Agenda item

Councillors Carol Melvin and John Morgan attended the meeting as Ward Councillors.

Concerns and suggestions raised by petitioners included the following:

• Vehicles travelled at great speed up and down Townsend Way
• Townsend Way had cars parked on both sides of the road which made the thoroughfare narrow
• There have been several accidents with one major shunt which the petitioners presented photographs of   
• Hillside Junior and Infant School created a lot of difficulties with parents dropping off and picking up their children at school
• On parts of Townsend Way there were visibility problems caused by high sided vehicles parking on bends and at junctions
• The introduction of waiting restrictions on bends and at junctions would improve the visibility for traffic
• Motorcycles travelled at great speed down the road which was dangerous for pedestrians, particularly young children
• Emergency vehicles would have difficulty accessing the road with the narrow access
• Reference was made to uneven pavements on Townsend Way which were difficult for the elderly to walk on
• Reference was made to the junction of Townsend Way and High Street which was a particularly bad ‘blind spot’

Councillors Carol Melvin and John Morgan attended the meeting as Ward Councillors and spoke in support of the petitioners and raised the following issues:

·           The problem on Townsend Way had been exacerbated with the bridge repair works which were taking place in the area

·           The road was very narrow and the Council’s refuge vehicles had difficulty getting down the road

·           The top end of Townsend Way was a particular ‘hotspot’ for speeding vehicles

·           Consideration should be given to parking restrictions as well as traffic calming measures to alleviate the problems on Townsend Way

·           The possible introduction of a one-way system could solve the problem of two way traffic on this narrow road

Councillor Keith Burrows listened to the concerns of petitioners and responded to the points raised. 

• Officers would speak to Hillside Junior & Infant School regarding the problems caused by parents dropping off and picking up their children from school
• Often the introduction of one way systems increased the speed of vehicles
• Officers would be asked to contact the Police about the accident history of the road
• Officers would be asked to investigate whether the Council’s refuge vehicles had difficulties with access on the road
• Statistically the Borough had more cars per household than any other Borough in London
• The petitioners were invited to mark on a copy of the plan as appended to the report their preferred location for the proposed 24 hour 7 days a week traffic surveys (two locations indicated)

RESOLVED – That the Cabinet Member:

1. Met and discussed with petitioners their concerns in detail and explored potential options to address the issues that would be acceptable to local residents.

2. Asks officers to conduct further investigations into possible traffic calming measures under the Road Safety Programme.

3. Asks officers to undertake 24 hour 7 days a week traffic surveys to establish the volumes and speeds of traffic in Townsend Way.

4. Asks officers to liaise with the local Safer Neighbourhood Team.

5. Asks officers to contact the Emergency Services to undertake “a run-through” on Townsend Way and then to report back to the Council.

6. Asks officers to inspect the condition of the pavements on Townsend Way and report back to the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling.

7. Asks officers to look at parking issues at junctions of Townsend Way and report back to the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transportation and Recycling.

Reasons for recommendation

Traffic calming measures are largely successful if they are acceptable to local residents and businesses. These can be identified with petitioners for further detailed investigation by officers within the Road Safety Programme.

Alternative options considered

These will be discussed with petitioners.