UPDATE First steps taken in making ASDA/Forty Lane/Kings Drive junction safe

New markings were installed this morning on King's Drive, Wembley, at the junction with Forty Lane and the ASDA slip road.

Campaigners including Wembley Matters and local resident Ann Fitzgerald have drawn attention to the dangers at the crossing. LINK Often people drive straight across six lanes of traffic (there are no traffic lights on King's Drive) and do a u-turn on the Asda slip road to drive north to Bridge Road/Forty Avenue. The large 'Turn Left' sign and cross hatching make it clearer that cars should not drive across Forty Lane. In addition there are now no parking zig zags outside the French School entrance in King's Drive which used to be the Town Hall car park entrance, very close to the junction.

Ann Fitzgerald who has witnessed numerous infringements at the junction said the news was 'Brilliant!':

I’m so fearful of one of the children getting knocked down. A BMW on Monday did that Kings Drive cut through at speed.  I just don’t know if I could live with myself – thus I feel I have become a nag.  But as you know yourself, it’s right by the entry gates to the Lycee and I do think drivers get a tunnel vision with gaining time and just don’t think pedestrian.

Ironically cars were seen using the manoeuvre even while the  workmen were painting the signs.

The installation of a yellow junction box LINK at the junction is the next stage in making the junction safe.  This will address the problem in the morning school-run rush hour of slow moving traffic blocking the pedestrian crossing even when the lights are on green.

It is hoped that the box junction will be installed before December 7th.  It will have to be done overnight due to the volume of day time traffic and timing will be dependent on the weather.

There are also plans for a new signal crossing at the junction of The Paddocks and Forty Lane, the other side of the French School. It is hoped that this might deter people crossing Forty Lane from the bus stop outside the old Town Hall entrance to the Chalkhill Estate.

Yellow box junction to be installed at Wembley Asda crossing

Asda junction at quiet time - in morning peak the junction is blocked with traffic (Google View)

In a twitter response to posts on Friday LINK and Tuesday LINK Brent Council has promised action on the Asda crossing (above).

Initially this will be installation of a yellow box junction and further proposals are being developed. These proposals should also cover the junction of Bridge Road/Forty Lane/ Forty Avenue where multiple pedestrian crossing places used by school children present a hazard.

Forty Lane, Bridge Road, Forty Avenue, Barn Hill junction

 Videos of the Asda junction danger are available HERE and HERE.

Urgent action needed to prevent a fatality in Forty Lane corridor Wembley

In a much wider discussion about transport improvements in Brent the Cabinet last night discussed the problems in the Forty Lane corridor (Forty Lane/Forty Avenue is the main road going across the centre of the map above). You can see my video of the problem at the Kings Drive/Asda junction HERE.

Cllr Pavey, speaking in his Barn Hill ward councillor role, acknowledged that the issue was dealt with as a long-term objective through a preliminary design process in the ILP but was concerned that given the number of accidents recorded it had not been addressed much earlier.

Cllr Southwood, the Lead Member for the Environment, said that this a TfL responsibility but that a shorter term alleviation may be possible - there may be other ways of looking at the problem. She went on to say:

The safety of people on our roads is an absolute priority for the Council.

Sandoor Fazekas, Project Development Manager Brent Transportation last week acknowledged 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.

Meanwhile earlier yesterday a resident emailed me to say that what was recorded on the video was an example of what she was seeing daily. She went on:

This morning – I’m sorry, I know this is probably getting boring but I’m so frustrated – many people, including students from Preston Manor, got off the bus at the stop outside Asda on Forty Lane.  They then continued their journey across the junction by the Torch towards Forty Avenue – this involves crossing against traffic in two lanes from Forty Avenue on a left turn only down Bridge Road to the first pedestrian island, then across one lane for traffic turning right from Forty Avenue or straight across Barn Hill, and then across two lanes of traffic from Bridge Road turning right into Forty Lane, and then across one lane of traffic turning left from Bridge Road into Forty Avenue.  As I stood to cross over Forty Avenue towards Wembley Park station at 08.10 two cars from Forty Avenue jumped the red lights, blocked the box junction, and then continued on down Bridge Road against the green man pedestrian light with people trying to cross.

Again, there are students, school age children, using these crossings where I, with 50+ years of experience as a pedestrian and 30+ years as a car and motorcycle user, have trouble crossing.

In an email to Cllr Pavey ahead of the Cabinet Meeting I wrote that there was a real possibility of a fatality if the problems were not addressed. He agreed.

Brent Council to act on pedestrian safety in Forty Lane traffic corridor

Bird's Eye view of the two junctions (photo taken before Asda petrol station was constructed)

Local residents,  have been in contact with Brent Council to express concern about pedestrian safety at the Bridge Road/Forty Avenue/Barnhill junction and the junction of Forty Lane/Kings Drive and the Asda petrol station and car park. LINK

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.

Chicken shops and betting shops - how can we diversify our shopping streets?

The Green Party supports small shops and high street diversity but clearly times are hard and many businesses are failing to thrive.

One type of business which seems to do well in recession is bookmakers, with money short and few ways to increase income, gambling becomes attractive. Anecdotally that seems clear from the increased number of people buying lottery tickets in the local newsagent.

There are about 34 shops on Bridge Road/Forty Avenue near Wembley Park station and although many are well established there are a few which frequently change hands as businesses set up optimistically only to close a few months later. A Polish shop was rapidly followed by a French cafe which is now shuttered.

On the corner of Chalkhill Road and Bridge Road the Piri Piri Sports Bar has struggled to attract custom with frequent changes of cuisine. In the past it has offered pizza and pasta and then Indian food. Now Paddy Power bookmakers are applying to open a large shop on the premises despite there being a Corals a couple of hundred yards away and a Ladbrokes on Grand Parade.

There are already quite a few takeaways in the immediate area with at least three offering fried chicken. What can we do to diversify our shopping streets?