We continue to press the issue of tackling A10 speeding.
In the last week we received front page coverage in the Enfield Independent Newspaper.
Our call is for average speed 📸cameras network between Southbury Road junction / Great Cambridge Road roundabout like the northern section of the A10.
Please sign the petition. https://www.change.org/p/sadiq-khan-enfield-average-speed-cameras-for-a10-southbury-road-junction-to-great-cambridge-road-roundabout
We continue to press the issue of tackling A10 speeding.
Our call is for average speed 📸cameras network between Southbury Road junction / Great Cambridge Road roundabout like the northern section of the A10.
Please sign the petition. https://www.change.org/p/sadiq-khan-enfield-average-speed-cameras-for-a10-southbury-road-junction-to-great-cambridge-road-roundabout
As one of your Bush Hill Park Councillors, I continue to proactively press the issue of road safety with Enfield Council. Sadly, the Council has stated on repeated occasions that the accident rates across Bush Hill Park are not high enough for intervention. Clearly this is disappointing to say the least; consistently road safety is one of the biggest concerns of residents and have raised the issue at the very most senior levels of authority.
Speed cameras are the responsibility of the Greater London Assembly (GLA). Funding is currently paused – but it is likely that these will be prioritised for high accident areas. To date all the Council have offered are LTNs (road closures to through traffic) which are clearly deeply divisive and controversial. The feedback I have received overall from local residents is a clear majority against.
The good news.
I have been working with the local Bush Hill Park Police and local crime panel (CAPE). Through this securing a commitment that speeding cars are one of the three key priorities for the Police. As a result of stopping these cars, due to other offences (eg no license, tax etc) over 30 vehicles have been seized in the last month. Where you can help. I am working with the Police and CAPE to set-up a ‘Community Speed Watch’ project for Bush Hill Park Ward. We are looking for volunteers to assist with this – if you are interested please let me know.
I am continuing to work with the Bush Hill Park Police and CAPE on the issue of speeding and dangerous driving.
This includes, through the CAPE, that speeding/anti-social driving is one of the key priorities for the Bush Hill Park Police. At the moment we are working on securing funds for the local officers to be trained on using the speed gun.
Some good news, is that whilst we wait on this; the local team still specifically allocated resources for car patrols in the meantime!
For instance a car driving erratically on Fords Grove N21 was stopped, the driver wasn’t insured to drive the vehicle and the vehicle has been seized.
The number of seized vehicles on Bush Hill Park in the last month has now EXCEEDED 15! Most of the time stops are due to the manner of driving.
On average the Bush Hill Park Police are seizing about one car per shift. However there are occasions where they process drivers for other offences such as using a mobile phone whilst driving – which doesn’t include seizing vehicles.
In addition, as the Police move towards undertaking speed gun work, they are asking for volunteers to join the Community Speed Watch scheme – where residents assist the Police. If you would be interested in helping please go to the the following link;
www.communityspeedwatch.org
The Traffic Police have updated me on a number of key items, that I thought would be useful to share including regarding the average speed cameras on the northern section of the Enfield Borough A10 stretch.
(3) 75% of offences are handled by a Speed Awareness Course.
At the local Bush Hill Park crime panel (CAPE) the issue of speeding was discussed in the Halstead Road / Firs Lane area. The local Police have access to speed guns and will put resource for an ongoing operation in the area.
This is welcome news, however in the longer term only a permanent solution of road safety measures will suffice.
Local residents have done a sterling job petitioning and emailing the Council for action. This is in addition to our own efforts as local Councillors pressing for action on speeding issues along Firs Lane, Halstead Road, Firs Park Avenue area.
Recently we have seen another spike; with many accidents taking place in the past week alone. This familiar site of cars driven to excess and then, inevitably lose control and smash into residents parked cars.
Whilst the Police efforts are welcome, the Council needs to come up with permanent solutions; they must be aimed at improving road safety, formally consulted with local residents and securing broad support before being put in place.
I have continued to ask the Council for a virtual meeting with local residents to move the issue forward.
We will continue to press Enfield Borough Council for action.
I am continuing to work with local Primary Schools, Council, Police and residents to improve road safety around our three local Primary Schools.
To bring you up to date, here is the latest news;
Raglan School.
