Agenda item

To receive the petition from the Lead Petitioner, and in accordance with the Councils Petition scheme, allow consideration of the views expressed in the petition.

The Chair welcomed the Lead Petitioner, Roland Hewes, to the meeting. The format of this item would include a statement from the Lead Petitioner (5 mins), a statement from the Deputy Leader, Cllr Barnes (10 mins), followed by questions from Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and a summary from The Chair.

i)             The Lead Petitioner’s statement in support of the petition included that the scheme should be removed and that it is socially regressive. In the Bowes area, a car is a vital, not a life-style choice. With no local facilities, residents are required to travel to high streets in Muswell Hill and Southgate for shopping, medical appointments and places of worship.

ii)            With no cycle network available, potholes in the road, parked cars and increased congestion, cycling isn’t a realistic option. Residents are required to navigate congested roads, made worse by dis-placed traffic. If Haringey go-ahead with their own plans for a similar scheme on the borough boundary, local journeys will become even more horrendous.

iii)           The statement also included resident’s concerns regarding access for emergency vehicles, the air quality around high density housing schemes and Bowes School on the North Circular Road, potential increased crime levels around dead-end roads and disruption for the disabled, elderly and vulnerable residents in relation to home deliveries and visits from carers and relatives.

iv)           Any reduction in pollution levels should be supported with the production of hard data, indicating before and after levels in the area.

v)            The statement concluded by noting that the Council should start again and work with Haringey Council and Transport for London as  It is essential to win the hearts and minds of local residents.

The Chair thanked Mr Hewes for his statement and invited Cllr Barnes to respond.

vi)           Cllr Barnes stated that he would cover how the Bowes Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) Scheme works and how it came about, the petition itself, the organisation behind the petition and a summary of the consultation going forward.

vii)          A LTN scheme operates by filtering the ends of roads to encourage less use of cars and more pedestrians, cyclists and greater use of public transport. Bowes has several bus routes and an underground station. The filtering system uses planters and cameras to allow cyclists and emergency vehicles to pass through unimpeded.

viii)        Traffic congestion in this area has been a problem for a long time and both the local MP and Bowes Ward councillors have lobbied for improvements.

ix)           Schemes in other parts of London have been successful, for example in Waltham Forest. However, schemes do take a while to bed-in and for behavioural change to take place, which will lead to cleaner air, safety on roads, helping to fight obesity and climate change.

x)            The LTN is a Government funded scheme, however, a time scale of 8 weeks for design and implementation was applied. This reason for this short period of time was to provide increased space for cyclists and pedestrians during the covid-19 pandemic.

xi)           Cllr Barnes commented that the wording on the petition resulted in confusion among some residents and he gave detail on some of the issues raised. Various forms of consultation over several years has identified through traffic in the Bowes area as problematic.

xii)          Consultation will continue and Cllr Barnes would welcome comments, positive or negative from local residents.

xiii)        Cllr Barnes commented that on the website of the Broomfield Home Owners Residents Association (BHORA), there is reference to the level of traffic in the area being a problem. However, as with any scheme of this nature, there are those who are for and those who are against and this is reflected within the BHORA membership.

xiv)        Cllr Barnes concluded by stating that all residents of Bowes must have an opportunity to comment on the scheme, therefore, a 6 month live consultation will be implemented.

The Chair thanked Cllr Barnes for his response and opened the discussion for questions from Members.

xv)         In response to a question on the area covered by the petition, it was     confirmed that the petition was open to the whole of the borough but Cllr Barnes raised concerns about residents in another part of Enfield influencing a scheme in Bowes Ward.

xvi)        A question in relation to consultation during the 8 week implementation period confirmed that consultation had taken place with emergency services, TfL and Haringey Council. The emergency services were in agreement with the scheme and will continue to monitor the area.

xvii)       It was confirmed that the consultation period in now live and will continue until March 2021 and it is hoped that as many of the 7,200 residents in the LTN would provide comments.

xviii)      Charging points for electric cars are being trialled next year, possibly within the Bowes area.

xix)        It was commented that it is important to recognise the feelings of over 1,600 residents who had signed the petition and a question was asked as to how  people with mobilty issues, the elderly, vulnerable or parents with very young children have been considered. In response, it was hoped that residents who were able would either, walk, cycle or consolidate journeys, reducing congestion for those who have no alternative to using a car.

xx)         Following a question on the responses to consultation, it was stated that residents would be given all the information needed to arrive at a balanced opinion.

xxi)        It was confirmed that the emergency services agreed to unhindered routes, using cameras rather than planters, allowing clear passage in the area.

xxii)       It was noted that many schemes had been tried previously, to alleviate traffic congestion in the area. If pre-construction consultation had been possible, a lot of the issues raining concern now, would have been avoided.

xxiii)      It was commented that Phase 1 had been funded by Central Government to a total of £100,000, however, Phase 2 funding and timescales had yet to be confirmed, so there is now an opportunity to gain views of residents in advance.

xxiv)     In response to a question about consulting with Blue Badge holders and residents who are cared for or not able to access on-line consultation, it was confirmed that 1-1 consultations and local pop-up events are being considered.

xxv)       The scheme will be evaluated using a number of key metrics and data analysis.

xxvi)     A question was raised, relating to how the subject can be moved forward. The Monitoring Officer confirmed the options available to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee; Note the petition, Take no action, Refer the decision back to the decision maker (An operational decision of the Director of Environment and Operational Services)

xxvii)    It was confirmed that consultation will take place with the petitioner, BHORA and all residents.

xxviii)   The Chair, Cllr Susan Erbil provided a summary of the discussion and the issues raised and out-lined the options available to OSC Members.

xxix)     Members of OSC had a discussion on the options available to them, with guidance provided by the Monitoring Officer. Cllr Smith put forward the initial proposal, seconded by Cllr David-Sanders, in relation to the as yet unfunded and unplanned Phase 2 scheme, involving Brownlow Road. Clarity was provided by the Monitoring Officer that this wasn’t an option available to OSC.

xxx)       Cllr Georgiou proposed that this item be brought back to OSC for further scrutiny, following the 6 month consultation period.

xxxi)     Further discussion required Cllr Smith to clarify his original proposal and when this was not forthcoming, The Monitoring Officer advised The Chair to reject the original proposal and seek a further proposal.

xxxii)     An amended proposal was put forward by Cllr Smith, seconded by Cllr David-Sanders; - ‘That the permanent traffic order is not brought into operation until there has been proper consultation completed.’ The Monitoring Officer confirmed that this was an acceptable recommendation.

xxxiii)   A vote on the above recommendation was taken, with the result as follows; Cllrs Smith, David-Sanders and Georgiou voted in favour of the recommendation; Cllr Elif Erbil voted against the recommendation; Cllrs Yusuf, Demirel, Greer and Susan Erbil abstained. 

xxxiv)   The Monitoring Officer confirmed that by a vote of 3-1 in favour, the following recommendation is agreed;-

The decision of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is to request that Doug Wilkinson and Cllr Ian Barnes implement no permanent solution to the Bowes Low Traffic Neighbourhood until such time as a full and proper consultation exercise has been completed.

In concluding this item, The Chair thanked Cllr Barnes, Doug Wilkinson and Richard Eason for their attendance.