Fresh calls for City Hall to install more speed cameras on dual carriageway, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents plagued by speeding cars and dangerous driving on the A10 are continuing to demand action to tackle the menace.

Amid ongoing concerns over noise and accidents, more than 1,000 people have now signed a petition calling for average speed cameras to cover the section of the dual carriageway from Southbury Road to Great Cambridge Junction, where the A10 meets the North Circular Road.

In early 2020, Transport for London (TfL) installed average speed cameras along a section of the road from Southbury to Bullsmoor deemed to be worst affected by speeding motorists.

But Bush Hill Park councillor James Hockney, who launched the petition, said that in recent weeks hundreds more people had backed his call for more cameras following a resurgence of the problems.

One resident, who lives in Crawley Road just off the A10, said he was considering moving away from the area after being kept awake by noise.

“The noise is ridiculous,” he said. “It’s like a race track. You can hear those rat-a-tat-tat engines going along all the time, especially at night. I’ve lived here for years, and it has gradually got worse and worse. I’m thinking about moving because of it. Do the speed cameras not work?

“Me and my wife have to sleep in the back bedroom and try to avoid the noise, and we keep our windows shut. We don’t live on the road – if we did, I don’t know how we would survive.”

Sonia Soteriou moved out of her Dimsdale Drive home 18 months ago because she’d “had enough” of the noise and accidents on the A10. She said: “I lived there for 16 years and have seen lots of accidents, sometimes fatalities as well.

“Late at night, all you hear is those horrible exhausts. If it is not cars revving up their engines, it is motorbikes revving up theirs.

“A lot of residents were getting frustrated because they couldn’t sleep in the summer. You couldn’t sleep with the windows open, and then you couldn’t sleep because of the heat. I would just have fans in my bedroom and my son’s bedroom because the noise was unbearable.”

Sonia said she had seen police in the area at four or five o’clock in the afternoon, but the speeding problems were at their worst late at night.

Gillian Porter, who is on the committee of Bush Hill Park Residents’ Association, said the problems had started in 2014 and were still affecting residents, with exhaust amplifiers on cars also causing a nuisance.

She added: “We are coming up to summer. Even if you have double glazing, you are going to want to have your windows open. The noise from racing and the amplifiers stops people from sleeping.”

Giillian said the residents’ association had received “many complaints” from local people that their children could not sleep at night because of the noise.

Chris Odams said residents had been encouraged to report drivers who were speeding and causing a noise nuisance to the police but did not know whether action had been taken against the offenders.

“I live far enough away that the noise is relatively dim,” he said. “But if you are out late in the evening and walk down to the A10, this is ongoing until one or two o’clock [at night]. I don’t sleep particularly well anyway, but I can hear the roaring of engines.”

Chris called for “much stronger” action against those with illegal exhaust modifications. He added that in addition to more average speed cameras, acoustic cameras such as those deployed in Kensington and Chelsea should be installed to catch drivers breaking legal noise limits.

Lilli Matson, Transport for London’s chief safety, health and environment officer, said average speed cameras, spot speed cameras and a recently-introduced 30mph limit on a section of the A10 were being used to tackle the problems.

She added: “Although we have no immediate plans to install a fixed safety camera system or acoustic cameras between Southbury Road and Great Cambridge Road roundabout, the A10 corridor is a priority for the jointly funded TfL/Metropolitan Police Service roads and transport policing command, which continues to be deployed to the area to deal with a range of criminal and antisocial driving offences. This has included the deployment of the new mobile safety camera team.

“Breaking the speed limit is selfish and reckless, and we will continue working with the borough and policing partners to ensure that roads are safe for everyone who lives and works in Enfield.”

A spokesperson for the Met said a “robust strategy” had been developed to tackle illegal car meets, and vehicles observed committing offences were stopped and processed under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act.

They added: “Officers have been able to issue fines in the first instance and seize vehicles if caught again within a twelve-month period.

“Results from deployments to date are twelve arrests, over 30 vehicles seized and well in excess of 300 Section 59 warnings issued. We are also using specialist traffic officers who are able to examine vehicles and issue prohibition notices for vehicles deemed not roadworthy. A new tactic we have started to use is to issue the event organisers community protection notices which, if ignored, would lead to being arrested for conspiracy to commit a public nuisance.

“With regard to the extension of the speed cameras along the A10, the Metropolitan Police would never be against any initiative that enhances public safety.

“Officers will continue to act in this manner until the message is clear, it will not be tolerated, and we will take cars from those who are irresponsible and risking the safety of others.”

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