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:

·         The Lead Petitioner was the Headteacher at ACS Hillingdon International School which was a school for some 600 children aged 4-18 years. Approximately 100 staff members worked at the school many of whom lived in the Borough;

·         Crossing the road to reach the school was very dangerous as traffic was heavy and cars sped in both directions;

·         Raised chicanes were already in place but were ineffective and drivers tended to swerve to avoid them. Road markings were also in place but had no impact on the traffic speed;

·         The challenges involved in building a pedestrian crossing were acknowledged. It was felt that raised cushions alongside the school would help to improve safety and encourage people to walk to school;

·         The Lead Petitioner highlighted the use of the word ‘disingenuous’ in Section 13 of the report and felt the finger-pointing tone used was rather disappointing. The school wished to work in collaboration with the Council to resolve the issue;

·         Sections 19 and 20 of the officers’ report included information that was not correct – Danielle of the STARS team had visited the school in 2022 and there had been an exchange of emails subsequently. The Bikeability training had been requested but there had not been enough children interested in participating at the time. The school would try again at some point in the future;

·         Approximately 80% of the schoolchildren arrived by bus at present but a growing number lived more locally. The buses drove into the car park to drop the children off as it was not possible to stop in Vine Lane;

·         Staff were not currently used to help children cross the road but this could be considered.

The Cabinet Member noted that a significant amount of work had been carried out along Vine Lane but there had been an uptick in traffic. Zebra crossings had been considered in the past but were not a viable option. Raised tables were not always popular as they could be very noisy, but this option would be explored further.

With regards to the installation of a pedestrian crossing, officers informed the Cabinet Member that the width of the road was insufficient in this case. The Council did not own the land opposite the school, so it was not possible to install the necessary infrastructure to create a crossing point at this location. Moreover, there was no room on the footway outside the school for a belisha beacon.

Ward Councillor Reeta Chamdal was in attendance and addressed the Cabinet Member in support of the petitioners. Councillor Chamdal expressed her concerns regarding the dangerous nature of the road and reiterated the need for traffic calming measures. She accepted that a pedestrian crossing would not work, but hoped officers would be able to suggest an alternative solution.

Steve Austin, Traffic, Parking, Road Safety School Manager, requested an invitation to a future meeting to enable him to work collaboratively with the School Headteacher and representative of STARS.

The Cabinet Member was minded to take forward the petitioners’ request for further investigation by officers. Officers agreed to review the situation in Vine Road and consider the best possible solution.

That the Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport:

1)    Met with petitioners and listened to their request for the Council to implement improved traffic calming measures near ACS International School, Vine Lane, Uxbridge;

2)    Noted the recent additional traffic calming measures delivered by the Council on Vine Lane between Blossom Way and Sylvana Close;

3)    Noted the previous investigations undertaken by a specialist transport planning consultant employed by the developer of St Andrew’s Park and Council officers’ reviews in relation to a possible zebra crossing on Vine Lane;

4)    Encouraged ACS International School to work with the Council’s Road Safety and School Travel Team;

5)    Further to (4), asked his ward members colleagues to intercede and assist; and

6)    Subject to the outcome of the above, asked officers to consider all possible options available to them to address petitioners’ concerns and improve road safety on Vine Lane.