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TOPIC: Petition: Trial a low-traffic neighbourhood as soon as possible
Petition: Trial a low-traffic neighbourhood as soon as possible
03 Mar 2020 00:16
#5277
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PGC Webmaster  Topic Author |
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[Original article]
Go to original article A resident of the Mall, which runs between Southgate High Street and Fox Lane, has launched an online petition asking Enfield Council to implement a low-traffic neighbourhood in the wider Fox Lane area as soon as possible. The petitioner, Ruben Quesada, says that the mood in his neighbourhood has changed in favour of stopping rat-running by blocking both the existing runs and the alternatives. Referring to doubts about the effect of a low-traffic neighbourhood on surrounding streets, he argues that the best way to find out whether traffic will really dissipate over time is to run a six-month trial.
Ruben Quesada started this petition to Ian Barnes (Enfield Council) We support the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme proposed for the Fox Lane and district area, and ask Enfield Council to implement the scheme for a trial period as soon as possible. We live in The Mall - a lovely road in a lovely area. But it is a road that is being increasingly blighted by the volume of vehicles using it as a 'rat run' in order to try to save themselves a few moments of driving time. These vehicles are not just local car users but also include school buses/coaches and commercial trucks. At times, particularly at the Cherry Tree end, the road simply becomes gridlocked. On a regular basis parked vehicles are bumped, scraped or worse by these rat running vehicles as they try to squeeze past each other. Our lungs tell us how local pollution levels have increased with traffic volumes and our daily experience tells us how the safety of pedestrians of all ages has reduced as we see vehicles accelerate between mini-gridlocks and between speed bumps. Whilst the original LBE scheme was considered by many as an 'over the top' approach, the mood in the neighbourhood appears to have changed. There is now clear common ground amongst those considering alternative proposals: stop the rat running by blocking both the existing runs and the alternatives. In an ideal world we would never have imagined entertaining the idea of such road closures, let alone actively supporting them. But this is far from an ideal world. About 3,000 vehicles rat-run through The Mall every day, and an even greater number use Meadway. For so many very obvious safety and health reasons, Enfield Council should not allow this to continue. We are aware that concerns have been voiced about the possible impact of the proposed road closures on surrounding streets. It has also been suggested that there may not be sufficient evidence that 'redirected' traffic will dissipate over time as former 'rat-runners' avoid the area. Well, what better way to obtain the necessary evidence than to run a six month trial of the LTN scheme? Links |
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Petition: Trial a low-traffic neighbourhood as soon as possible
04 Mar 2020 22:29
#5278
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PGC Webmaster Topic Author |
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The following update on the Fox Lane low-traffic neighbourhood proposals was provided by Ian Barnes, deputy leader of Enfield Council, on Monday 2nd March:
A meeting was held with ward Councillors on Friday 28th February concerning the proposed Low Traffic Neighbourhood in the Lakes estate. The meeting was constructive and Councillors were asked to give their views on support for an LTN and where modal filters could be placed based on their expert knowledge of their wards. This feedback from Councillors will be taken forward in conjunction with alternative designs from FLATWG and the Fox Lane LTN Group as well as the other comments received on the engagement hub. The feedback from the engagement hub regarding the initial engagement period will appear this week on letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/foxlaneQN and will also include the next steps in the process. We hope to present an amended design of the LTN to Councillors in the next few weeks before further engagement with residents on the new plan. Ian Barnes Deputy Leader and Chair of the Climate Change Task Force 2/3/2020 |
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Petition: Trial a low-traffic neighbourhood as soon as possible
26 Mar 2020 18:05
#5302
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Karl Brown  |
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As we default unintentionally to something approaching a Low Traffic Neighbourhood / Quieter Neighbourhood lite, a few observations which may inform planning for the real thing: while volumes are very much lower, this street continues to act as a Green Lanes bypass at a time when there is no congestion on Green Lanes to influence such a detour, ie it is habit, Waze, or some other reason; and it is very noticeable that speed at the extreme end has increased. The proportion of vehicles going fast / very fast is clearly higher than before. The “mix” also seems to reflect exactly that many of us found when doing Speedwatch / Roadwatch across this extended area many years ago - the vast majority of speeders are high end vehicles, ie 4*4’s, sports or the well-known German made models. That leads to the same question we posed at that time: does the car make the speeding man (or woman) or does the speeding man (woman) buy the fast car?
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