A resident of the Mall, which runs between Southgate High Street and Fox Lane, has launched an online petition asking Enfield Council to implement a low-traffic neighbourhood in the wider Fox Lane area as soon as possible.
The petitioner, Ruben Quesada, says that the mood in his neighbourhood has changed in favour of stopping rat-running by blocking both the existing runs and the alternatives. Referring to doubts about the effect of a low-traffic neighbourhood on surrounding streets, he argues that the best way to find out whether traffic will really dissipate over time is to run a six-month trial.
Ruben Quesada started this petition to Ian Barnes (Enfield Council)
We support the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme proposed for the Fox Lane and district area, and ask Enfield Council to implement the scheme for a trial period as soon as possible.
We live in The Mall - a lovely road in a lovely area. But it is a road that is being increasingly blighted by the volume of vehicles using it as a 'rat run' in order to try to save themselves a few moments of driving time. These vehicles are not just local car users but also include school buses/coaches and commercial trucks. At times, particularly at the Cherry Tree end, the road simply becomes gridlocked. On a regular basis parked vehicles are bumped, scraped or worse by these rat running vehicles as they try to squeeze past each other. Our lungs tell us how local pollution levels have increased with traffic volumes and our daily experience tells us how the safety of pedestrians of all ages has reduced as we see vehicles accelerate between mini-gridlocks and between speed bumps.
Whilst the original LBE scheme was considered by many as an 'over the top' approach, the mood in the neighbourhood appears to have changed. There is now clear common ground amongst those considering alternative proposals: stop the rat running by blocking both the existing runs and the alternatives.
In an ideal world we would never have imagined entertaining the idea of such road closures, let alone actively supporting them. But this is far from an ideal world. About 3,000 vehicles rat-run through The Mall every day, and an even greater number use Meadway. For so many very obvious safety and health reasons, Enfield Council should not allow this to continue.
We are aware that concerns have been voiced about the possible impact of the proposed road closures on surrounding streets. It has also been suggested that there may not be sufficient evidence that 'redirected' traffic will dissipate over time as former 'rat-runners' avoid the area. Well, what better way to obtain the necessary evidence than to run a six month trial of the LTN scheme?
