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Forum topic: Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

PGC Webmaster

06 Nov 2018 23:54 #4189

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[Original article]

Enfield Council has now published a leaflet showing the (presumably) definitive plans for the Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood.  They incorporate a number of changes to the original proposals, made in response to feedback during the consultation.  See the box at the end of this article for details.

According to the Quieter Neighbourhoods web page, planters will initially be placed at either end of the Mall and Selborne Road, enabling the team to confirm the detailed positioning. The remaining planters will then be rolled out across the area a few days later. The intention is to complete this work prior to Christmas (it's unclear whether this schedule refers only to the planters, or to the entire scheme - probably the latter.)

The council will be monitoring the effectiveness of the measures in the Spring, when new data about traffic in the area will be collected and compared with existing baseline data.  As regards the follow-on to the monitoring, Cycle Enfield have informed Better Streets for Enfield that "The processes for discussing the results of the monitoring and making any new proposals will depend in part on the results of the monitoring so have not yet been fully decided".

That (slightly confusing) statement was provided in response to an enquiry by Better Streets, in which the campaigning group expressed their pleasure at the decision to go ahead with the Fox Lane scheme.  In an email to deputy leader Daniel Anderson and other councillors representing wards in and near Palmers Green Better Streets co-chair Clare Rogers wrote:

We especially welcome the commitment in the report to monitor speed and volume post-implementation, and to introduce alternative measures to reduce traffic further if necessary. We are keen to see, as the report says, not just a slight reduction in traffic speed and volume, but a significant reduction - to 'create an environment where walking and cycling are facilitated and seen as the preferred form of travel'. If achieved, this would transform the area by reducing car journeys, increasing physical activity for all ages, reducing air pollution and creating stronger communities.

The Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood was on the agenda of last Friday's Winchmore Hill ward forum, where Clare Rogers gave a presentation about the scheme on behalf of Better Streets for Enfield. She also outlined the thinking behind "low-traffic neighbourhoods", which uses "modal filters" to make it impossible for drivers to cut through residential areas. The "villages" that have been created by Waltham Forest Council in parts of Walthamstow and Leyton use the same principles and have transformed the areas they cover. In the view of Better Streets, if the quieter neighbourhood scheme fails to achieve the desired outcomes, Enfield Council should consider implementing a low-traffic neighbourhood.  This could be done by using additional planters to create strategic barriers to through traffic.

The Better Streets presentation provoked much discussion among the forum attendees. Most people contributing to the debate were in favour of measures to restrict rat running and reduce speeds, though some had objections. A couple of Lakes Estate residents spoke about how much pleasanter their streets had become while temporarily blocked off at one end. A former resident of the area now known as "Walthamstow Village" confirmed that the area had been dramatically changed for the better.

Fox Lane Quieter Neighbourhood – Construction Proposals

Residents have told us that the biggest issues with traffic in your area are speeding, rat running cars and the school run. Having listened to the responses to the consultation several changes have been made including informal crossings along Fox Lane and changes to the junction of Meadway / Greenway. Work is due to start in the next few weeks with the placement of the planters at the entrances to the neighbourhood.

The locations of features such as traffic calming shown on this plan are only indicative.

fox lane qn revised design publicityClick on the image to download the leaflet

Neighbourhood Gateways

We will be placing large planters in the road so that drivers entering the roads are required to give way to vehicles exiting, which in turn will deter through traffic from using the residential area as a cut through. They will also indicate to drivers that this is a residential area and that speeding is unacceptable.

Psychological Traffic Calming

Where current average speeds are not fast enough to require full speed humps, we are painting “3D” humps on the road. This has been used elsewhere in London to great effect

Road Safety

An island will be constructed at the junction of Greenway / Meadway to prevent vehicles from cutting the corner when turning into Meadway from Greenway

Point No Entry

We will install point no entries at two locations to further deter through traffic as it will make their journey less straightforward and reduce the time saved travelling through the area. Following residents’ suggestions during the consultation, minor changes have been made to their position.

School Streets

We are proposing to ban vehicles from entering Cannon Road at school times. We intend to do this with minimum disruption to residents of this road by enforcing the ban via CCTV cameras. To ensure that parents do not just park as close as they can in other roads we will work with the school and provide support for alternatives to driving such as Park and Stride.

