Agenda item

The Cabinet Member introduced the petition to be heard. The Lead Petitioner was present and addressed the Cabinet Member. Key points highlighted included:

·         Petitioners were not satisfied with the Council’s response thus far and felt residents were not being ‘put first’;

·         To calm the traffic in Tavistock Road, suggested solutions included a 20mph speed limit, slow down signs and CCTV;

·         Tavistock Road had not been built to be a construction route. It was not a straight road and was dark with blind bends. Speeding was an issue and there had been a number of accidents and near-misses in recent years;

·         The road was prone to flooding – people had been drenched by lorries passing through at speed;

·         HGVs and juggernauts regularly passed along the road coming from Trout Road. The Old Coal Yard and skip lorries had also led to an increase in the tonnage of vehicles using Tavistock Road;

·         Pollution was a concern, and the air was often filled with carcinogenic coal dust – the situation was getting worse;

·         A 20mph speed limit would help to lower speed and resolve the issues relating to dust and noise. The installation of chicanes could also be beneficial;

·         CCTV would help in addressing crime and fly tipping in the area.

Ward Councillor Naser Abby was in attendance and addressed the Cabinet Member in support of petitioners. Councillor Abby often used Tavistock Road and raised concerns regarding crime, lack of lighting or CCTV, speeding, flooding and the number of lorries and skips constantly using the road.

Ward Councillor Sital Punja was also in attendance. She noted that the matter had been brought before the Council in 2018. The situation was now deteriorating, and residents were often unable to open their windows due to the level of noise outside their houses. Due to the large number of lorries and skips using the road, it was like living in an industrial estate. This was unhealthy and residents were understandably angry. Pedestrian traffic had also increased in the area which was a safety concern. Councillor Punja noted that the Council did not generally advocate 20mph zones, but felt that, in this case, the special circumstances necessitated such an approach. The most important thing was to slow vehicles down to reduce noise and enhance safety. 

The Cabinet Member noted that there were significant issues in Tavistock Road which acknowledged that these needed to be addressed. The concerns relating to flooding did not fall within his area of responsibility but would be relayed to the appropriate department to take forward. Planning officers would also be asked to check the consents granted and ensure conditions imposed were being complied with. It was noted that crime was generally a matter for the Police although the Council worked closely with police officers.

The Cabinet Member informed petitioners that he was reluctant to introduce a 20mph zone as these were difficult to enforce. Speed humps often led to an increase in noise and vibrations especially when skip lorries passed over them. It was noted that options were somewhat limited as the businesses were already in operation and there was no alternative route to leave the area. Officers observed that vehicle activated signs had some merit, as did chicanes.  Road markings could also be improved, but the first step was to complete traffic surveys which would provide useful data and inform decisions thereafter.

With regards to fly tipping and antisocial behaviour, residents were encouraged to report all incidents to the Council to ensure an accurate log could be kept.

The Cabinet Member was minded to take forward the petitioners’ request for further investigation by officers. Petitioners and ward councillors were invited to agree the best locations for the traffic survey equipment to be installed.

That the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport:

1.    Met with petitioners and listened to their request for a 20mph speed limit on Tavistock Road, Yiewsley;

2.    Noted the history of issues and petitions on Tavistock Road, Yiewsley as detailed within the report;

3.    Explained the context of what was covered by his portfolio with regard to the petition, but asked officers to relay concerns where appropriate to other departments and/or his relevant Cabinet colleagues;

4.    Noted petitioners’ concerns over vehicle speeds on Tavistock Road and instructed officers to consider the undertaking of 24/7 speed and vehicle classification surveys (petitioners and ward councillors were asked to suggest locations for these); and

5.    Based on the results of the traffic surveys, instructed officers to explore further investigations for improving road safety on Tavistock Road, within the scope of petitioners’ testimony and report back.