Guest blog from Kensal Triangle Residents' Association who appear closer to a solution that they began to campaign about in February 2008. (pic from Kilburn Times above) Six years on a solution may be in sight.
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On Friday 7th February
representatives from Transport for London, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea
and Brent councils, West One ( the infrastructure management company employed
by Westminster Council to manage its traffic planning) and Kensal Triangle
Residents Association joined in a meeting kindly organised and hosted by Fr David Ackerman for a
meeting at St John's Vicarage to discuss the Harrow Road /Ladbroke Grove
crossing.
This brought together
professionals and locals to address the need for immediate action. The campaign
for the provision of safe pedestrian crossing facility has been going for
nearly eight years now, and the meeting was arranged to give updates on plans
formulated by West One as a result of the last round of surveys.
The meeting proved to be
positive on all counts. It was agreed
by all that the attempt to improve the situation by providing wider refuges in
the middle of each arm of the junction had not worked at all. West One, in conjunction with TfL are now
recommending to all parties that a system be installed with a phase where all
vehicle traffic is stopped at the junction to allow a pedestrian crossing phase
with the traditional ‘green man’light – an All Red Phase. This will allow pedestrians enough time to
cross any one arm of the junction.
(it was not proposed to encourage crossing diagonally over the junction
as is the case at Oxford Circus)
There will also be
consideration of lane confusion, signage and the hold-ups on Kilburn Lane.
West One needs to consult with
the two other councils to ensure that this solution us agreed by all parties,
and further modelling needs to be done to ensure that congestion will not be
increased by the new scheme, but the overall message was that positive and
effective action is being taken to make
the junction safer for pedestrians and drivers.
West One could not give a
precise timetable for implementation for the plan, but hoped to finish the
modelling by the end of March, and installation of the new lights by the end of
2014.
The
meeting was also notable for its focus on a solution, and Fr David was glad to
host a meeting that brought together the most important people who can affect
change. It was extremely helpful and
positive to have a meeting so close to the junction concerned, where everyone
could see the scale of the problem.
