlight along the roads identified; and

4)    instructed officers to consider any measures which could be implemented along the High Street and it’s side roads to address the residents’ concerns, and report these back to the Cabinet Member and Ward Councillors.

Reasons for decisions

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.