100 signatures reached
To: Haringey and Camden Councils
Road Safety on Hampstead Lane, Highgate N6
To improve road safety along the section of road from the two mini-roundabouts joining North Hill, Highgate High Street and Hampstead Lane and from there out of Highgate towards Hampstead (particularly for pedestrians).
Specifically, we ask Haringey and Camden Councils to undertake a full review of the safety issues raised in this Petition and to implement appropriate road safety measures. These measures might include:
1. Speed activated warnings
2. Larger static speed signs e.g. banner style
3. Slowing of traffic via use of speed humps or road-narrowing one way priority chicane
4. The use of a static or mobile speed camera/police presence to enforce the 20mph speed limit
5. Better road demarcation
6. Widening of the pavement at the section alongside the private road, between numbers 12 and 22 Hampstead Lane
7. Where necessary undertaking or enforcing hedge-cutting to stop foliage protruding onto the pavement restricting width and to ensure all road signs are fully visible to cars
8. Extensive repair and proper maintenance of the road and pavements
Specifically, we ask Haringey and Camden Councils to undertake a full review of the safety issues raised in this Petition and to implement appropriate road safety measures. These measures might include:
1. Speed activated warnings
2. Larger static speed signs e.g. banner style
3. Slowing of traffic via use of speed humps or road-narrowing one way priority chicane
4. The use of a static or mobile speed camera/police presence to enforce the 20mph speed limit
5. Better road demarcation
6. Widening of the pavement at the section alongside the private road, between numbers 12 and 22 Hampstead Lane
7. Where necessary undertaking or enforcing hedge-cutting to stop foliage protruding onto the pavement restricting width and to ensure all road signs are fully visible to cars
8. Extensive repair and proper maintenance of the road and pavements
Why is this important?
This stretch of road is used by many pedestrians every day. Most are local parents and their children, walking to and from either Highgate School, St Michaels, Highgate Primary or Channing.
However, this stretch of road is very dangerous, particularly for children. Although it is a 20mph zone, cars frequently travel much faster than this. Although there are signs indicating the speed limit along the route, they are small and relatively inconspicuous and in places obscured by foliage. Perhaps because the route used to have a 30mph limit and also because it is a main thoroughfare out of Highgate, the existing signs do not seem to make an impact on how people drive.
The risk to people walking is significantly increased by the poor quality of the pavements on both sides of the road. In several places on the North side the paving or concrete is uneven (where slabs are broken or worn or where tree roots are pushing through) and the risk of tripping over (particularly for children) is high. This side is also very narrow which means that in several places it is difficult to pass people going in the other direction or even walk two-abreast with a child.
Because of the narrowness of the pavement and because cars do not/may not generally park along this route, if a pedestrian trips there is nothing to protect them from falling straight into the road.
There are also a number of pot holes which fill with water on wet days which can only be passed by stepping into the road.
Where other roads intersect with Hampstead Lane there is often little to differentiate road from payment: markings are worn and gutters are frequently full of leaves and water. Frequently large vehicles park in driveways in such a way that pedestrians are forced to step into the road to go round them.
On the south side of the road, the T-Junction where The Grove meets Hampstead Lane is difficult and dangerous to cross due to the speed at which cars pull out of the crossing and the high density of traffic (increasingly The Grove is used as a cut-through from Highgate West Hill).
Many children and their parents are at risk every day because of the combination of these factors and the Councils need to act to protect pedestrians.
Hampstead Lane falls far short of the vision set out in the Mayor's Healthy Streets for London strategy (a system of policies specifically designed to help Londoners use cars less and walk, cycle and use public transport more). It is has excessive levels of noise, the air is very polluted, the intersecting roads are difficult to cross and people feel unsafe on it – all factors that actively discourage people from walking or cycling along this route.
However, this stretch of road is very dangerous, particularly for children. Although it is a 20mph zone, cars frequently travel much faster than this. Although there are signs indicating the speed limit along the route, they are small and relatively inconspicuous and in places obscured by foliage. Perhaps because the route used to have a 30mph limit and also because it is a main thoroughfare out of Highgate, the existing signs do not seem to make an impact on how people drive.
The risk to people walking is significantly increased by the poor quality of the pavements on both sides of the road. In several places on the North side the paving or concrete is uneven (where slabs are broken or worn or where tree roots are pushing through) and the risk of tripping over (particularly for children) is high. This side is also very narrow which means that in several places it is difficult to pass people going in the other direction or even walk two-abreast with a child.
Because of the narrowness of the pavement and because cars do not/may not generally park along this route, if a pedestrian trips there is nothing to protect them from falling straight into the road.
There are also a number of pot holes which fill with water on wet days which can only be passed by stepping into the road.
Where other roads intersect with Hampstead Lane there is often little to differentiate road from payment: markings are worn and gutters are frequently full of leaves and water. Frequently large vehicles park in driveways in such a way that pedestrians are forced to step into the road to go round them.
On the south side of the road, the T-Junction where The Grove meets Hampstead Lane is difficult and dangerous to cross due to the speed at which cars pull out of the crossing and the high density of traffic (increasingly The Grove is used as a cut-through from Highgate West Hill).
Many children and their parents are at risk every day because of the combination of these factors and the Councils need to act to protect pedestrians.
Hampstead Lane falls far short of the vision set out in the Mayor's Healthy Streets for London strategy (a system of policies specifically designed to help Londoners use cars less and walk, cycle and use public transport more). It is has excessive levels of noise, the air is very polluted, the intersecting roads are difficult to cross and people feel unsafe on it – all factors that actively discourage people from walking or cycling along this route.
