Agenda item

The Chairman introduced the report which set out the petitions referred from the Hendon Residents Forum to the Area Committee.

Removal of double yellow lines - The Ridgeway NW7 (opposite Belmont Farm)

Sarah Ali spoke on the issues relating to increased congestion along the Ridgeway and highlighted problematic areas along Hammers Lane and Mill Hill East.

Dangerous parking on pavements and crossing close to the school gates were causing further delays. During school runs, parents were prevented from parking on loading bays by ticket wardens. Sarah Ali requested a review of the area with new notices and lee way from wardens during drop off and pick up times specifically for school runs.

The Officer advised that ward councillors had previously requested a review near the Belmont Farm location due to a safety concern of vehicles parking on both sides of the Ridgeway. Therefore, the implementation of the yellow lines was a safety measure for motorists and children crossing from the bus stop. The question of issuing permits had been raised at the Hendon Residents Forum. The parking team confirmed that permits were not an option because the Ridgeway had four different schools in the vicinity and therefore St Paul’s School could not be prioritised over the others.

Parking Attendants were aware of the issue and fines would not be issued for at least 30 minutes. To address concerns, parents were advised to work with the school travel team to make observations on parking behaviour. The school travel team would also assist parents with a map of the safest locations to park. Highways raised the issue with the school to implement suitable measures.

RESOLVED that the Committee take no action, but that Officers liaise with the school travel team and parents to reach a suitable solution.

No Left Turn’ at the Junction of A1 and Tithe Walk

The Lead Petitioner circulated photos of accidents to the committee in advance of the meeting and spoke on the matter. The issue was in relation to the left turn from the A1 into Tithe Walk. High speed vehicles that had to suddenly slow down to get around the corner were said to be causing repetitive accidents. Near miss accidents in the high footfall area were also becoming increasingly dangerous for pedestrians.

Therefore, the Lead Petitioner requested for a no left turn into the road. Officers had raised the concerns of residents with Transport for London (TFL) and whether there was an option for the ‘No Left Turn’ to be implemented onto Tithe Walk off the A1. TFL recommended a turn count survey to make a count of all vehicles making the left turn at each end of Tithe Walk and assess its impact to the A1. Additionally, a speed survey would be done during the summer at peak hours to establish a range of results and fed back to TFL to explore possible suitable options.

The Chairman suggested notifying Google Maps and to factor in the impact of the Amazon warehouse nearby.

RESOLVED: The Committee unanimously approved a manual classified count at each end of Tithe Walk for the morning and evening peak (3-hour periods) to be carried out to incorporate a speed survey at a cost of £3,000.