Agenda item

The Chairman considered a petition from residents requesting the removal of the raised zebra crossing in Eastcote Road, Ruislip. 

The lead petitioner was in attendance and addressed the Cabinet Member. Key points highlighted included:

·         Petitioners had not requested a raised table in their original petition and this option had not been mentioned at the hearing with the previous Cabinet Member;

·         In June 2021 officers had emailed petitioners proposing the option of a raised table but the matter had not been discussed further and residents had been shocked to read about the installation plans in the Uxbridge Gazette;

·         Residents had subsequently received a letter on 7/2/22 stating that the installation of the raised table was about to commence. A sign had been adhered to a nearby lamp post but residents had not seen it – no other notification had been given;

·         The original petition had been in relation to HGV traffic, but the current situation was worse than ever – the noise and vibrations caused by vehicles traversing the raised table was horrendous both day and night and residents were unable to sleep;

·         Health and safety was an additional concern as, when HGVs and skips passed over the raised table, debris often flew off into residents’ gardens or onto the pavement;

·         Terrible flooding had been an issue following the installation of the ramp.

Ward Councillor Philip Corthorne was in attendance and addressed the Cabinet Member expressing his sympathy for the residents. Councillor Corthorne noted that he had not been Ward Councillor for the area at the time of the installation. However, he had visited residents to discuss the matter since and now understood the issue. Councillor Corthorne agreed that the raised zebra crossing had resulted in noise and disturbance to neighbours. He queried whether residents had been fully made aware of its likely impact prior to installation and enquired whether a ‘halfway house’ solution could be reached at this point.

Ward Councillor Peter Smallwood was also in attendance and addressed the Cabinet Member in support of residents. He emphasised the importance of ensuring residents understood the impact of raised tables and wondered if more could be done to ensure this. Councillor Smallwood also indicated that he would welcome a ‘halfway house’ solution.

The Cabinet Member listened to the concerns of residents and Ward Councillors and observed that he had not been the Cabinet Member when the original decision had been made. However, it was noted that urgent safety measures had been requested at the time to slow the traffic down and options had been somewhat limited. Vehicle activated signs were of limited use and it was not possible to install a barrier on such a major road.

It was noted that raised tables had to be built to a certain standard – it was possible to alter them, but this was not a straightforward matter. A wider ramp would potentially reduce the impact on residents but would mean traffic could travel faster over it. It was confirmed that raised tables were expensive both to install and to remove.

The Head of Transportation addressed the Cabinet Member advising that the reinstallation of islands which would meet current standards was not an option in this case. It was acknowledged that the raised table had not been discussed at the original petition hearing. Officers had not intended to install something that was not wanted by residents, but alternatives had been very limited. Vertical or horizontal chicanes had been considered but these were usually installed outside villages and came with other consequences. Safety cameras were not an option as they fell under the remit of the Mayor of London rather than the Council. It was confirmed that conversations with HS2 and the ASB team had since taken place in relation to the skip lorries passing over the raised table, but little could be done to address this.

At the request of the Cabinet Member, it was agreed that the Head of Transportation would investigate both the drainage issue and the angle of the current ramp to ascertain if the latter was too steep and could be altered.

A resident was in attendance who reiterated the flooding issue which was reportedly at its worst outside number 271 - closest to the ramp. The Cabinet Member heard that the resident’s house vibrated when large lorries passed over the hump at speed. The resident suggested that a higher ramp (such as that in Cuckoo Hill) would force vehicles to slow down.

In response to this it was confirmed that a steeper ramp would be likely to result in increased noise, whereas a longer raised table at a reduced angle would prove more effective in noise reduction.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport:

1.    Met with petitioners and listened to their request for the removal of a raised zebra crossing on Eastcote Road, Eastcote;

2.    Noted the previous petitions and communications from residents, requesting improvements to road safety in the area, as detailed within the body of the report;

3.    Noted the benefit of the raised zebra crossing, as detailed in the report;

4.    Considered the cost of removal of the zebra crossing, as outlined in the report;

5.    Reviewed the work done to date by officers to investigate the concerns being raised by the petitioners, as provided within the report; and

6.    Based on the above, instructed officers to investigate the issues raised in respect of drainage and the angle of the ramp to establish possible mitigation options and report back to the Cabinet Member.