Details of Bowes low-traffic neighbourhood scheme published

Great scheme. Close Brownlow Road to traffic and put Sunshine Nursery out of business. Nobody seems to consider the long-term implications across the area. For the record, the scheme is being implemented initially based on 263 residents responding to a survey out of a local population in the Bowes Ward of 15,400. That is 1.5%. And now Enfield Council say they are dispensing with local consolation due to Covid-19. So can you blame everything on the virus to dispense with democracy? That is what it sounds like.

I am struggling to work out why the closure of Brownlow Rd should have a negative effect on Sunshine Nursery (I assume that's the one in Durnsford Rd as there isn't one in Brownlow itself ). I would not expect much in the way of impulse visits from the rush-hour traffic, while those who target it specifically will find their journeys easier.
The council's record on consultations is somewhat mixed, it is true, but this one does not look like a problem; the consultation will take place while the scheme is in place - and could lead to changes or even (heaven forfend!) a complete reversal of the decision. You can have your say.

“Please support this imperfect plan – it may be our only chance for healthy streets in Bowes”

Better Streets for Enfield (I'm a member) are urging anyone who wants healthier streets that are less dominated by through traffic to contact their councillors and relevant cabinet members - whether in Enfield or Haringey - to express support for Enfield Council's plans for the Bowes Primary Area low-traffic neighbourhood. We think there are probably better solutions that will cause less inconvenience (see the map below for one possibility) - but this is a one-off opportunity to use Department for Transport funding to create the low-traffic neighbourhood, which could then be easily modified simply by moving the barriers.

If the noisy campaigners against this scheme persuade the council to drop it, that will be it. Given TfL's Covid-shattered finances, it may be many years before another chance comes up.

If it turns out that it does create huge problems, even when modified, then it will be removed at the end of the trial. We don't think it will, others disagree. The way to find out who is right is to try it for a realistic length of time.

Here's what we wrote on the Better Streets website:

Please support the plan for Bowes – even if you don’t love it

There has been a LOT of discussion in our Facebook group about the council’s low traffic neighbourhood plans for the West Bowes / Bounds Green area, announced on Monday.

Better Streets for Enfield has been campaigning for a low traffic neighbourhood in Bowes for the last three years to address the intolerable levels of traffic and pollution on roads like Warwick and Brownlow – so we’re delighted to see these proposals. We were especially pleased to see a bus gate for Brownlow included in the council plans. Despite being classed as a ‘B-road’, Brownlow is narrow and overwhelmingly residential, yet endures around 10,000 vehicles a day. We’ve been asking for a bus gate* to make it a corridor for public transport and active travel that will keep the air clean for everyone.

However, Monday’s announcement was not music to everyone’s ears, and came as a bombshell to a lot of residents – hence the explosion of new members and comments on our Facebook group over the last few days. Many people were delighted; some were totally opposed; and plenty supported it in principle, but were upset and confused about how it was being done.

Why should I support it?

Most comments have been about the lack of consultation, the design of the plans, and the absence of measures for the roads east of Brownlow Road. These valid points are covered in more detail below. But here’s why we are supporting the plan and why we are asking you to support it too: this Department for Transport funding may be the only chance we’ll get for healthy streets in Bowes for a very long time. If residents persuade councillors to reject it, there is no other money in the pot. It’s this imperfect scheme or nothing. So if you support it, please write to Enfield and Haringey Councils to let them know – plenty of opponents have already written. Email addresses are at the end of this post.

Here are the main themes of discussion in our group:

Why weren’t we consulted?

Residents feel that this has come out of the blue and it will be implemented within weeks without any chance to comment on the design. This rushed implementation is because the funds to create the LTN are from the DfT’s Emergency Active Travel Fund.

Securing the fund was a huge task as Enfield had to agree the plan with the emergency services and negotiate the filter locations with Haringey within a very tight deadline. The bid was successful and the plan approved by the DfT, but now local authorities must get the schemes done in a matter of weeks or they won’t get the funding, and nor will they get the second, bigger tranche of funds (which in Bowes’ case will be for the bus gate). So normal consultation rules do not apply. But there will be a consultation – once the temporary measures are in. We need to make the most of that opportunity to push for improvements to the design.

Why are the filters where they are?

