Forum topic: Plans for Fox Lane low-traffic neighbourhood published

From the Mid-point of Cranley there and back for the mentioned journey is just over 1.5km. It makes me think of the table in the Enfield’s original winning bid highlighting the share of such journeys. Something like 30% of all car journeys are of this length. Take a good slice of those out of the total through people walking or cycling, where they are physically able to do so, and which is the vast majority, and we would see a hugely different landscape and a healthier population too.

For anybody who has to use a vehicle for work, do school runs with small children , make large supermarket shops and travel beyond Southgate Circus this is going to add a great deal of journey time and add further congestion , pollution and stress to the local area. Consequently this will also make bus journeys longer as they sit in the same jams.
Anybody wanting to access the North Circular or travel in the direction of Friern Barnet,Whetstone and Finchley will now have to travel via an already massively congested Southgate circus leading to massive tailbacks down Bourne Hill . The return rush hour journey along Cannon Hill ( which can already see tail backs as far as the Cherry Tree) will make a previously two minute journey home along Ulleswater Road ridiculously longer when routed via Southgate roundabout. The result will be more pollution and more frustration amongst road users and added pollution from idling cars.
A better idea is to put 20mph speed cameras up so we can all move around in a safer and more considerate manner and the council can subsidise their funding with fines. Another plan could be to issue a ‘Lakes’ Tag System which allows residents vehicles to access their roads via access gates or bollards that move down to allow access. This would be a good compromise to access whilst stopping rat running
I can only summise that the only people to endorse this particular scheme are those who are semi retired and only need to potter around locally .A compromise needs to be found to best improve the life of all the residents.

Majority of residents in Old Park Road support the scheme - from students, through young families to the fully retired - all of them fed up with the noise, pollution and danger that an average of 2947 vehicles a day rat running down the street bring. Speed cameras would mean the same number of vehicles with some travelling more slowly. The Tag System is a good idea but doubt there is the budget for it.

I do a good deal of walking and cycling, but unlike some I recognise that we live in the age of the car and that the answer is not to persecute car drivers, which is, apparently, the intention of the Council's needlessly drastic ally awful plan.

No one should be (or feel) persecuted but for too long cars have been prioritised over other forms of transport both in terms of spend and space allocated. People in cars will be able to travel down every road in the area - but it will become a much pleasanter, safer and healthier place for people to walk and cycle. I use all forms of transport but try not to use the car unless I have to. Luckily policy makers have recognised the 'age of car' no longer serves society and are rebalancing how we get around.

We may still be living in the age of the car, just, but no one should be in any doubt we are moving away from it and there will be adjustments to make.
At the level of HMG: “Our ambition for England. We want to make cycling and walking the natural choices for shorter journeys, or as part of a longer journey.”
More crucially for what happens directly here in Enfield, the latest London Plan is within a whisker of final approval after several years of consultation process, and includes such gems as:
10.1.1 … an ambitious aim to reduce Londoners’ dependency on cars in favour of increased walking, cycling and public transport use. Without this shift away from car use, which the policies in the Plan and the Mayor’s Transport Strategy seek to deliver, London cannot continue to grow sustainably.
10.1.2 A shift from car use to more space-efficient travel also provides the only long-term solution to the road congestion challenges that threaten London’s status as an efficient, well-functioning globally-competitive city.
10.1.4 Rebalancing the transport system towards walking, cycling and public transport …
10.2.3 The Healthy Streets Approach is an evidence-based approach to improve health and reduce health inequalities, which will help Londoners use cars less, and walk, cycle and use public transport more.

And so forth. There has been literally thousands of pages of such, usually evidenced, material over the last few years across numerous reports, statutory and otherwise.

As I’ve posted countless times, the future direction is well signposted; what we are now going through is the adjustment, and change often brings discomfort.

In my opinion this proposed scheme doesn't go far enough, but it is certainly good step in the right direction. Residential streets are for people not through traffic, and should be play-space for kids rather rather than short cuts for through traffic.

I'll begin with a cautious eye on Roger Dougall's well-put comments.

The Council is well aware that main local through roads are under considerable pressure, which is why it ran a campaign (which must still be extant) to encourage drivers who make short/shortish, driver-only journeys to do so by public transport, on a 'bike' or by foot. And here it's worth noting that London's Mayor also takes that sort of approach - even the Government wants people to walk, cycle or use public transport when possible. My expectation is that eventually the penny will drop about quality of life, notably in the case of the Lakes Estate, for most people.

I have to confess that I'm one of the old dotards who potters around locally; though I have been able to drive for 60 or more years. I own a car, but I'll polish my halo by saying that we will be disposing of it next year because public transport and delivery services suit our purpose. Being ancient doesn't come into it, and I could hire a car if it was really essential.

Adrian Day's point is worth noting. On his street and others through traffic casts a shadow over lives. Plus in various streets, including mine, the Council has measured speeds above 70mph. Anything which makes that more difficult is worth having.

Roger D. offers some alternative solutions. Personally I prefer the Council's approach because it's simple, and will make some streets a much safer and better space for cohesive, pleasant living. If there is more congestion on Green Lanes perhaps, together with the cycle lanes, it will discourage short, driver only journeys and foster public transport.

Cars and car drivers are literally the least persecuted road users ever. Grossly over-protected. Cossetted. Continually killing OBR forecasts as every budget a further blackhole in public finances as fuel duties don't inflate as they are supposed to /are budgeted for.