ePetition details
Barnet Environment Committee to comprehensively review transport strategy for active transport modes
Barnet’s current transport strategy is founded on the
concept of motor vehicle flow established in the period 2000-2010.
The current Environment Committee's Commissioning plan (2016/17
addendum and targets) defines it as:
"Improve the management of traffic flows and parking across the
borough, to maintain road safety and air quality, and improve
radial routes for public transport"
Residents, workers and businesses in Barnet now face four major
problems, and the review should address each of them.
Safety - Barnet consistently falls in the top three of all road
traffic accident statistics for London, and top 6 for overall.
There were some 1,276 casualties in Barnet in 2014. This level has
not dropped below 1,200 since 2004.
Current strategy is failing our residents.
Children - In 2014 Barnet had the worst Killed or Seriously
Injured (KSI) rates for children in the whole of London. It is one
of only 3 Outer London boroughs to exceed 10 Child KSI incidents in
2014, with the figure dropping below 7 only once since 2004. Barnet
has failed to introduce appropriate speed limits and crossing
measures outside of the borough's schools. Despite small catchment
areas, our children go to school en masse by car rather than taking
an active route such as walking or cycling.
Current strategy is failing our children.
Health - Traffic and pollution levels are leading to increases
in respiratory diseases and obesity nationwide. London wide,
pollution is attributed to 9,500 deaths annually. The Mayor has put
active, healthy streets at the heart of his policies until 2020. In
the M1, A406, A1 and A41, Barnet contains some of the most polluted
roads in Outer London. Barnet presents residents and commuters with
little alternative but to use these trunk roads.
Current strategy is failing our health.
Adult active transport - By 2030, the estimated cost of traffic in London is predicted to be £9.3bn to the city's economy and £4,000 per household. There is no major East-West rail based public transport in the Borough, and no convenient, safe North-South crossing of the North Circular (A406) for active transport modes. Adults commuting short distances for work and or to shop are forced to drive. This removes money from our local economy and compounds all the above issues.
Current strategy is failing our commuters, shoppers and business owners.
To encourage more people to cycle and walk we need an actual
safe environment. This means mini-Hollands, it means real
Quietways, it means dedicated, segregated cycling infrastructure
and it means increased public spaces.
This ePetition ran from 10/10/2016 to 31/03/2017 and has now finished.
123 people signed this ePetition.