Width restrictions planned for Connaught Gardens area

This article has provoked an interesting discussion on Facebook (the most recent comment is at www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1127567654056433&id=204493786363829&comment_id=1127611524052046&reply_comment_id=1127762647370267 ).

I hate the way you can't read all the comments at once on Facebook (in fact, I hate almost everything about Facebook, but it's a way of getting people to read the website articles), so I've copied over the comments to this post. If you have comments on the comments, bear in mind that the people who wrote them may not be aware of your contribution.

Discussion about the way the width restrictions consultation was handled by the council:

Nicola Hutchinson
I find this frustrating as residents were initially consulted but there has been no follow up and there is an assumption people will see notices in the local paper. Having a width restriction at the top of Connaught gardens is not the answer to the problem

Clare Rogers
Hi Nicola - do feed back your opinion to for this particular issue by Wednesday this week when the consultation closes. As for the wider issues in the neighbourhood, the council tell me they have kept hold of all the data from the original consultation and that will feed into the Quieter Neighbourhoods design in the near future. Meanwhile it's really important to fill in the perception survey for your area (before Friday - you should have had a leaflet through your door about this...?). The link to the survey and suggestions about completing it are here: betterstreets.co.uk/do-you-want-a-quieter.../

Nicola Hutchinson
Thanks Clare Rogers I have emailed about the road narrowing and found the current consultation for quieter neighbourhood. I didn't receive anything through the door about it so I'm glad i still had time to feedback.

Clare Rogers Yes, odd, I'm not sure we received the flyers on our street either. Please do encourage your neighbours to respond too! Feels like a bit of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Nicola Hutchinson Yes I really hope something good will come out of it.


Discussion about how to cater for people riding bikes on our roads

Tony Ourris
I think that the width restrictions are a very good idea as this will restrict lorry traffic in local roads and also slow people down. Clare Rogers' comment about cyclists is ridiculous as cyclists and car drivers can go through one at a time.

Clare Rogers
Tony, this is not my comment, it's the response from London Cycling Campaign who have years of experience of what makes a street dangerous or not for cycling on. Have you cycled on roads around here? Pinch points are a well-known danger to anyone who's tried to cycle to work or school in this country. Every day I cycle my daughter to school on the tandem, I dread the pinch points created by pedestrian refuges, because unless I ride assertively in the middle of the lane (not always possible), drivers will often try to overtake me illegally and dangerously in a very narrow space. Roads have got to work for all users, not just drivers, and Enfield's roads need to encourage more people of all ages and abilities to feel ok riding a bike. Width restrictions won't do that. I'm all for restricting lorries on residential streets and slowing traffic, but there are better ways to achieve that.

Tony Ourris
If a way can be found to achieve reduction in lorries, reduce speeds around schools to say 20mph and keep all parties (pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers) safe without restricting car driving or parking in any road then I am all for the idea. Some of the ideas I have seen in the quieter neighbourhood scheme have been either completely ridiculous. All parties must be catered for in rough proportion to those that use the roads and pavements.

Clare Rogers
Yes, all road users need to be catered for, i agree. At the moment those cycling are no space and safety, and motor traffic rules the road. What we need is safe space for the more vulnerable road users - people on bikes - which will mean restricting car driving and parking to some extent to redress the balance. But as more people feel safe to cycle short journeys, e.g. to school, that frees up space for cars. So everyone wins. The Netherlands has given up loads of road space for safe cycling, and as a result it's one of the nicest countries in the world to drive in.

Tony Ourris
I said that all road users must be catered for in proportion to the amount each user uses the road. Cycles are a minority and cars, pedestrians and buses are a majority so the balance should be redressed in those proportions. Right now the roads are being redressed to cyclists needs who are the minority with everyone else's needs disregarded. From what I can see about 20-25% of the road space is being given to cyclists and if I remember correctly the council said that at best only 5% of users will be cyclists once (if) cycling ever catches on. Right now it is less than 1%. The scheme currently being put in place is even more stupid than I originally imagined when I saw the plans. This is by far the biggest waste of money that Enfield has ever done and someone should be jailed for such incompetence. Before the cycle lanes started to be installed I was beginning to come to terms with the fact that the scheme was going to happen and to wait and see to be proved wrong but now that I see what is happening I am totally shocked at the blatant waste of money, especially by a council that has such a large debt but I guess this scheme explains the debt as it seems the council does not know how to spend the people's money correctly.

Clare Rogers
Tony, have you ever been to Europe...? What the council are doing is dragging Enfield out of the dark ages! We are completely car-centric in this country and we allow no space for anything but motor vehicles on our roads. So of course there's only a tiny minority of people cycling on Enfield's roads. In cycle-friendly cities in Holland, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, etc etc (ever been to any of those places?) you will find far more civilised streets, because they have turned their back on our car-centric, unhealthy, unfair, intimidating and people-unfriendly street model. Back in the 70s those countries were as car-dominated as us, but unlike us, they saw sense. Now the majority of their young people cycle to school, they live healthier lives, cost their health services less money, and come top of the charts in international well-being surveys. Getting our roads to work more like theirs is far from being a waste of money - it's a public health investment. Anything less than what they are doing would be wasteful, negligent and frankly quite stupid, to borrow your terminology.