We continue to work to secure a 20mph speed limit around the School perimeter. Only Wellington Road features a reduced speed limit, and of course there are entrances at Amberley Road and Raglan Road. One step forward is that I secured a speed survey which took place in September. I am awaiting the report on this from the Council.
There have been some parking issues including on the zig-zag lines. I am working with Council Parking Enforcement and the Police to tackle this behaviour.
Firs Farm School.
The entrance of the School has changed to the Fairway – where there are no zig-zag lines. I have requested that the Council look at this. Like Raglan School I am working with the Council Parking Enforcement and Police on various parking issues in the area. We have also seen an ongoing issue of speeding on the road and have asked for a speed survey to be conducted by the Council.
Edmonton County School.
During peak drop-off and collection times the road of Little Bury Street can become very congested with parking blocking residents driveways. Again I am working with the Council Parking Enforcement and Police on this.
I will continue to press for action at all three local Primary Schools.
There have been quite a few questions about the cameras, I have done to extra research and received a briefing. So here is a bit more detail.
(1) Securing the cameras. The community social media campaign was credited with being instrumental in getting the cameras.
(2) Fines. All the money is sent to split between the public services. The NHS is number 1 receiving 22%. So a £100 fine £22 goes to the NHS.
(3) Enforcement. Up to 53mph notice of £100 fine + offer of speed awareness course (if eligible). 53mph – 66mph notice of £100 + 3pts. Over 66mph straight court.
(4) Enforcement. Any false plates flag on the system.
(5) Camera deployment. There are five sets of linked cameras. So it is possible for people to pick up multiple fines during driving in one session.
(6) Guidelines. The cameras are set-up in line with the ACPO guidelines.
I hope that this brief is helpful and provides a bit more clarity on the operation and background to the cameras.
The community of Edmonton and Enfield has had to endure the noise and pollution due to drivers speeding on the A10 – many using the road as a race track.
So I am launching a new petition for action; http://chng.it/9SGM8S5Bnw
We have seen some of the highest speeding offences across the Country on this road.
As part of our previous campaign TfL installed average speed cameras from Southbury Road junction to the M25. In just four months 21,000 speeding offences have been enforced.
Pictured right; The aftermath of a car losing control on the A10 and smashing into the front of three homes.
However, we now need delivery on the other half of the Enfield Borough A10 corridor as we have been calling for. Only coverage on the whole of the corridor will curb the speeding issues.
The current average speed cameras almost entirely miss out the Edmonton stretch of the road.
As part of Operation Vision Zero, the Traffic Police have done an incredible job to make this road safer. In addition the Police cannot be expected to patrol the road 24 hours a day.
The purpose of this petition is to underline how important this issue is to Enfield Borough residents and that we must see action from TfL and the Mayor of London.
In the last two years your local Bush Hill Park Ward Conservative Councillors, Cllr Clare De Silva and myself have been pressing for action on speeding issues on Firs Lane, Halstead Road, Firs Park Avenue area and across the Ward.
Too many times cars are driven to excess and then, inevitably lose control and smash into residents parked cars.
We have, sadly seek delay after delay to tackle speeding on Firs Lane, whilst controversial schemes like in Fox Lane area are pushed forward.
Firs Lane residents have been very clearly calling for action for some time and we are now seeing speeding concerns being raised in Halstead Road, Firs Park Avenue and surrounding roads also.
The Labour run Enfield Council delivered a ‘Perception Survey for the Firs Lane Area Quieter Neighbourhood’ in October 2019, which was published in March 2020. The majority of the area is located in Bush Hill Park Ward. One of the key findings in the survey was that 73% said they are a serious problem or a problem in their street.
In April 2020, all funding from Transport for London including for Quieter Neighbourhoods schemes was withdrawn owing to COVID-19. The Council were asked to apply for new funding through the ‘Streetspace’ project. The Council have submitted a number of bids.
This has resulted in a number of projects not being taken forward at this time, which includes the Firs Lane Area Quieter Neighbourhood. The Council are continuing to liaise with TfL and hope to secure further investment later in the year to enable more projects to be progressed.
We have also been liaising with the local Police about the speeding issues. They have put in place extra resource to monitor these roads. However, these roads will need permanent measures to reduce the incidents of dangerous speeding.
Going forward we will continue to press Enfield Borough Council for action.
