Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting traffic calming measures on all approaches to the mini roundabout at the junction of Church Road and Peachey Lane, Cowley. The Lead Petitioner was in attendance and made the following points: 

·         Church Road was a busy thoroughfare, especially at the junction with Peachey Lane where drivers went over the mini roundabout at speeds deemed excessive;

·         Petitioners showed footage and photographs of separate road traffic accidents in the vicinity of the mini roundabout which had occurred in 2021 to support their concerns;

·         There was no suitable crossing point for pedestrians near the roundabout and during school drop off and pick up times, the area was busy with children walking to school. The petitioners would welcome some form of safe crossing;

·         The petitioners highlighted a need for traffic calming measures suggesting a 20 miles per hour speed limit and a zebra crossing but also welcomed any suggestions that the Cabinet Member or officers had.

Ward Councillor for Brunel, Councillor Roy Chamdal, was in attendance and spoke in support of the petitioners making the following points:

·         This was a busy junction and drivers regularly did not slow down over the mini roundabout, including drivers exiting Peachey Lane onto Church Road;

·         Pedestrians found it difficult to safely cross the road in the vicinity and a safe crossing point was needed;

·         Councillors had struggled to have speed bumps installed as these would have hindered emergency vehicles leaving Hillingdon Hospital;

·         The vicinity to Brunel meant the area was utilised by students and both Councillors and petitioners did not want to wait for a fatality for measures to be introduced.

The Cabinet Member thanked petitioners for submitting their petition and highlighted that, in order to implement any traffic calming measures, the Council would need the data collected by a 24/7 automated traffic survey to justify it. Petitioners were informed that the survey would stay in place for one week and collect a range of data to help inform the next steps. A number of potential traffic calming options were discussed and petitioners were notified that the survey data would also help to identify what measures may be appropriate.

With regard to the request for a 20 miles per hour limit to be introduced, the Cabinet Member noted that other London Boroughs had introduced similar measures but they were not enforced by the police. In Hillingdon, 20 mph zones were typically only utilised in the immediate vicinity of schools but not elsewhere in the Borough. Officers highlighted that the option for a designated crossing point could be further investigated.

The petitioners and Ward Councillor agreed six desired locations along Church Road and Peachey Lane for the automated traffic surveys and also denoted their desired location for any prospective crossing point.

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport:

1)    Met with petitioners and listened to their road safety concerns regarding the mini roundabout at the junction of Church Road and Peachey Lane, Cowley;

2)    Asked officers to undertake 24/7 traffic and speed surveys on Peachey Lane and Church Road, Cowley at the locations agreed with petitioners and Ward Councillors; and

3)    Instructed officers to consider any mitigation measures which could be implemented to address 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 on their concerns and suggestions.

Alternative options considered / risk management

None at this stage.