Original Email:

Dear Department,

I would like to raise some dissatisfaction with the recent resurfacing of Winchmore Hill Road.

As you will see from your records, a huge span of Winchmore Hill Road was recently resurfaced. However during this resurfacing program there has been little attention to the afterlook of the road, in particular I refer to the look of the islands along the road and the lighting bollards that have been both damaged and have been left in place.

I would therefore like to propose the following:

1- Can we please look to change all bollards on the road from the old version, to an updated new model. I refer to images left and right as new to old.
2- Can I please ask the council to look to change the actual base for these bollard islands. The old tarmac/concrete contrasts badly with the newly laid road.
3- With point (2) can we please look to install islands similar to that recently installed on the Greenway/Meadway junction?
4- I am available to meet with an officer to walk along the road if this helps.

Thanks

Response:

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

In relation to your recent enquiry that following the recent carriageway resurfacing works you feel that the general condition of the bollards on the islands along Winchmore Hill Road has been highlighted.

The maintenance of the bollards along this and all roads in the borough fall under the Council’s Street Lighting PFI contract and as such I will request that they carry out an inspection of the bollards along Winchmore Hill Road to ensure that they conform the appropriate lighting and reflectivity standards. Unfortunately the Council has limited budgets to improve traffic islands, especially replacing them all with the type that are being trialled in Greenway as you are suggesting. The replacement would not only involve the complete excavation of the existing islands but also the disconnections from the power supplies and any associated ducted cable runs. As you can appreciate this would be a very expensive exercise.

The Council’s Street Lighting provider has through some traffic improvement schemes replaced traffic island bollards with what is called “Flecta” type bollards, which is the example you have shown below. However I spoken with colleagues in our Traffic and Transportation Team and they have advised me that there is currently no road safety case to expend money here. I will speak with our street lighting provider and see if they might look at replacing the old style bollards with new flecta’s however contractually they have no obligation to do so.

This was in repsone to increased flytipping along Tudor Way.

Response:

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for your email regarding ongoing waste issues in Tudor Way N14 on behalf of your constituent, XXX.

We have identified a number of flats above shops locations, where the residential bins are or can be problematic – Tudor Way is included in this list.

Tudor Way will be subject to enhanced patrols by both myself as the ward officer and the Local Authority Support team.

Fly-tipped waste will be investigated and formal enforcement action taken where sufficient evidence allows.

Witnessed fly-tipping incidents can be reported on the Councils website. If residents can provide sufficient information, the matter will be investigated further.

Trade Waste Inspections are carried out systematically in and around the Southgate area, to ensure businesses are aware of their duty of care in respect of their commercial waste. If businesses are found to be fly-tipping their commercial waste, these matters are investigated fully.

In relation to the car park in the centre of Tudor Way, I am in contact with the agent who acts on behalf of the landowner. When there is an accumulation of waste or litter in this car park, it is often cleared swiftly when a request is made.

An inspection of Tudor Way will be carried out in due course.

Kind regards,

Oringinal Emial:

Dear Team,

I have just made a third report in as many weeks to Enfield Council about fridge freezers being dumped in the same location on Fountains Crescent.

I think there is a flytipping problem developing and it’s very upsetting for residents that keep their homes and gardens neat and clean. Our area seems to be being abused by someone who is dumping single items overnight. I am not sure if this is because Barrowell Green is closed, but I suspect someone is making money off people by collecting these items and just offloading them in our very peaceful estate overnight.

The Council have been very good in picking the items up, but I would welcome your advice and support in putting any extra measures available in place. The place this is being dumped wouldn’t be picked up by a ring doorbell camera, but I would like to see the Council put some deterrent in place if possible.

I am sure the Council are just as fed up of me making reports as I am of making them, so I would welcome this stopping.

With kind regards

Response:

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for your email regarding ongoing waste issues in Fountains Crescent, on behalf of your constituent XXXX.

