This article was originally issued on 22nd March and was rewritten on 23rd March to take account of information in a newly published notice issued by Enfield Council.
Some of the bollards used to create the Fox Lane LTN will be replaced by camera controlled restrictions
Enfield Council is planning to make it easier for emergency services and disabled people to access the Fox Lane and Bowes low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) by removing some of the bollards that are currently used to create "filters" and converting them to camera-controlled access control points like the one at the railway bridge in Fox Lane. Cars used by registered blue.badge holders living within specified areas will be allowed to drive past the filter points without being fined, as will dial-a-ride minibuses.
Additionally, the council is sounding out opinions about possible further changes to both schemes:
- in the Fox Lane LTN, removing the camera-controlled filter in Meadway either at certain times of day or at all times;
- in the Bowes LTN, reconfiguring the scheme so that rather than accessing the neighbourhood from the north and west (A406), drivers would enter it from the south (Bounds Green Road).
More cameras for the Fox Lane LTN
In the Fox Lane LTN the plan is to convert three filters from bollards to camera-controlled restrictions: at the Fox Lane end of the Mall and Selborne Road and in Oakfield Road at its junction with the Mall. The emergency services and dial-a-ride buses will be permitted to drive past the cameras, as will vehicles with a "FOX" permit":
"Blue Badge Holders residing within the “FOX Permit Zone” will be eligible to apply to the Council for a permit under a category of the ‘FOX’ permit. This permit could either apply to their own vehicle or they could nominate someone else's vehicle where a user of that vehicle has a role in the care of a Blue Badge Holder within the Quieter Neighbourhood area. This caring role could include transportation of the Blue Badge Holder and/or regular visits to the Blue Badge Holder’s home address."
The FOX Permit Zone: blue badge holders resident in the zone will be eligible for permits to drive past the camera-controlled restrictions (adapted from a map included in the notice of the planned amendments to the Fox Lane LTN)
The relaxations will also apply to the existing camera-controlled filters at the Fox Lane railway bridge, at the Fox Lane end of Conway Road and in Meadway. The council will also be considering widening the scope of the permit scheme:
"The Council will conduct future engagement with residents and other groups on the potential for the development of this initial approach to permits. This could include the creation of additional categories to the FOX permit such as other carers, and the use of exceptional exemptions in particular circumstances. The intention is to conduct this further work in partnership with other North London local authorities, enabling consideration of how exemptions may work across borough boundaries, where this is relevant."
Notice of these changes to the Fox Lane LTN was published today (23rd March), superseding a notice issued on 16th March. The earlier notice stated that all remaining physical barriers within the LTN would be replaced by cameras, as did an update on the Let's Talk Enfield website. The update was only visible for a few hours before being removed. It has now been reinstated with revised wording which is consistent with the new notice.
The BOW Permit Zone
The proposed BOW permit zone - adapted from a map on the Let's Talk Enfield website. Please note that the map does not show all the filters used to create the Bowes LTN scheme, only the two filters that the changes apply to
For the Bowes LTN the permit zone will cover not just the streets within the LTN but also part of the planned new Bounds Green LTN in Haringey borough (area B on the Haringey map). The zone will operate in the same way as the FOX Permit Zone (see above). Details of were published in an update posted to the Let's Talk Enfield website on 23rd February and a formal Road Traffic Acts Notice was published on the same date. The deadline for submitting objections expired on 16th March.
Sounding out opinions on bigger changes to the LTNs
In addition to the changes described above the council is sounding out opinion about further modifications to both LTNs which would have a much more marked effect on their operation.
"The Council would like to hear further views on whether the scheme would work better for residents if the current restriction on Meadway was removed entirely, or operated on a timed basis. No decision has been made on this idea, but it is something we would like to explore further, gaining greater clarity on your preferences. If this idea is taken forward, further consultation will take place. Alongside your views, further work will be undertaken to consider the traffic impacts of this proposal."
"In response to feedback, the Council would like to hear further views on whether the scheme would work better for residents if access was switched from the A406 North Circular Road to Bounds Green Road."
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