Roads with continuous footways

Roads that have had these features installed will have the new neighbourhood sign erected, and if necessary, after a period of monitoring, planters placed at their junctions with Aldermans Hill. Fox Lane will also have the sign erected.

Traffic Calming

To further improve road safety for pedestrians near the school we are proposing to install sinusoidal speed humps on Fox Lane. We know that a lot of people do not like speed humps even if they do wish to see slower cars, however, these humps are designed to reduce the noiseand vibration normally associated with speed humps.

Informal Crossings

We intend to install informal pedestrian crossings at all junctions along Fox Lane. But to begin with, we will trial their effectiveness at the junction of Fox Lane and Amberley Road / The Mall

Note

This article was updated on 20 November 2018 to reflect the changed link to details of the proposals on the council website.  The new link goes to a slightly revised version of the map, with planters shown at the Aldermans Hill end of Lakeside Road, Grovelands Road and Old Park Road (presumably they were omitted from the original map inadvertently?)

Links

Quieter Neighbourhoods page on Cycle Enfield website

Full report on the outcome of the Fox Lane QN statutory consultation (The report is the third item in this document pack on the council website - however, the included drawings are incorrect)

Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood scheme to go ahead (PGC 9/10/2018)

Low-traffic neighbourhoods - two new guides (London Living Streets)

Better Streets for Enfield website

Better Streets for Enfield Facebook page

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Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

Darren Edgar

07 Nov 2018 09:22 #4190

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It's a pity the Lakes Estate streets don't really work for modal filtering - insufficient turning space for wherever the cut-offs would be.

Have the streets ever been considered for a one way system though? I'm thinking like the Harringay ladder? Up one, down the next, etc.

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Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

Clare Rogers

07 Nov 2018 15:49 #4191

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Alternating one-way streets are one way to keep through traffic out of a neighbourhood, but they're difficult to get right (you can end up channelling all the traffic down a couple of unfortunate streets - think Grenoble Gdns N13). Modal filters are the gold standard! And absolutely no reason why they couldn't work in the Fox Lane neighbourhood. If you walk around the low traffic neighbourhoods in Waltham Forest you'll see the streets are very similar in design to ours. For turning, filters can for example be placed near the entrance to Mews roads. Or (God forbid) create the space by removing some parking...
The following user(s) said Thank You: John Phillips

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Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

Karl Brown

07 Nov 2018 16:44 #4192

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Four years since the process started, a year since the statutory consultation, about eight months of “analysis” of the responses before an alternate proposal was finally put forward, only for that to be changed at the very last minute and this latest / final version to be presented. Let me say that the 50 or so residents of my street who voted so strongly in favour of the first one, in total constituting significantly more than the difference between those in favour and those against the overall scheme, and so making it a clear net GO rather than a NO GO, would not be backing this one; and I have a strong feeling will not be backing this one.

So what does that mean for consultation and the “process” (beyond extremely slow and unnecessarily costly)?

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Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

Adrian Day

07 Nov 2018 17:39 #4193

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Very disappointed that the promised planter for Old Park Road south end has been removed. 15 years we've been campaigning to reduce rat running; after many false starts and promises we finally saw a map with restricted entry - and a week later it's take away. I'm looking at moving.

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Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

Lucy B

07 Nov 2018 18:21 #4194

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Old Park Road is dangerous! I live at the South end with 2 young children and I cannot believe anyone thinks the amount and speed of the traffic is safe enough not to intervene. How can it possibly make sense to remove this planter from the plan last minute?

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Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

Kate S

07 Nov 2018 18:43 #4195

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This is a huge disappointment. Old Park Road is a dreadful rat run, our dog nearly got run over recently.
We want the planter!

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Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

John Phillips

08 Nov 2018 11:45 #4197

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I have spoken to a lot of my neighbours in Lakeside Road and, while we are glad to be getting one planter, we are disappointed that the continuous pavement is deemed to be enough to both reduce and slow down traffic. Clearly it is not. But the situation will be kept under review so we live in hope.
We have also spoken to neighbours in Grovelands Road who feel the same.
On the matter of one-way streets, I would consider anything to reduce rat-running, but surely they would speed up the traffic and I don't think that is what we want.

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