There has been lots of concern about the filters (closures) running along the south of the area. Is this the best place to put them? Not everyone wants to drive in and out of the area via the North Circular and some car journeys will become much longer as a result, not least because of the right-turn ban from Bounds Green Road onto the A406.

The council’s design will transform these streets for the better, by removing through traffic (so long as Brownlow gets its bus gate). However, it’s not necessarily the best design. It’s better practice to place the filters at the centre of a traffic cell, so that residents needing to drive can exit via the side nearest to where they live. With filters halfway down some roads, it should be possible to park on the side you need to exit by. The Better Streets team are starting to think of alternative designs to put to both councils during the consultation. See our ideas in the map below, and feel free to tell us what you think.
Suggestions from the Better Streets team for where filters could go.


The map shows suggestions from the Better Streets team for where filters could go

We will also be lobbying TfL to remove the right-turn ban from Bounds Green Road onto the A406.

What about east of Brownlow?

Lots of people are asking why their streets in the east don’t seem to get any treatment. All the proposed measures are in Enfield (see the boundary in the map at the top), and south of the Haringey border there is nothing to stop drivers taking a short cut through streets like Truro, Nightingale and Whittington.

Through traffic doesn’t respect borough boundaries, and there’s a risk that it will worsen on these southeast roads. The whole ‘cell’ should be a low traffic neighbourhood – that is, the area bordered by the A406, Green Lanes and Bounds Green Road. But the DfT won’t wait, so the scheme should go in as planned. Once it’s bedded in, we will be calling on Haringey to work with Enfield to complete the whole cell (see the suggested positions in our map above). We’re confident that Haringey Living Streets and Haringey Cycling Campaign will support the idea.

Please support this scheme!

Plenty of people have written to both councils to oppose it. If you don’t want to lose it, please support it, even if it’s not your preferred design. You can email the cabinet members and MPs of both boroughs, copying in your own ward councillors, using the addresses below.

Enfield cabinet members

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Haringey cabinet members

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MPs

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Southgate Green councillors

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Bowes councillors

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Bounds Green councillors

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Find out more

Our web page about Bounds Green: http://betterstreets.co.uk/local-areas/healthy-streets-bounds-green/

Enfield Council web page on Bowes Quieter Neighbourhood: https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/bowesQN

*A bus gate is a point on the road with signs and cameras that you can’t drive through without receiving a fine. Buses, bikes and emergency vehicles can all pass through, and cars can still use the road on either side to access the area. Bus gates often operate part-time, eg peak hours only.'

It was only a matter of time before the latest quieter neighbourhoods scheme got personal. Previous deputy council leader Daniel Anderson may not be on the best of terms with his successor, I would guess, but he may well have some sympathy with him when it comes to personal vilification over bike lane and quieter neighbourhoods schemes, as he suffered much himself. As did the cabinet member who was in charge of Cycle Enfield when it started, the late Chris Bond.

May I remind whoever is responsible for this that quieter neighbourhoods/low-traffic neighbourhoods were not invented by Ian Barnes, Daniel Anderson or Chris Bond. They are a nationwide, indeed international idea whose time has come (several decades late). They were mayoral policy under Johnson long before Ian Barnes was elected to the council. They are the the policy of the UK government, as emphasized only yesterday by the prime minister.

I have no problem with people being opposed to the Bowes scheme - I myself think it's far from perfect, in particular because Brownlow Road will remain open to through traffic during the initial phase. If there had been time for the scheme to evolve in the way that the Fox Lane scheme has, I'm sure that it would have looked somewhat different, perhaps like the alternative that Better Streets for Enfield are proposing. But there is no time for that - and the reason why there is no time is that the DfT - a government ministry under a Conservative secretary-of-state, not a Labour-run council - insists that it's put in place immediately, and without DfT money residents will continue to be subjected to road danger, noise and dangerously high pollution.

And how do people expect to have well run councils when every time a council does something that they disagree with they subject individual councillors to personal attacks? Grow up, people.

Further information about the scheme has now been posted to the Let's Talk Enfield website.

Warwick Road Low Traffic Neighbourhood - Statement of Reasons

Enfield Council is proposing various restriction points, as shown below, with the intention to:

1) deny a route to motorised through-traffic along Warwick Road and connecting estate roads,

2) deny a route to motorised through-traffic along the northern section of Palmerston Road and connecting estate roads

The Council also proposes to extend into the Enfield part of Brownlow Road and the estate to the east the 20mph limit currently found to the south and west. This offers better consistency to drivers and should reduce the sense of traffic domination on Brownlow Road. A second phase is planned to remove through-traffic, except buses, on Brownlow Road by way of a further restriction point.

