Agenda item

The Cabinet Member considered a petition from residents requesting traffic calming on Ivy House Road and Almond Avenue, Ickenham.

The Lead Petitioner was in attendance and raised a number of points, including:

• Residents were extremely concerned about pedestrian and road safety.
• He had lived at the junction between Ivy House Road and Almond Avenue for a long period and a fundamental change to the traffic congestion had only occurred recently.
• Traffic congestion could be originating from Swakeleys Road and Long Lane T junction. HGVs were also involved, which might have increased in prominence due to HS2 developments nearby.
• There were new ‘rat runs’ in the vicinity.
• This increase in HGV usage of Ivy House Road and Almond Avenue (a residential area) was putting elderly and disabled residents as well as young families at risk.
• Two unreported collisions had taken place earlier in the year – evidence to support this was displayed to the panel.
• The lead petitioner made reference to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (RoSPA) findings on speed tables.
• The report however also highlighted the fact that speed tables can have unintended consequences such as noise caused by vehicles passing over them.
• In light of the issues raised, it was requested that traffic calming measures be implemented to combat these.

Councillor Martin Goddard, Ward Councillor for Ickenham & South Harefield, affirmed his support for the petitioners stating that:

• He had experienced the problems presented and the junction between Swakeleys Road and Long Lane was a known pressure point which could be the root of the rat run as well as increased congestion turning into Almond Avenue and down Ivy House Road.
• The residential streets in the area had not been designed for the current volume of traffic.

The Chairman requested the recently attained survey results conducted in the area.

Officers passed a copy of the recently completed survey results to the Lead Petitioner for referral. These surveys had been carried out over a 7-day period and had not found evidence of any excessive speeding. It was proposed that the volume of traffic as opposed to increased speeding might have been the fundamental change that the Lead Petitioner had referred to. Officers noted the Lead Petitioner’s concerns over HGV movements, which he felt likely to have resulted from ongoing HS2 works; officers added that the Council had regular dialogue with HS2 and their contractors concerning traffic associated with their work, and further discussion would be had with them regarding the roads of present concern.

The Lead Petitioner confirmed the propositions about the increased volume of traffic but, in reference to the speed surveys, highlighted that serious accidents could occur below 30mph.

The Chairman accepted the concerns of petitioners and asked whether the problem was mostly one way or in both directions, perhaps linked to wider patterns of commuter and school traffic. The Lead Petitioner felt that the traffic was coming from Swakeleys Road and turning into Almond Avenue or straight down Ivy House Road. It was agreed that further investigation was required. 

RESOLVED: That the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport:

1)    Met with petitioners and listened to their request for traffic calming on Ivy House Road and Almond Avenue, Ickenham;

2)    Noted the commissioning of the 24/7 speed and vehicle classification surveys on both Ivy House Road and Almond Avenue, as detailed within the body of the report;

3)    Noted the results of the surveys which were presented separately and verbally at the meeting; and,

4)    Considered that further investigation was required.

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.