Forum topic: New plans for Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood revealed

Before I start, letstalk.enfeld.gov.uk/foxlaneQN doesn't work

The closure at the end of Fox Lane totally ignores the large amount of elderly people who live on Pellipar Close, opposite the Fox Pub car park (now a development site!). They, and their nurses, carers and family, will now have to use the extremely dangerous and poorly planned, Fox Lane/Green Lanes junction for every journey/visit as there is no other access.

My mother, who lives there, has a carer visit twice a day from East Barnet who will now have to make two unnecessary right turns, one from Bourne Hill on to Green Lanes, and then one on to Fox Lane on each visit. This will add time to her journey as well as increasing pollution, which seems to be a major factor in this model.

I would ask that the Fox Lane gate be moved or, better still, removed altogether and the roads left to work as they always have, and did long before 90%+ of the residents moved in to the area.

I wholeheartedly agree. This whole thing is a dogmatic political policy which ignores the rights of the people who live here. I think we all agree that a scheme is needed but it can easily be modified to help everyone who has a good reason for being here. This is what has been ignored. It's unfair and not necessary to impose these restrictions on us when there is a better solution.

Research shows the vast majority of journeys by car in London are under a mile - many (not all) could be made by walking or cycling. Everyone can leave either end of the street, but only one end in a vehicle. For many of us the bullying comes from lorries, cars and vans speeding down our streets giving out noise and pollution. And if you want to see real bullying stand at the south end of Old Park Road and watch a parent with small children, an elderly person or someone on a mobility scooter cross the road - or worst of all, any of these groups crossing the road during rush hours. And remember a third of residents in Enfield don't have access to a car.

On the contrary those elderly people who are able to walk or use mobility aids will have a much safer, quieter, less polluted journey to the shops or Broomfield Park. Similar LTNs in other parts of London have led to a total reduction in pollution. And the roads in the Fox Lane neighbourhood may work for rat runners but not for the 3000 or so residents of the neighbourhood who have polluting vehicles bringing noise, pollution and danger to their roads. I'm sorry the carer will have a few minutes extra on his/her journey but no solution is 100% perfect.

Except the vast majority can't walk and rely on transportation in some form or other. The shocking state of the pavements in that area also inhibits any walking.

The scheme is not designed for elderly people and is poorly thought out and totally unnecessary and unjustified

Speaking as someone who will be 83 years old next month I find Richard C's remark about the state of our pavements........................amazing. Personally I walk (and cycle) around the Lakes Estate quite a bit, and rarely find a problem other than an occasional inconsiderate driver.

But let us just dwell a moment on who has suffered most from the car age: children. The freedoms I had as a child have been stolen by cars. The Lakes Estate will probably never match my experience because I'm old, but we can redress some of the damage that cars have done to neighbourliness in our local streets.

Does this indicate that the "vast majority" of the 600-700 vehicles passing down my street between 7am and 7pm (according to the 2019 survey figures) are also making journeys of "under a mile"? One wonders *who* is driving these vehicles, and indeed *where* they are going?

The 'Estimated Post-Scheme' figures for the same 7am to 7pm period on my street are 500-600 vehicles, which leaves me even more nonplussed. If the "vast majority" of those estimated 500-600 vehicles are still making journeys of "under a mile", then where will they be going to, and from?

Would you cite the source for the research which supports the "under a mile" data please? I would be very interested to look into it further, and especially in how it might apply to the Fox Lane scheme. I'm far from convinced. Thank you.

I don't know the specific research being discussed but remain in long term shock from the analysis in the original Mini Holland bid document, an analysis I've since seen repeated in TfL papers. This shows a majority of car journeys to be cycleable and a significant minority walkable. It was instrumental in my own car miles dropping from 6000 pa at the time to last years 168.