Fountains Crescent and surrounding residential roads are patrolled on a weekly to fortnightly basis, with The Vale being inspected more regularly as a result of both proactive and reactive fly-tipping reports.

Since I became the ward officer in 2016, I have received no reports of fly-tipping in Fountains Crescent.

It is possible that fly-tipping reports are being allocated directly to the Street Cleansing team, who are then removing the fly-tipped items, however enquiries have shown that for 2020 only one fly-tipping report has been made regarding Fountains Crescent. Additionally, I have received one fly-tipping report for Oakwood Park Road since 2016, with five reports dealt with by Street Cleansing from September onwards of the same year.

We have not been carrying out inspection since mid to late March, owing to the COVID-19 crisis, however we will be resuming routine inspections albeit on a reduced frequency for the time being.

I will carry out an inspection in due course and any waste found will be inspected for evidence.

If residents ever witness fly-tipping and are able to provide sufficient information accompanied by a witness statement, the matter can be investigated with the potential for formal enforcement action.

If there is a specific location on Fountains Crescent/Oakwood Park Road where the fly-tipping typically occurs and XXX is able to provide details of this, I can put up some fly-tipping signage that will notify residents and any potential perpetrators that the location is monitored.

Kind regards,

Original Email

Dear Department,

I am emailing to raise continued concerns about the provision of safety and general services at the Sainsbury’s at Florey Square, Highlands Village.

Last week a resident was approach by a man who said they were security, and wanted a lift-home.

On another occasion a homeless man was going up to cars asking for money and following shoppers as they go to their cars in the car park.

Another time the recycling of clothes facility was overflowing.

Cut a long story short these are just some of the issues at the store, and residents are getting more uneasy about the recent events there.

Can we maybe have a contact detail for Sainsbury’s?

Can’t find any details online….

Kind Regards,

Cllr. Stephanos Ioannou
Conservative Councilor for Southgate ward,
London Borough of Enfield

Response

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for your enquiry dated 18/05/20, in regards to Highlands Village.

I can confirm the Community Safety Unit prior to your enquiry had not received any reports of this nature. We previously received reports of youth disorder in the car park however this issue was resolved.

The ASB officer has contacted the Local Police team asking if they are aware of the issues and if so if we have any details of the alleged perpetrators. However he is still awaiting a response.

In order for us to fully investigate the concerns you have raised please could you provide us with the details of the constituents who have raised these concerns or provide them with our contact details either 0208 379 4612 or ASBU@Enfield.gov.uk so we can gather further information.

Once we have gathered further information we will log a case on to the anti-social behaviour database and allocate it to an officer for investigation.

In regards to the waste issues, I can advise the recycling bins in the car park of Sainsburys Highlands Village have not been provided by Enfield Council as a residential recycling centre. All of the bins in this car park are privately contracted/owned by Sainsburys themselves.

We have received some reports in the past regarding these containers, however the condition of the recycling facility upon inspection was never a cause for concern.

Residents were advised to contact the store directly regarding their concerns.

The contact details for the Highlands Village store can be found here.

I hope this answers your enquiry.

Regards

 

Original Email

Dear Department,

I am emailing to raise concerns on behalf of residents, who have recently had to deal with a collision involving their son.

The incident occurred down the junction of Park View and Wynchgate, and the young man was lucky to get away with just a cut to his head.

The reality is that there has been- and continues to be- a serious issue concerning road safety down the Wynchgate, Park View and Queen Elizabeth’s Drives roads.

Speeding cars going typically >40mph have become common for those living on the roads mentioned, and even more I have received countless emails of visitors to Groveland’s Park mentioning how speeding cars nearly cause harm to parents with children crossing the roads.

If you look at my prior MEQ’s, you will find recent history of my concerns again on this part of Southgate (Jonathan please refer to email sent on the 29^th November 2019).

I also refer to MEQ – 0000014487.

