Agenda item

The petitioner attended the meeting to raise concerns about speeding on Crowland Avenue. They explained that the road was being used like a ‘racetrack’ with cars speeding and making loud noise late at night. The petitioner said that although only a few accidents were recorded, this did not show the full problem as many near misses were not reported. Residents felt the police didn’t have enough resources to deal with it and asked the council to look at putting in some kind of traffic calming measures.

The petitioner said they were not asking just for speed humps but for any effective way to slow cars down, like speed tables or cushions. They mentioned examples of similar work done on Cranford Lane. Some residents said they wouldn’t mind losing a bit of parking space if it meant the road was safer for everyone. It was said that speeding enforcement was the police’s job, but the council could look at design changes to help calm traffic. The Cabinet Member said they would work with the police and maybe look into the Community Road Watch scheme where residents can help record speeds.

The Head of Transport and Town Centre Projects said the best next step would be to do speed and traffic surveys to get proper data on how fast cars are going and what times of day it is worse. The information would help decide if changes were needed.

The petitioner said they had lived on the road for many years and noticed the problem getting worse recently, especially since more people started using the street as a shortcut. They said cars often drove too fast even during the day when children were walking to school, and that residents were becoming worried about safety. Large vehicles were also mentioned as a problem because they made it hard for cars to pass safely when parked cars were on both sides. They explained that previous traffic counts were done in the wrong place, which didn’t show the real picture of how bad speeding was. The petitioner said they wanted new surveys done in the middle section of the road where cars tend to go fastest. They also said local police officers were aware of the issue and had visited a few times but couldn’t stay long enough to catch offenders.

Residents who supported the petition felt it was unfair that they had to put up with this for so long without action. The petitioner said they wanted the council to take residents’ views seriously and not just rely on old data that doesn’t reflect the current danger. They said everyone wanted the same thing; a safer road for families, elderly people, and anyone who walks or cycles there.

The Cabinet Member approved the proposal for surveys to be carried out and expressed gratitude to the petitioner for raising the issue on behalf of local residents. They acknowledged the efforts made by both the petitioner and the community in bringing the matter forward. The Cabinet Member confirmed that the council would take a practical approach reviewing the survey results and working closely with ward councillors before deciding on the next steps. It was agreed that once the data had been collected, the findings would be brought back for further discussion and to explore possible options.

Resolved

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing & Growth:

1)    Met with petitioners and listens to their request for traffic calming measures on Crowland Avenue;

2)    Decided officers should commission independent 24/7 speed and traffic surveys on Crowland Avenue, Hayes, at locations agreed with petitioners and Ward Councillors.