Residents are invited to discuss new route proposed by Enfield Council to link Enfield Town with Ponders End
A public meeting is taking place to discuss local people’s concerns over the proposed installation of a new walking and cycling route between Enfield Town and Ponders End.
Enfield Council has agreed to host the meeting this evening (Thursday 4th) at a venue in Bush Hill Park after residents raised a number of concerns they have around the project.
The route will largely make use of quieter residential streets, with a mixture of interventions being proposed such as segregated lanes, shared cycle/walking paths, junction upgrades, and restrictions on motor traffic.
The council agreed before Christmas to extend a public consultation deadline until 7th January, in response to the volume of feedback it was receiving. It has also now agreed to host a public meeting from 6.30pm tonight at Wheatsheaf Hall in Main Avenue. A webinar has already been held.
The in-person meeting will be attended by officers from the council’s project team, who say they will listen to comments, concerns and alternative suggestions for the route.
The Dispatch has been told the main concerns from residents are the proposal for a one-way system for Percival Road, Bertram Road and Clive Road which they fear could create a “bottleneck” in the area; the proposal to make Eaton Road one-way and part of Fotheringham Road inaccessible from Southbury Road; the impact of a proposed bus gate in Cross Road; and concerns around the route running through Bush Hill Park.
One resident of Cecil Avenue, Adam White, fears the council’s proposals will divert many more vehicles down his road. He said: “There will be an inevitable increase in traffic on Cecil Avenue, southbound and northbound, and this will further degrade the air quality for residents. The avenue’s proximity to Southbury Road already makes it one of the more polluted areas in the borough.
“Because of the increase in traffic, there will be greater hazards for children (and others on foot) going to/from the Bush Hill Park entrance on Cecil Avenue and crossing in the direction of Cross Road.”
Adam adds: “I realise that all this may seem negative towards a plan intended to encourage walking and cycling, but these are realities for local residents which, so far, Enfield Council has not appeared to address.”
On its consultation website for the scheme the council says: “Currently there are numerous active travel routes that run from north-to-south throughout the borough. However, there are limited east-to-west routes to connect the existing facilities to one another.
“The Enfield Town to Ponders End Station Walking and Cycling Route would help address this issue […] Ultimately, this project would be a part of a larger east-west network to create a future strategic cycle corridor.”
For more information:
Visit letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/enfieldtown-pondersendstation
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