Warwick Road, Palmerston Road and their connecting estate roads are unclassified roads. They are typically narrow and have close-fronting homes. Through traffic is better accommodated on the perimeter roads that border the area, namely: A406 North Circular Road, A105 Green Lanes, and A109 Bounds Green Road. Removing through traffic within these neighbourhoods is likely to establish more attractive conditions for walking and cycling, with modal filters for cycling at the closure points further boosting the convenience of cycling over car use for local trips. Lowering the level of traffic on Palmerston Road will make it better suited for on-road cycling, helping complete a cycle route into Haringey that already links to Palmers Green and Enfield Town to the north.

Reducing the overall volume of traffic to levels that better match the character of these narrow, densely populated streets will also improve air quality within the zone.

These proposals follow a period of engagement with London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service. Camera controls, rather than a physical barrier, are proposed on Warwick Road to avoid hindering emergency access in and out of the estate to/from the south and reducing response times. In this regard the proposals represent an improvement over the existing width restriction.

Where closure points and islands are placed, the removal of some adjacent kerbside parking/loading space will be required so that parking does not foul access around narrowed sections of road or occupy space needed to be left clear for drivers to turn vehicles around. The proposals, including the localised parking controls, are supported by experimental traffic orders so that the Council can assess their impact further, consider representations and make amendments if necessary.

There is also a new page with a frequently asked questions section, with answers to the following questions:

Can the trial measures be adjusted and adapted?

How will the success of the scheme be monitored?

What is a modal filter?

Is the York Road modal filter in Phase 1 or Phase 2?

What evidence are the proposals based on?

Have traffic surveys been carried out in the area?

How do you expect the proposals to impact traffic speeds and volumes in the area?

How will emergency vehicles access the area?

What is a bus gate / emergency gate?

Does a bus gate mean cars will not be able to use Brownlow Road?

How will refuse trucks and other large vehicles such as delivery vans access the area?

How and when can we leave feedback?

What measures will be put in place to alleviate the effects of increased local traffic on the A406?

Why have the filters been placed in their current locations?

Are there other design options?

Is this going to make things worse for Bowes Primary School?

What about the right-turn ban from Bounds Green Road onto the A406?

See https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/bowesQN/widgets/14864/faqs#4311

The On London website carries a report by Charles Wright (who coincidentally appears to live locally) which gives a balanced view of both sides of the argument.

https://www.onlondon.co.uk/enfield-consternation-greets-north-circular-low-traffic-neighbourhood-scheme/

Thanks for the sarcastic reply. You know exactly where Sunshine Nursery is located. The reason for the potential issues for them if a bus gate is installed in Brownlow Road is that the majority of their customers from Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill would lose a direct route to them Most people use cars to shop at garden centres as you well know and Sunshine has been a very popular destination for them for many years. If the traffic scheme makes it more difficult to get there then they will go elsewhere and Sunshine which is still recovering from the lockdown will find themselves with a reduced business. Suggest you ask them what they think about the scheme, I already have and they are not happy.

Sorry but I don't see how your map plan @ Basil Clarke blocking Myddleton, Truro, Nightingale & Whittington Road is a great idea! Especially as it is then looking to completely stop wood green police station vehicles from using these roads in an emergency? If wood green police need to get to any of these roads past your purposed blockage how will they manage to respond to the community in a timely & efficient manner? By telling them to use green lanes the long way round! This is absurd & absolutely ridiculous...

Lets all remember back prior to 2012 before the London Olympics, before the north circular (A406) was restructured & how roads like Natal & Highworth were used to turn left & right on to the A406, which eliminated congestion as well as pollution on Warwick & Brownlow road as then there was 4 roads that could be used to get on to the A406 but because the north circular got a revamp & it was to look good rather than be practical (just like that hideous bridge) what an eye saw! You have then made a problem that did not exist on the 4 roads now become a problem on the 2 current roads that can only turn right on to the A406, therefore causing congestion & increased pollution. Logic sense tells me if you go against the flow of something you are only going to cause more issues elsewhere & push the problem to an extent that it becomes a serious issue! Hence why Warwick & Brownlow road have the increase of traffic overflow from back then to present! & you guys have only just noticed this? If you have! For every action there is a reaction & that's why you see Warwick road & Brownlow road full of traffic, crime will sky rocket too as the criminal's will know that it will take longer for the emergency police service to respond & that currently is an issue without the roads being blocked at the moment!

