Category: Road Improvements

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Angry residents, community groups and primary school headteacher demand a rethink on Barnet Council’s new CPZ in Underhill   

High Barnet’s latest controlled parking zone took effect in Underhill in the week before Christmas sparking a furious response from residents as well as staff and parents at Whitings Hill Primary School.

Despite the opposition of 85 per cent of householders, Barnet Council imposed the CPZ on an experimental basis for 18 months on 16 roads north of Mays Lane on either side of Chesterfield Road.

Increasing demand for on-street free parking by staff, patients and visitors at Barnet Hospital has resulted in an ever-widening CPZ with the latest extension to Underhill provoking widespread community protests.

In response to criticism during Barnet Question Time that the imposition of the new Underhill South zone – to be designated the US zone – had been left in the hands of highways staff rather than councillors, the leader of Barnet Council, Councillor Barry Rawlings, gave a public assurance that the operation of the scheme would be reviewed after six months.

He said residents’ responses to the parking controls would be considered and after an assessment of the effectiveness of the CPZ, councillors would decide whether any changes should be made to the zone or whether it should be kept or abandoned.

Councillor Rawlings’ undertakings were welcomed by two community leaders who are continuing to mount a co-ordinated campaign against the CPZ, Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Green Residents Association and Jon Woolfson, founder of the Underhill Residents’ Group.

They briefed residents on how they should co-ordinate their response in the coming weeks – see above, from left to right, Gina Theodorou, Jon Woolfson, Richard Hockings, Victor Benson, Deepa Samani, headteacher at Whitings Hill Primary School, and Alison Kley, school business manager.

Mrs Samani – see above right with Mrs Kley – said the introduction of the CPZ was already having a devastating impact on the school and leading to great deal of anxiety among the staff at a time of severe teacher shortages.

“The school has only 23 parking spaces for our staff of 82 and half our teachers, especially those on low salaries, have been relying on free on-street car parking in nearby roads which has now all been withdrawn,” said Mrs Samani.

“They simply cannot afford the £6 to £7 a day cost of CPZ parking. Whitings Hill will lose teachers unless the council thinks again.”

Mrs Samani said that the school might have no option but to sacrifice all the green space in front of the building to make way for an enlarged car park.

“There has been no proper consultation about this. Highways staff told us the teachers could either pay up for parking or leave their cars much further away where there is free parking. That’s just not practical.”

Business manager Mrs Kley feared that the withdrawal of all the free parking around the school and the introduction of CPZ charging would endanger use of their swimming pool by local mothers and children.

“We depend on income from lettings for mothers and babies and other community users to help finance maintenance of the swimming pool, and we fear a big drop in revenue.”

Whitings Hill School was already included in the existing Barnet Hospital CPZ (BH) but now roads to the south and west of the school have been included in the new US zone removing all on street parking within the immediate vicinity.

Mrs Samani deplored the lack of proper consultation with the school and failure to consider exemptions for essential staff.

“Pushing staff further away into neighbouring uncontrolled roads, or asking them to pay, effectively pushes the problem caused by the much larger Barnet Hospital CPZ onto local residents and vulnerable families.”

Yet another extension of CPZ around Barnet Hospital provokes furious response from Underhill residents, community group and local primary school.

 What so upset the two leading community organisers, Gina Theodorou and Jon Woolfson – see above with residents Richard Hockings and Warlito Naval – was the failure to respect local wishes and then for councillors to absolve themselves of responsibility by leaving it to highways staff to take the final decision.

“The introduction of the Underhill South CPZ has been largely officer-led under delegated authority which has resulted in a lack of transparency about who decided what, and why,” said Ms Theodorou.

“When schemes fail or cause harm, accountability becomes blurred and residents are left with nowhere to turn.

“The result is a growing feeling that the council operates on a ‘we know best’ basis, rather than genuinely listening to local evidence or lived experience.”

Mr Woolfson said a survey had shown that 85 per cent of residents in the area opposed the proposed CPZ extension and more than 70 per cent reported having no parking problems.

Originally the council proposed the zone should extend to a total of 29 roads to the north and south of Mays Lane but after a groundswell of opposition this was cut back to the 16 roads where a council survey had indicated “extremely high levels of parking stress” caused by the demand for free off-street parking by Barnet Hospital staff, patients and visitors.

