Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting a zebra crossing or pedestrian island on Rickmansworth Road. Representatives from the petition were in attendance and made the following points: 

• It was noted that this petition had a total of 117 signatures and was supported by many residents.

• It was difficult to cross the road near the Baptist Church on Rickmansworth Rd or from Sancturary Close. It was dangerous to cross the road to access the the Hospital, Taylor Meadows, The Bowls Club, Barden Court, Hall Drive and the bus terminal inside the hospital grounds.

• Concerns were raised about safety of pedestrians given the heavy traffic flow.

• There was a large elderly community in the areas and crossing the road was a ‘nightmare’ due to speed at which vehicles travelled.

• Although there were drop curbs, this was not enough to make residents slow down and there had been many near miss collisions.

• Residents requested an island or zebra crossing to help cross the road making it safer for residents.

Councillor Jane Palmer attended the meeting as Ward Councillor and supported the petition. She attested to the concerns raised by the petitioners and requested that measures be considered to increase pedestrian safety. Visibility was already limited due to trees and cars often sped on the road making it difficult to cross safely. This impacted all residents, but there was a real concern for the elderly residents in the Ward. It was requested that the any traffic tubes be placed discreetly to enable accurate data to be collected.

The Traffic, Parking, Road Safety and School Travel Team Manager considered that it would be sensible to include speed warning signage as an integrated part of the scheme to address concerns. The consultation process was explained and investigations would take place. Once the investigations had concluded, the results would be analysed and appropriate support measures would be put in place. A zebra crossing may unfortunately not be viable on technical grounds as there were a number of studies that needed to be undertaken and a high threshold to be met.

Councillor Riley listened to the concerns of the petition organiser and was keen to mitigate the issues raised. In order to install a zebra crossing particular national design standards and regulations had to be met. The present financial constraints involved with funding from TFL were noted.  Councillor Riley advised that independent traffic surveys would be commissioned through a specialist company in the normal manner, and the results from the surveys would be shared with Ward Councillors. Cllr Riley requested that officers consider the points raised and suggest traffic calming measures that could be put in place to resolve the issues raised. It was agreed that an island crossing would be a good starting point.

In considering the matters, Councillor Riley made the following decisions. 

RESOLVED:

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

1.    met with petitioners and listened to their request for either a Zebra Crossing or pedestrian island on Rickmansworth Road, Harefield close to the Baptist Church.

2.    asked officers to undertake 24/7 speed and traffic surveys on Rickmansworth Road.

3.    asked officers to commission a specialist company to undertake an assessment of pedestrian crossing demand at the location suggested by petitioners.

4.    asks officers to investigate the feasibility of providing a Vehicle Activated Sign on Rickmansworth Road at the location suggested by petitioners and the local ward councillor.

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.