Hi Neighbours

Apologies that it has been a while since my last update - there is a reason!  After the council meeting in Feb it was not super clear what the outcome was.  In theory the council did indeed vote to allocate £25k of funding to 'look into' the issue we raised, but I needed to get a clearer idea of what that actually meant.  I have since had two meetings with the council traffic officers to discuss this, and I can now report the following:

If you are not already aware, the council is currently planning changes to the Goodwill Junction to add pedestrian crossings.  This may fundamentally impact the behaviour of traffic in our area so the council is reluctant to start any work on a Headstone South Low Traffic Neighbourhood until the Goodwill Junction Scheme has been built.  However, they have indicated that they are willing to put some time and money into this once the Goodwill Junction is done.  While I am disappointed that this means a delay to any action, I do understand that it is better to fix the problem once, and I have told them in no uncertain terms that I'll be back with more signatures in a year if they don't take action (particularly if things get worse after the junction changes).  In terms of timescales, the Goodwill Junction Scheme is currently out for consultation, and expected to be implemented by March 2020.   In the meantime, the best way to continue to support a Low Traffic Neighbourhood for Headstone South is to respond to the Goodwill Junction Consultation at the link below.  

https://consult.harrow.gov.uk/consult.ti/junctionimprovementproposals/consultationHome

In addition to any concerns that you individually want to raise, I suggest also adding (feel free to copy and paste) the following sentences:  "As a supporter of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood for Headstone South Petition, I am already concerned about the existing volumes of rat-running traffic in my area causing road danger, pollution, and discouraging people from walking and cycling.  I am worried that the Goodwill Junction proposal may make an already unacceptable situation worse.  I call upon Harrow Council to therefore prioritise the implementation of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood for Headstone South."

In the meantime, please continue to spread the word, both about the Low Traffic Neighbourhood Petition, and about the importance of responding to the Goodwill Junction Consultation.

Healthy Streets for Harrow will also be starting to draw up some possible proposals for how a Low Traffic Neighbourhood could work in our area, building on knowledge from schemes implemented in other London boroughs.  I am therefore now looking for people who would be willing to join a Residents Working Group representing their road.  The plan is that it is a minimal time commitment (maybe 1.5 hours every other month), but that it is a small group of people who can act as a sounding board and demonstrate support for specific proposals.  I have been told by the Traffic Officer that this will make it faster for Harrow Council to take action on a Low Traffic Neighbourhood once the Goodwill Junction scheme is in place, and it also means that you get the opportunity to potentially shape improvements to the area.  Please drop me an email at e.bradley.1@gmail.com if you are interested.

It is difficult for me to contact the people who signed the physical petition, so please do pass on this update to anyone you know who signed with pen and ink.  I am going to see if it is possible to do a mail-out to keep them in the loop.

Finally - I will be at the County Roads Street Party on Sunday 2nd June 11am - 4pm, Sussex Rd between Oxford Rd and Rutland Rd.  I'll be walking around with a 'Healthy Streets for Harrow' sign, so please do come and say 'Hi' and feel free to ask me any questions, raise concerns, or volunteer for the Working Group!

Thank you again for your wonderful support.  I believe the 400+ signature petition really made an impact on the councillors and traffic officers and hopefully it will result in Council action in the near future.  I will be continuing to attend meetings with the council officers and I will keep you updated.