Agenda item

Report attached

The report before Members detailed the outcome to a public consultation in Gidea Park (south of A118 Main Road) relating to the future of road closures in The Ridgeway and Repton Avenue.

The report informed the Committee that the Council had been receiving enquiries from a resident who felt that the closures should be removed to release pressure of traffic from other roads in the area. 

The road closure in Repton Avenue and The Ridgeway probably relied on a long lapsed of the Experimental Traffic Management Order (the legal process for closing a road) which operated on temporary basis for 18 months.  As a result, the closures in The Ridgeway and Repton Avenue were not supported by permanent Traffic Management Orders of any description.

          In light of the situation, the Council needed to decide whether or not the closures should remain and while this process proceeds, a Temporary Traffic Management Order had been imposed which allowed the roads to remain closed on temporary basis while the matter was permanently dealt with.

The Council’s Highways Advisory Committee had agreed in principle that the local residents should be consulted on the basis whether or not the closures should be retained permanently (with permanent traffic management orders) or removed permanently and the streets opened up to all traffic. As a result, the local residents of Gidea Park were consulted on the following two options.

Option 1 - the two roads should remain closed to vehicular traffic on a permanent basis

Option 2 - the closures should be removed and the streets are opened up to all traffic.

          The report informed the Committee that residents provided some useful background information about the former public meetings and decisions that were made in the past. Three petitions were received, one from Gidea Park Primary School containing 55 signatures mainly by the school parents. The other two petitions were organised by local residents containing 27 and 38 signatures. All the petitioners are in the favour of making the existing closures permanent.

          From the 249 responses which represents a response rate of 15.2%. Further analysis indicated 64% of residents responded in supported for the gates to remain permanently whereas 36% of residents supported the gates to be removed permanently.

          All comments were summarised in details and appended to the report.

The Metropolitan Police were also in the favour of the gated closures to remain stating that if the gates were removed it would increase traffic using the residential roads in an attempt to avoid using Main Road which would result in increase of traffic accidents.

In accordance with the public participation arrangements the Committee was addressed by a local resident who spoke in favour of retaining the closures. The Committee was informed on the history of the scheme whereby people avoided the Main Road/ Balgores Lane traffic signals and used the estate as a rat run. He stated that during the trial of the road closures, the traffic through the whole area reduced.

The resident made reference to the Council’s development plan, citing specific policies whereby residential streets were for access only and through traffic would be restricted. He also cited Manual for Streets as being adopted as policy which contained similar recommendations for prioritising people over traffic.

With its agreement Councillor Viddy Persaud addressed the Committee.

Councillor Persaud stated that she was in support of keeping the gate closures. She was of the opinion that that traffic flows will have increased since the gates were put in and so to remove them now would lead to far worse problems than may have been encountered before. A member of the public also spoke in support of retention of the barriers.

During a brief debate, a member stated that suggested that the Committee support the recommendations.

The Committee RESOLVED:

·         To recommend to the Cabinet Member for Environment that the gated road closures set out in Appendix A of the report be retained and the necessary permanent traffic order/s are made.

·         The closures are located at the following locations:

                            The Ridgeway, Romford at its junction with Lodge Avenue, gated closure to be located at a point 7.2 metres east of the eastern kerb-line of Lodge Avenue. The location of the closure was shown on drawing no. QL040-11-101 (The Ridgeway).

                            Repton Avenue, Romford, at its junction with Main Road, gated closure to be located at a point 9.5 metres south of the southern kerb-line of Main Road (A118). The location of the closure was shown on drawing no. QL040-11-102 (Repton Avenue); and

·         That given the comments made in relation to traffic in areas away from the road closures, that the Head of Streetcare consider potential measures for Carlton Road, corridor of Glenwood Drive, Repton Drive, Repton Gardens, Stanley Avenue and Woodfield Drive subject to the availability funds and inclusion within future programmes.

·         That it be noted the cost of carrying out the works which was mainly associated with advertisement of the traffic orders and staff time was £2,000. This would be met from the Council’s 2014/15 Revenue Budget for Minor Safety Improvements for Borough Roads.