In the bowes area many more new flats have been built, from the top end of Brownlow Road by bounds green station & even in Maidstone Road where there is another 6-10 flats being built? & probably more in due course?
Question you need to ask, is do we need all these flats? With more houses or flats being built, what happens to the existing roads that currently struggle even prior to this flats being built? If new flats are being built why don't the council think to themselves & say we can't have anymore buildings being erected unless something is done with the current roads to accommodate everyone not only residents living in the area but people commuting to & from work! Not everyone is a cyclist or uses london transport to get to work, some people are tradesman that reply on their vehicle to conduct work from, it's there bread & butter which in turn helps them to support their family & mortgage/rent etc & with the current climate with this Covid19 there is a lot of self-employed or small businesses struggling & even people losing their job's etc so to force implement these measures at a time like this is just bully tactics that need to undergo the correct procedure that involves asking the whole residents & businesses that potentially will be effected by this scheme.

Even the purposed plans from Enfield Council make no sense whatsoever & obviously you can see that it is a rush job purely just to get their hands on the funding without the right channels being taken which they are obliged to do so.

If Enfield Council implement these dire strait plans it will not only effect the whole community but visitors, deliveries, uber, people that have family members that require frequent hospital visits, the old & disabled that require home care workers/visits etc.

The ultimate goal in my eyes from this plan is to keep vehicles on the A406 north circular especially as 2021 is around the corner & will have the ULEZ charge, this is the ultimate goal? Bad intentions which is a legal term, the art of deception at it's finest.

The current traffic from Colney Hatch Lane on the A406 starts from here & Telford Road to Green Lanes junction of the A406 north circular is gridlock at the moment, vehicles start & stop constantly moving an inch or two, on there brakes, which will add another 20mins-30mins to your destination which could potentially be only 5-8mins away to your end point. Surely a vehicle is more efficient if it can keep on the move! as oppose to always stopping. Surely a vehicle is more safer in terms of pollution if the vehicle is on a constant move!

This is without any doubt more harmful to the current climate but also harmful to the residents that live on the A406! This will then only add more tailbacks to as far as the Golders green junction & potentially to the Edmonton Silver Street junction, therefore causing & creating more harmful pollution on a much wider scale & lets not forget the current traffic on the A406 north circular from the opposite direction! (North Mid Hospital to Telford road junction traffic lights) by Pinkham way! This will effect Hedge lane & many other side roads if closures are to be implemented, potentially creating a 5-8mins journey to another 20-30mins or pure frustration!

Closing even more roads that are already a hindrance in the bowes area from Haringey to Enfield at the moment! Is only going to create much more of an issue on a wider, global scale & will cause more impatience, stress & potentially an increase in road rage which will not create a safe environment for what we all want to achieve.

I might as well buy a horse & cart or give up working altogether & go on the rock n roll.

A resident on another forum Bounds & Bowes neighbor has actually spent sometime walking around the area & has suggest a very feasible plan that could have the potential for both parties "for or against" to come to a resolution, common ground that can actually work for both of us rather than creating bickering or animosity between the residents. Please take a look at the attached:

This scheme does nothing but push the problem further east into Myddleton Rd, Spencer Avenue, Green Lanes , Wolves Lane, etc. I find it amusing that Brownlow Rd is seen as too narrow for all this traffic but our small residential streets in Bowes Park can obviously cope. Our streets are already used as rat runs and they will become super rat runs. But then again, we are not Enfield residents but Haringey residents so our lives obviously don't matter. Enfield Council must know this, and this diktat is a cynical ploy to just hoist traffic over to us.

Your area needs an LTN too - I understand there's a resident's group being set-up to campaign for one.

Enfield Dispatch editor James Cracknell has been doing some old-fashioned journalism - contacting people in the area and asking them for their views - in fact, I get the impression he may actually have met the people face-to-face! Predictably, views are mixed and the article sets out arguments both for and against.

Read his report here.