I would like to ask the department therefore the following questions:

1. Whilst the council are determined to focus on the Quieter Neighbourhoods Scheme and block off roads due to motorists using them as supposed ‘rat runs’, what attention is also being paid to the area mentioned above in Southgate which has been year-by-year increased speeding and collisions?
2. Can we please have the data that shows reported collisions on the roads I have mentioned above?
3. Would it be possible to have a site visit with you down this road, so that you can bear witness to the reality of extreme speeding down this stretch?

Thank you.

Kind Regards,

Cllr. Stephanos Ioannou
Conservative Councilor for Southgate ward,
London Borough of Enfield

Response

Classification: OFFICIAL – MEMBERS

Dear Cllr Ioannou

Thank you for your enquiry.

Speeding Surveys

I attach the most recent speed surveys that have been undertaken on Wynchgate. My colleague providing them did not find any surveys of similar recent vintage on other nearby streets of interest. The headline ‘average speed’ figure does not always give the full picture but at both sites they show the mathematical average speed in the mid-twenties, which normally suggests a street where speed is reasonably well controlled.

The speeds are marginally higher at the site near 75 Wynchgate. Dipping deeper into the data, the heaviest recorded traffic flow occurred on Wednesday 8 November heading westbound, so I have undertaken some further analysis on the data captured on this day, when 519 vehicles passed the survey position heading west.

73 or 14% were below 20mph

151 or 29% were between 20 and 25mph

144 or 28% were between 25 and 30mph

1. Therefore we can say 71% were within the speed limit.

95 or 18% were between 30 and 35mph

1. Therefore we can say 18% were just over the speed limit.

35 or 7% were exceeding 35mph

26 or 4% were exceeding 40mph

1. Therefore we can say 11% were notably over the speed limit.

Even careful drivers will occasionally creep over the speed limit. I would join you in wising to see the percentage at (a) higher and the percentage at (c) as close to zero as possible. However, the evidence of very poor driving tends to be found in speed surveys at every location we undertake them, even where humps etc. have already been applied. The greatest benefit from adding traffic calming is generally gained either where there are patterns of injury incidents or where the speed survey shows that the middle portions of the cohort are finding it natural to drive beyond the limit. Once the general body of drivers are choosing appropriate speeds, they tend to force the reckless minority to follow suit, at least in busier periods. Overall the distribution shown above is not one where we would normally conclude that an intervention is needed to bring the ‘natural’ speed of the road down to meet the posted limit.

Speed Control Schemes

The Council has previously introduced 20mph speed limits around schools. These feature around almost all of the circa 100 school sites in the borough. That factor does not apply on this part of the network. More recently, the department has looked at applying 20mph speed limits to estate roads under its work to introduce Quieter Neighbourhoods and similar. The latter programme is, perhaps, the most likely one that would see consideration given to traffic calming and/or to lower speed limits on these streets in the years to come. However, at present it is not amongst the first batches of sites to be identified.

Injury Incidents – Wynchgate, Queen Elizabeth Drive and Park View

In previous messages I have reported that open access sources of injury collision data show little or no history of injury incidents on these streets across the 20 years that a protocol for such data collection has been in effect. The newest data in the system currently dates to July 2019. Latest analysis of the 5 years prior to this date reveals the same picture: almost no injury incidents recorded in these streets. My conclusion is that these streets are unlikely to be amongst sites looked at using specific road safety funding, which is limited even in normal circumstances, should this trend continue.

However, the recent reports received from the community may come to be reflected in the injury records going forward, so we will certainly keep the matter under review. Given the limitations in funding, proceeding with scheme work more speculatively based on anecdote etc. is best avoided. Some parts of the community may be more forthcoming than others at reporting concerns. Only the data captured under the national protocol by the police allows us to compare one location and one period of time confidently with any other. It is also true to say that collisions can occur anywhere and sometimes two similar reports of incidents in one neighbourhood that might appear to be the start of a pattern turn out, with the passing of the years, just to have been a blip and the effect of happenstance.