The roads included in the US zone are Chesterfield Road, Dexter Road, Dormer Close, Edwyn Close, Greenland Road, Howard Way, Jarvis Close, Juniper Close, Matlock Close, Niton Close, Nupton Drive, Sampson Avenue, Sellwood Drive, Shelford Road, St Anna Road and Stanhope Road.

Richard Hockings said his street Alan Drive was just outside the designated area of the US zone, but it was included in the original scheme and he and his neighbours feared they would inevitably be the next in line for any further extension.

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New zebra crossings and a mini roundabout for Mays Lane area…and a new controlled parking zone is also on its way  

Barnet Council has completed a major programme of road safety measures around Mays Lane and surrounding roads.

A controversial width restriction has been removed, new zebra crossings installed, a 20-mph speed limit zone extended, more yellow lines painted on the roads and dropped kerbs provided.

In announcing what it says is the completion of the largest ever such scheme in the borough’s history, the council fails to mention that further changes are about to be made.

Despite vociferous opposition from the Underhill Residents Group, the council is going ahead with an experimental controlled parking zone in 16 roads north of Mays Lane which are on either side of Chesterfield Road.

The new Underhill South zone – to be designated the US zone – is to be operated on an experimental basis for 18 months from Monday 15 December.

Originally the council proposed the zone should extend to a total of 29 roads on either side of Mays Lane but after a groundswell of opposition this was cut back to the 16 roads where a council survey indicated “extremely high levels of parking stress” caused by the demand for off-street parking by Barnet Hospital staff, patients and visitors.

The new road safety improvements in Mays Lane extend all the way from its junction with Barnet Lane in the east to Shelford Road in the west, with additional measures in Chesterfield Road, Quinta Drive and Whitings Road.

A new mini roundabout has been installed on Whitings Road at the junction Whitings Road and Bells Hill.

Perhaps the most contentious change is the removal of the width restriction on Mays Lane close to the junction with Manor Road and Leeside.

London Fire Brigade had raised concerns because the restriction impeded fire engines and reduced their response time.

There were also complaints about unacceptable levels of emissions resulting from queueing vehicles, but residents in two nearby roads – Hillside Gardens and Manor Road – claim that the removal of the width restriction has already led to increased traffic – and larger vehicles – using short cuts to avoid jams in Barnet town centre.

Quinta Village Green Residents Association says the increase in heavier vehicles along Mays Lane has fundamentally changed the nature of what was always, outside the commute period, a quiet, residential lane. –

However, on potential change following the removal of the width restriction is that it might be possible to re-route the Uno 243 bus between Barnet Hospital and Hatfield via Underhill, Mays Lane and Manor Road.

At present the 243 stops at Barnet High Street and High Barnet tube station on its route from Hatfield to Barnet Hospital and on its return to Hatfield stops at the Wood Street and Union Street junction and again in Salisbury Road.

Councillor Nik Oakley, Hertsmere Council’s cabinet member for transport – who led the campaign for the restoration of a bus service between Potters Bar and Barnet – told the Barnet Society that possibilities for amending the route of the 243 had been suggested to Uno bus.

Barnet Council completes its largest ever traffic improvement scheme in Mays Lane area -- where a new controlled parking zone is coming.

Barnet Council’s go ahead for the Underhill South CPZ – in the face of sustained opposition from the Underhill Residents Group – will require the installation of resident parking bays, yellow lines and signs and posts in 16 roads on either side of Chesterfield Road.

This work will need to be completed by the start of the scheme on Monday 15 December.

Residents in the affected roads will have a six-month period during which they give their reaction to the CPZ. A final decision on its operation will be taken by the council after the 18-month trial.

The Underhill Group has already collected over 750 signatures for a petition opposing the introduction of a CPZ which it says was opposed by a majority of the residents and had been rejected by 60 per cent of those living in the 16 roads included in the scheme.

https://www.change.org/p/oppose-a-controlled-parking-zone-in-underhill-south?utm_medium=custom_url&utm_source=share_petition&recruited_by_id=24715750-8834-11f0-9cee-83b7a10cb9e8

In explaining why the CPZ was approved, the council says parking stress surveys indicated there was support for parking controls and only “the most problematic roads” had been included in the experimental scheme.

