The council has released its plans for this residential neighbourhood in Winchmore Hill, centring on Fernleigh Road N21. We’ve got some thoughts on our response – see below – but they’re not set in stone, so please get in touch via info@betterstreets.co.uk to suggest any changes, especially if you live in the area.
To complete the consultation, you can respond here and see the technical drawings are here. The deadline is 12 November.
The short version of the Better Streets response is:
- We welcome the area-wide 20mph zone
- We welcome physical measures like speed humps to reduce traffic speed
- While there are a few good measures to reduce through traffic, they don’t go far enough, and some may worsen traffic problems on neighbouring streets.
- In the long term we want to see an area-wide approach to removing through traffic that will avoid these problems.
Our full response (draft version) is this:
The Better Streets approach to Quieter Neighbourhoods
As Better Streets for Enfield, one of our end goals is the removal of through traffic from all residential areas to create low-traffic neighbourhoods. This will promote all-age active travel, discourage short journeys by car and allow residents of all ages to enjoy their streets as community space. This ambition is entirely in line with the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and healthy streets/liveable neighbourhoods approach. We will respond to each of the Quieter Neighbourhood consultations with this goal in mind, and while we recognise that it can’t be achieved overnight, we welcome any commitment or steps in this direction.
20mph zone
We welcome this speed limit as appropriate for a residential neighbourhood, and appreciate that it is area-wide rather than restricted to one or two streets. This builds on the 20mph limit already in place on Hopper Road.
Sinusoidal speed humps
We welcome this traffic calming measure as being the most effective one available.
Banned left turns from Station Road
We welcome any attempt to reduce rat running along residential streets. Both Ringwood Way and Radcliffe Road are tempting cut-throughs to avoid the A105/Station Road traffic lights. However, how possible is it to enforce a banned turn that is only operational at certain times? And what about school run traffic (e.g. to St Paul’s School on Ringwood Way), which impacts these roads before 5pm?
For both streets, we would prefer permanent left-turn bans; or point no entries; or modal filters to prevent any through traffic.
For Ringwood Way, we would like to see a complete traffic ban (except residents) at school run hours, and the council working with the school to discourage parents driving the school run.
‘Point no entry’ on Stonard Road
This measure should be effective for stopping westbound drivers, from Green Lanes to Bourne Hill, cutting through Stonard Road to avoid the traffic lights on the A105/Bourne Hill junction. However, it won’t prevent eastbound drivers from using Stonard as a cut-through, and could see an increase in speed in this direction as there would be less oncoming traffic. A modal filter would be more effective here.
Speed restrictions on Woodberry Avenue and Fernleigh Road
Both these residential roads are convenient cut-throughs between Green Lanes and Hoppers Road. While we welcome any attempt to cut traffic speed, we ultimately want to see the removal of through traffic from residential areas. Speed humps and width restrictions will not deter drivers from using these roads, nor will it re-programme sat navs and apps such as Waze. Our preference therefore would be for measures that restrict through traffic from both streets, such as modal filters, or a more comprehensive system of banned turns and one-way working. However, we welcome the proposed measures to reduce traffic speed:
· Planters as width restrictions
These width restrictions are likely to be effective in reducing traffic speeds and would also green the street and provide an opportunity for community gardening for residents. We also appreciate the thought given to safe cycling by removing parking to create cycle bypasses.
With this option, we note the potential for the planters to be repositioned to use as trial modal filters (i.e. preventing through traffic except bikes). This would be an effective and relatively cheap method for removing through traffic from the street completely, creating a safe route for all-age walking and cycling. For this reason, we prefer the planter option to speed humps.
However, we’re concerned that these proposals will be rejected by residents because of the loss of parking, especially the 17 spaces on Woodberry Avenue.
· Speed humps
We welcome sinusoidal speed humps as the most effective physical measure to slow traffic and note that they are cycle-friendly as well. This would be our second option after the planters for the reasons given above.
One way on Meadowcroft and Eaton Park Roads
Making Meadowcroft Road one-way westbound should be effective at stopping through traffic, in combination with the point no entry on Stonard Road. However, on Eaton Park Road, rat running will only be prevented for westbound drivers, and the risk is that as a one-way road it will encourage faster speeds by eastbound drivers cutting through to Green Lanes without any oncoming traffic to deter them.