The area bounded by Headstone Gardens, Parkside Way, Station Road – North Harrow, Pinner Road and Harrow View is a residential area with narrow roads. The surrounding roads are main roads and bus routes. Minor roads in the area such as Pinner View experience inappropriately high traffic volumes and speeds, that make them dangerous and unpleasant for walking and cycling.
Update 12 Oct 2020: Harrow council has commenced this trial. We support this scheme as it will prevent the area being used by through traffic and make the streets quieter and safer. The council has listened to residents and amended the original design to provide more convenient access routes for residents in the centre of the zone.
Update 15 Dec 2020: Harrow council has partially suspended the trial, removing the filters on Kingsfield Avenue and Pinner View near Bolton Road in order to allow motor traffic through. This removes the east-west and north-south quiet cycle routes through the area, reducing the effectiveness of the scheme to increase walking and cycling. Further information is given in this blog post.
Update Mar 2021: The future of the LTN is open for consultation, until 21 March 2021 (https://www.harrow.gov.uk/ltn). Harrow council is planning to replace all the filters with numberplate recognition camera which prevent general traffic from using these roads as through routes, but allow visitor access via designated routes as before, but allow emergency vehicles, council vehicles, and local residents to drive along all routes in the area. This will make the roads safer but is not truly a LTN, because it will not discourage local residents from driving short distances. Please respond in support this scheme, and add a comment that local residents should be allowed to pass through the filters.
Background to the campaign
Residents organised a petition in December 2018 to January 2019 which gathered over 400 signatures, and presented it to ward councillors (more info). Harrow council appointed Sustrans to carry out traffic surveys and undertake stakeholder consultation in early 2020, with the intention of developing a low traffic neighbourhood scheme. A residents consultation and workshop was held, but the consulation process was then halted because of COVID-19.
However, after the COVID-19 lockdown, the Government required all local authorities to rapidly create low traffic neighbourhoods and cycle lanes to enable people to walk and cycle safely as they return to work and school. This is in order to avoid an increase in car traffic or overcrowding on public transport.
How will traffic flow with the new arrangements?
Current traffic flows
Currently there is full access to any of the residential areas from any of the access routes, and there are many potential routes for through traffic which bypass main road junctions.
Location of point closures and access routes from 9 Oct 2020
Are there alternative road layouts for a low traffic neighbourhood in Headstone South?
Yes, there are many different ways that the point closures could be arranged in order to prevent the area being used by through traffic.
In the initial design, Chandos Road and surrounding streets were proposed to have access from Harrow View. However, residents in the area preferred to have access via Pinner View, so a revised design was created.
How can I find out more about low traffic neighbourhoods?
Click here for our web page on low traffic neighbourhoods, which has links to other sources of information.
Harrow Cyclists 