Given the introduction of extensive new double yellow lines, the Quinta Village Green Residents Association says it fears this will result in a loss of car parking spaces and only amplify the problems caused by the long-standing displacement of parking from the hospital.

The roads included in the new US CPZ are Chesterfield Road, Dexter Road, Dormer Close, Edwyn Close, Greenland Road, Howard Way, Jarvis Close, Juniper Close, Matlock Close, Niton Close, Nupton Drive, Sampson Avenue, Sellwood Drive, Shelford Road, St Anna Road and Stanhope Road.

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Future road closures such as Wood Street, High Barnet, could cost contractors as much as £2,500 a day

A three-week closure of Wood Street, High Barnet – resulting in widespread rush hour traffic disruption and a lengthy diversion for three bus routes – is an illustration of why there is likely to be strong support for Barnet Council’s plan to force utility companies to speed up their work.

Road pricing would impose lane rental charges on excavating main roads across the borough punishing contractors with escalating costs.

Currently the scheme is out for consultation and if approved by both the council and the Secretary of State for Transport, the charges would take effect from April 1 next year.

Lane closures on Barnet’s busiest main roads would cost utility companies and contractors a daily charge of £2,500.

Wood Street’s closure in both directions between the Black Horse roundabout and Hillside Gardens – from August 5 to August 26 – is causing traffic jams, delays and unnecessary costs for road users.

Three major bus routes along Wood Street – 107, 263 and 307 – are being diverted along Stapylton Road, St Albans Road and the High Street.

Ambulances serving Barnet Hospital are also unable to use the most direct route.

Adding to the congestion is the pinch point beside the Black Horse public house where buses and large commercial vehicles have to pass in single file along a narrow section of Stapylton Road.

Thames Water has put up notices apologising for the inconvenience. Contractors are working at a depth of 3.5 metres to repair a collapsed sewer.

But as with a similar three-week closure of Barnet Road, Arkley, for sewer repairs – again in both directions and resulting in lengthy bus diversions – there appears to be little if any late night or weekend working by the contractors.

Nearby residents in Arkley complained vociferously about the time taken to complete the work.

A diversion of the 107 (New Barnet to Edgware) required buses to follow a route along the High Street, St Albans Road and the A1 and meant the withdrawal of buses along Wood Street and Barnet Road.

Barnet Council’s consultation on the introduction of a lane rental scheme for the borough’s main roads opened on 30 July; closes on 9 September; with feedback due by 25 September so that a decision can be taken by a government deadline of 30 September for schemes to take effect next April.

A note on the consultation –  https://www.engage.barnet.gov.uk/lane-rental-scheme-consultation  – says the introduction of lane rental charges on the busiest roads at the busiest times should limit the amount of disruption across the borough’s road network.

Transport for London have been operating a lane rental scheme on some highways since 2012 and the introduction of the scheme in Barnet would affect just under 14 per cent of the borough’s roads.

Road closures such as Wood Street, High Barnet, could cost Thames Water and contractors £2,500 a day under new Barnet Council road lane rental plan.

Wood Street is one of the main roads that would attract the highest charges of up to £2,500 a day for lane rentals between 7am and 7pm on weekdays and between 7am and 10am and then 3pm to 7pm at weekends.      

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Plans for the introduction of yet another CPZ for High Barnet has provoked furious response among Mays Lane residents

A mass protest is being organised by residents of Mays Lane and surrounding roads in opposition to the introduction of a new and additional controlled parking zone which is being proposed by Barnet Council.

A campaign to force the council to abandon the idea was launched at a public meeting attended by around 170 residents.

Organisers and over 50 supporters of the protest met again at the junction of Mays Lane and Mayhill Road – see above – to discuss how best to rally further support and keep up the pressure.

The proposed Underhill South CPZ would take in 29 roads – including several cul-de-sacs – which are on either side of Mays Lane, extending from the junction with Manor Road all the way westwards to the junction with Shelford Road.

Residents say a CPZ over such a wide area – extending south from Barnet town centre to the Dollis Valley riverside walk – is completely unnecessary and would become extremely expensive for residents.

