Forum topic: Fox Lane quieter neighbourhood: More details

What I felt in both cases (but see my final paragraph), having cycled by and paused to take a good look, was that a driver had swung into The Mall on the assumption that the carriageway would be clear, and didn't have time to brake or change course significantly. And if this was the case presumably both drivers were willing to assume that no pedestrians would be crossing The Mall just out of their sight when driving up Fox Lane or entering from Cannon Hill; The Mall junction is particularly hard to see around when going North until you are on it.

With that in mind I put this behaviour in the category of driver sense of entitlement which is all too common in terms of speed and a general expectation that everything will be done for them, or pedestrians will be the ones taking care. Hopefully a lesson will have been learned.

One strange thing about these two happenings is that there is no visible sign of collision except that the planter had moved in the direction you would expect if it was a collision. I've therefore wondered if they'd been deliberately moved, but if so the mover was a very powerful person.

I thought that they are being moved by the council to try out different positions in the roads to see the effects they have?

Their position is skewed which looks more like impact (or deliberate interference) rather than the Council testing a different configuration.

I think, but could be wrong, that what the Council is talking about is moving them backwards or forwards and more or less into the carriageway.

Took a bike ride down The Mall this morning and both planters were back in position. On my return home an hour or so later positions for more planters were marked out notably on Ulleswater Road which is an access to my home.

Watching cars entering streets with planters to see how drivers are coping I was struck by their caution; for the time being at least the planters are doing their job. But of course once past the entrance, and with a long sightline the speed may be different.

Thought it worth posting this document on the site as this shows a much more considered approach to siting planters (and other ways to slow down traffic) without causing potential accidents.

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/files/migrated-pdfs/Technical%20Note%2031%20-%20Obstacles%20in%20highway.pdf

I think with the present siting of the planters is dangerous and possibly illegal and will only get worse as the council continue to block the roads. If you look up the subject online, nearly all the legislation is about the ability of councils to prevent residents placing obstructions on the highway including skips and other obstacles not the other way round.

I know one of the people involved with the scheme in Oxford shown on the Sustrans document and it was very effective and no people or cars were damaged in the process.

Those planters look lovely, but are more decorative than functional - I can't see how any of them would fit a purpose for a safer streets/quieter neighbourhood traffic reduction scheme.

PS: "illegal"? 1. What basis? 2. Do you not think the local authority would have cleared legal first...?

Current planters don't damage "people of cars". They are unmoving inanimate objects. They're huge and in plain sight so if you drive into them that's your fault! Haven't any issues navigating them myself....

David,
Hi, the council have a record of making changes to the area using experimental traffic orders so they are not always acting legally and tend to implement first and sort out the schemes later using TMO's. Haringey by contrast do things by the book. The schemes in the Sustrans documents did work and made a massive difference to Oxford and other locations and are still in place and also look a lot more attractive and part of the urban landscape. It doesn't take a lot to make motorists aware of a change in the roads to alter their behaviour. Enfield council's actions are as the saying goes, 'A sledgehammer to crack a nut'.

The planter at the Fox Lane end of Selbourne Road has been shunted inwards as were all the others.

What I think about drivers who swing into side streets such that they hit something out of sight on a purely residential road is not printable. These streets are for living not driving thrill, thoughtlessness or impatience.

I live one street down from Selbourne and this morning I was privileged(?) to see a large, low, blue car streak past our front window at an enormous speed. I won't guess at a figure, but several years ago the Council measured speeds above 70mph on the Fox Lanes estate and this car looked like that. That is driver sense of entitlement with a vengeance

Because I've stepped back from campaigning I have no real grasp of what is planned for the estate, but I suspect it will be rather puny, and not fully tailored to the needs of a residential area - kids should be able to learn to ride a bike here.