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| Bird's Eye view of the two junctions (photo taken before Asda petrol station was constructed) |
Children from The Ark Aademy (Primary and Secondary), Michaela Secondary, Lycee de Londres (Primary and Secondary) and Chalkhill Primary all use these crossings.
Brent Council has now sent this response:
Thank you for contacting us with your concerns about pedestrian safety at the junction of Kings Drive and Forty Lane.
I can assure you that pedestrian safety, particularly for vulnerable pedestrians such as children, is a high priority and we are active in introducing road safety measures for the benefit of all road users. Funding has been prioritised for road safety and accessibility improvements to the Forty Lane Corridor between Bridge Road and The Paddocks through our 2016/17 Local Implementation Plan (LIP) submission. A transport study is currently in progress to develop designs to improve pedestrian accessibility and safety, and congestion along this corridor with improvements to the Forty Lane/ Forty Avenue/ Bridge Road / Barnhill signal junction envisaged to commence from Summer 2016, subject to consultation.
I acknowledge the need for immediate action to discourage motorists contravening the traffic regulations at the junction of Kings Drive and Forty Lane. We shall therefore review the existing signage and road markings to improve compliance and this will include the introduction of camera enforcement signs along with increased enforcement during peak hours to target habitual offenders.
Regards,
Sandor Fazekas
Project Development Manager
Transportation
Community Services
Extract from LIP report to be discussed at the Brent Cabinet Meeting on Monday. Child pedestrian traffic has increased considerably since April 2012 with the opening of new schools and expansion in the immediate vicinity.
I'd emailed Brent in February 2015 with my concerns about cars taking short cuts from The Paddocks via Kings Drive and doing illegal right turns and using Asda to do U-turns as shortcuts; my response from Brent Council 13 February 2015 states - It has been observed in the past that some motorists drive straight across (from Kings Drive) into Asda then do a ‘U’ turn before turning left onto Forty Lane. I (Brent Council) would suggest we can increase/improve the Left Turn only signage so it becomes clearer for motorists that driving straight across into Asda is also illegal. Hopefully this will reduce the potential contraventions. It is also important to note that we need to see how the final design layout is going to look once the French School is completed. #end
ReplyDeleteThe French School is completed, Students are attending and in the last week I have felt the need to email Brent Council again as there just isn't the space on the crossing islands, or the time required, for the numbers of Students that need to cross in safety from Bridge Road across Forty Avenue and to Forty Lane. Last Thursday 10 September 2015 I was the woman standing in the road stopping a car that had blocked a box junction and tried to drive on through the green man pedestrian light while Students waited to cross. Yesterday 16 September 2015 I saw a car drive at speed from Bridge Road through a red light turning left onto Forty Lane, sounding his horn at two boys in school uniform crossing the road - and as I stood waiting to cross another car from Forty Avenue jumped a red light driving straight over to Forty Lane. 2 cars in 2 minutes going through the red lights at this junction.
There will be an accident despite however many emails I send and I wish, just wish, that someone from Brent Council could stand and see these Students trying to cross and get it sorted now! Not Summer 2016, not in 6 months, but right now! In my emails of February 2015 I wrote "it must be said that this junction (Asda/Kings Drive/Forty Lane) is vastly busier than when the initial plan of traffic movement was made (again, I want to make clear I lived in Kings Drive from 1988 to 1995 so I know this area well). I don’t know what provision was made for the roadways in to and out of Asda apart from putting traffic lights there, but this junction cannot cope safely with the current weight of traffic" and "I would also like to mention that I spent 2 hours on Tuesday evening, 10.02.15, attending to a gentleman who had fallen and smashed his face on the pavement just at this junction. Ambulance called at 18.01, arrived at 19.57. While attending to the gentleman I observed the traffic. I’m not a professional in traffic flow but many vehicles were going too fast, one car turned right from Forty Lane (Asda side) into Kings Drive against all the traffic signage, cars running through red lights from Asda’s. It was chaotic. As I say, I believe there to be a very real problem existing at this time. I’m aware that the French school isn’t due to open until September 2015. It’s my opinion that the drivers taking the short cut in the mornings through this junction to avoid traffic congestion on The Paddocks, and with cutting time on their minds, there is a very real danger to pedestrians and other road users right now".#end
Come on Brent Council, take it seriously.
Thanks. I regularly walk via Kings Drive to Chalkhill School/Asda/Wembley Park station and have seen cars , lorries and buses at the junction going west get trapped in slow moving trafiic past the red liught and then move forward through the pedestrian crossing when the pedestrian light has changed to green. It is very dangerous for parents with young children and pushchairs taking their kids to school. I regularly have to shout at startled drivers to let them know the lights have changed.
DeleteThe French School is now open with 470 children and is due to rise to 1,000; Michaela has only two year groups (240 children) and will be adding 120 a year until it is full, the Ark will be adding a 6th form and of course Preston Manor now expanding to be an all-through primary and secondary school is just down the road. Chalkhill Primary decided not to expand and is full. A new primary school (propbably another Ark) is due in the Quintain development.
Proper road and transportation planning is essential.
I'm slightly surprised Highways haven't been on this, to be honest. Sandor Fazekas is normally a pretty good bloke and on the ball. The school must have paid substantial S106/CIL when they got planning permission, and there had to have been a traffic assessment, too. So where's all that gone? That Asda/Forty Lane junction does indeed desperately need a redesign.
DeleteSounds llke it needs a roundabout.
ReplyDeleteCan't see how a roundabout would help the numerous pedestrians -?- I'm concerned for the safety of pedestrians in the area getting from A to B while vehicles ignore road signs, speed limits, traffic lights and box junctions.
ReplyDelete