Barnet Council’s highways department says it began consultations over a new CPZ for Underhill South because of complaints from residents and businesses about excessive parking in the roads south of Barnet Hospital.

A survey had shown that there were “extremely high levels of parking stress” in most of the roads surrounding Mays Lane caused by the extra demand for spaces caused by hospital staff, patients and visitors.

The new CPZ would operate at the same time – Monday to Saturday, between 8am and 6.30pm – as the existing and much larger Barnet Hospital CPZ which takes in roads in the hospital’s immediate vicinity.

Feedback from the initial consultation is due to be considered in September.

The two leading organisers of the protest – Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Village Green Residents Association and Jon Woolfson, founder of the Underhill Residents Group – said opposition to a new CPZ was overwhelming.

“There might be some residents who might have an issue with hospital parking but the vast majority of people who live either side of Mays Lane do not experience any difficulty in parking and have not complained to the council.

“We are very concerned about the accuracy of the council’s claim that there are ‘extremely high levels of parking stress in most roads within the proposed area’ and we care calling on the council’s highway department to publish details of their survey.”

After conducting his own street-by-street by inquiries, Mr Woolfson was convinced the council’s survey findings were flawed and that there was no evidence to support their assertions about extreme parking stress. Of equal concern, he said, was the evidence he had found suggesting many residents had not received any official notification from the council.

Dan Tomlinson, MP for Chipping Barnet, has told the campaign that he will be submitting an objection given the clear strength of feeling among the residents.

He intends to support Underhill ward councillor Zahra Beg who is hoping to arrange a meeting to see if the Royal Free Hospital Trust will examine possibilities for a multi-storey car park at Barnet Hospital.

“If Barnet Hospital could be persuaded to take some responsibility and invest in a pop up multi storey it would do so much to relieve parking pressures around the hospital,” said Ms Theodorou.    

Opponents of the scheme include Whitings Hill Primary School and Underhill Primary School which both say teaching and support staff often commute from outside the area and many rely on nearby on-street parking.

Underhill had a particularly wide catchment area and public transport was inadequate. Families would be inconvenienced and both schools feared that a CPZ would have an adverse impact on support for after-school and community events.

Barnet Smiles Dental Care feared that staff and patients at their dental practice in Cedar Lawn Avenue would face unnecessary expense if the CPZ went ahead.

“We have never experienced any parking difficulties that would justify a CPZ. There is sufficient turnover and availability of parking spaces through the day for residents, visitors and local businesses.”

The prospect of the expense of parking permits and vouchers for visitors was a source of considerable anguish.

Richard Hockings ( above,far right) proprietor of a small business, said that to park his van outside his house would cost him £243 a year – a considerable financial burden. Charges for commercial vehicles depended on emissions – hence the height of the charge for van with a two-litre diesel engine.

Another angry resident, Gloria Jones (above), said the introduction of a CPZ on her road would just add to the additional expense she was already having to face.

“This will be the fourth CPZ around here and it’s already a nightmare.

“I have to pay when I park outside my parents in the hospital CPZ; then outside my sister’s house in the town CPZ; and at the doctor’s surgery in another zone – and now this will be the fourth.

“Barnet Council are just out for the money. Why can’t you park in all the CPZ areas once you have signed up for a permit.”

Jenny Pymont, who lives in a warden assisted property in Mayhill Road, said that she and the other residents in the flats and bungalows believed the CPZ would be very unfair on their visitors and carers.

“We rely on people coming to see us – and now they are going to be clobbered with a parking charge.”

Residents living around Mays Lane organise mass protest at plans for a new controlled parking zone in local roads

Gina Cornock thought the wide sweep of the CPZ was quite unnecessary. “We live in a cul-de-sac and there is no problem with parking. This is just a money- making exercise for the council.”

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Plans to speed up introduction of 20mph speed limits prompting complaints about lack of enforcement of existing restrictions

Barnet Council is preparing a new procedure to allow residents to apply for a 20mph speed limit on side roads where they think driving is too fast and poses a danger to pedestrians and a risk of traffic accidents.

Stapylton Road – see above – and Salisbury Road are two residential streets close to High Barnet town centre which are thought to be at the top of the list for a reduction in the limit from 30mph to 20mph following speed surveys conducted last year.

