Detective Superintendent Andy Cox from the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command has recorded a YouTube video in which he talks about the incidence of extreme speeding during the coronavirus lockdown and police operations against all speeding in London. He urges all drivers not to speed and passengers to ask drivers to slow down - speeding should, he says, be as socially unacceptable as drink driving.
As UK doctors call for lower speed limits to reduce the pressure on health services, London's top traffic cop has gone online to plead for slower driving and to highlight examples of criminal behaviour by drivers taking advantage of clearer roads to flagrantly breach speed limits.
This video says it all, in graphic terms about what has gone wrong and what we need to do to make our roads safe for everyone, not just drivers. It should be shown in every council meeting, every school, every highway authority, every political party meeting and the politicians must be made to sign up for proper, real action, not the toying around the edges they normally do.
Palmers Green's first ever pop-up parklet event, on Sunday 15th September, was a great success. There were plenty of visitors, the weather was ideal (believe it or not, there was a time not so long ago when it didn't rain every day), the location - at the Green Lanes end of Devonshire Road - was well chosen, nearby businesses joined in - Stitch! even opened on a Sunday specially - and the council was cooperative. But most of all, the event succeeded because of hard work and careful planning by a team of around 20 people and because it was such a great idea!
New government guidance issued this week will simplify the process for organising play streets. It will no longer be necessary for organisers to advertise the temporary road closures.
Officers from Transport for London and Enfield Council joined local residents last Friday morning to see for themselves the challenges posed by the absence of proper pedestrian infrastructure at the junction of Aldermans Hill, Powys Lane, Cannon Hill and Forestdale.
An open letter to the Metropolitan Police and to Transport for London from Better Streets for London, pointing out that people living within hearing distance of the A10 have completely lost patience with both bodies because of their failure to take effective measures against 'boy racers' who are making their weekends stressful and endangering innocent road users.
After two previous failed applications to Enfield Council, Warwick Road (in Bowes Ward) was finally granted permission to hold a monthly Play Street, and local residents enjoyed their first session on Sunday 14th April.
RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims, has today published a review looking at traffic law enforcement across London. Based on the latest statistics from 2017, the findings have led the charity to call for improved transparency and accountability of the Metropolitan Police, to understand the strategy it is deploying to tackle road danger. London should be leading the way when it comes to traffic law enforcement, and RoadPeace’s review indicates that enforcement is not only inconsistent and infrequent across the capital, but doesn’t compare well nationally either.