A draft policy to allow residents to apply for lower speed limits has been agreed at a council cabinet meeting and is about to go out for public consultation.

While the council’s recognition of the need for more speed limits has been welcomed, residents in some roads where there is already a 20mph limit or traffic calming measures complain bitterly about a lack of enforcement.

Householders in Mays Lane, which is covered by a 20mph limit from the bottom of Barnet Hill and on through Underhill, complain regularly on social media about how many drivers take no notice.

They say that before the council agrees to any further 20mph zones it should install more repeater signs; more illuminated warnings of excessive speed; and investigate the possibility of installing speed cameras.   

Once the new procedure for 20mph zones is in place, residents will be able to make an application via the council’s website as is already the case when people report potholes, damaged pavements or abandoned vehicles.

East Barnet councillor Simon Radford – cabinet member for finance – said the new process would finally give Barnet residents the ability to ask — and outline the case — for a 20mph zone in the roads where they live.

He had been working with residents to reduce speeding in East Barnet, and he hoped their concerns could now be addressed with an assessment by council staff as to where there should be signs and road markings or perhaps additional traffic calming measures such as a road narrowing or speed hump.

Speed humps have recently been installed on Mays Lane (at the junction with Manor Road) where for many years previously there had been a metal barrier enforcing a width restriction.

Removal of the width restriction has angered some householders who say large vans and small lorries — which had previously been prevented from using that section of Mays Lane – are again travelling too fast and posing a danger to pedestrians, especially to customers using the Mays Lane parade of shops.

There are two sets of illuminated speed warning signs along Mays Lane but for much of its length there are few if any reminders of the 20mph limit – except for the freshly-painted signs on the road outside Underhill School and Children’s Centre.

Queens Road – leading to Queen Elizabeth’s Boys’ School and the Queen’s Road Estate – is another road where residents complain about the lack of enforcement of a 20mph speed limit.

There is only one reminder sign halfway along the road and a 20mph sign painted on the road which is so worn down it is barely visible.

Salisbury Road and Stapylton Road are likely to be prioritised by the council for a 20mph zone because of long-standing concern about speeding.

Stapylton Road by-passes Barnet High Street and is a heavily used link between the roundabout at the Black Horse public house and St Albans Road.

When parking spaces are full, the curve on the carriageway makes it difficult to see fast approaching vehicles on what is a popular cut through.

Plans for more 20mph speed limits in side roads but Barnet Council criticised for lack of enforcement of existing restrictions.

The lower section of Salisbury Road – from Stapylton Road to High Street – is largely one way but busier than the upper section because it is on the route for five bus services – 234 (Spires-Archway); 326 (Spires-Brent Cross); 383 (Finchley Memorial Hospital); 384 (Edgware-Cockfosters); and 399 (Hadley Wood).

Lowering the existing 30mph limit on Salisbury and Stapylton Roads would extend the 20mph limit which already applies in Alston Road (from the junction with Marriott Road to Salisbury Road) and the 20mph limits on Wentworth Road and Byng Road which serve Foulds and Christ Church primary schools and the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice.

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Will grocery collection add to Tube station congestion?

Transport for London say its decision to allow Asda supermarkets to use High Barnet tube station for its click-and-collect collection service will not cause unnecessary congestion in the station approach road and car park.

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Road improvements planned at Wood Street accident black spot

A road realignment, a possible new zebra crossing and extra footpaths are being proposed at the junction of Wellhouse Lane and Wood Street to provide greater safety for both vehicles and pedestrians.

A bus terminus outside Barnet General Hospital for the 263 route – and also most recently for the 307 – has led to an even greater flow of traffic along Wellhouse Lane, and its junction with Wood Street, already busy with ambulances, has become increasingly hazardous for pedestrians including hospital outpatients and pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s Boys’ School.

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Chaotic approach to High Barnet tube

Reorganise chaotic approach to High Barnet tube station to provide space for a bus service direct to the Spires and Barnet Hospital – plea by the Barnet Society.

Transport for London is being urged by the Barnet Society to carry out a full investigation into the possibility of running a bus service from High Barnet tube station to the Spires shopping centre and then on to Barnet General Hospital.

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