Time may tell whether the present lockdown situation is prompting bad driving habits; either due to there being less traffic to curtail the habitual bad drivers, or whether a vague sense of the normal rules of life not applying is at work. Regardless, I have no reason to suspect that poorer driving standards would effect these streets to any greater degree than any other parts of the network. Collision reduction schemes are not normally thrown together in a very short period of time – even when the normal funding streams are available to us – but are based on patterns of incidents recurring over a number of years. I do not believe it is likely that our attention will turn to these streets during the present lockdown period and, indeed, I am obliged to decline the offer to meet at the site as, for now, my instructions are to work from home unless unavoidable.

Yellow Lines at Park Entrance and Junction of Park Gate / Wynchgate

I am grateful to Mr Giussani for his reports and photographs. If the national recording system is operating correctly, the incident he described should appear in the records in due course. The Council sees merit in applying yellow lines at junctions to deter obstructive parking. Our problem is, again, limited funding compared with a very long list of sites – many hundreds across the network – that are currently untreated. Also that adding yellow lines requires a costly statutory process to be followed, even where the benefit of adding them is obvious. In recent years our focus has been on sites where we have confirmed problems with parking denying access to large vehicles, especially since the Grenfell Tower disaster of 2017. This site is not among our fire engine and bin lorry problem list, but should an opportunity arise to place lines at this location, I will seek to take it.

I acknowledge that Mr Giussani warned us about this junction back in 2016. Although we see relatively few injury clusters at minor junctions, isolated incidents do occur in significant overall numbers across the full spread of the network. Warnings from the public do not always tally with incidents going on to occur, while conversely a certain number of incidents will occur each year at sites that already have yellow lines and that are not attracting complaints. This highlights that predicting incidents outside of cluster sites is difficult and that the road layout is almost never the sole factor at play in any given incident. The officer assessing previously may have looked at the previous clean history of the site in making his/her decision and it is worth remembering that a further four years seem to have passed without an incident of the type predicted coming to our attention. Nevertheless, I share the concerns Mr Giussani raises and I will keep this location in mind.

Regards

Original Email

Dear Department,

At these depressing times we face, I have a resident asking for some information regarding fishing…

Where can residents legally fish in our boroughs lakes, ponds and rivers?

Do we have a list or infographic map?

Thanks

Kind Regards,

Cllr. Stephanos Ioannou
Conservative Councilor for Southgate ward,
London Borough of Enfield

Response:

Dear Councillor Ioannou,

Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding fishing within the Parks and Open Spaces.

We can confirm that the following areas permit fishing:

Trent Country Park
Groveland’s
Boxers Lake
Forty Hall

Thank you

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for your enquiry regarding dangerous paving from 64-70 Fountains crescent.

I have attended the above location/s today and raised a number of repairs outside 64 and 68.

I hope this helps with your enquiry.

Regards

This was in response to a resident calling for increased traffic calming measures down High Street, Southgate N14. 

Response:

Dear Cllr Ioannou,

Thank you for your email enquiry dated 8^th May regarding speed camera’s on the High Street, N14.

Unfortunately, the council does not manage and maintain safety camera’s this is the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL). The locations for new safety cameras would be decided by them.

Alternatively, TfL have joined together with the police to create a programme called Community Roadwatch which gives local residents the opportunity to work side by side with their local police teams, and use speed detection equipment to identify speeding vehicles in their communities. To Suggest a residential area where there are community concerns around speeding, contact CommunityRoadwatch@met.police.uk stating the borough you live in. Your enquiry will be forwarded to your local MPS Safer Transport Team, who will be in touch.

We are aware that driver behaviour is most likely more erratic than usual due to the lower number of vehicles on the road. The public can report dangerous, illegal, or antisocial road user behaviour directly to the police via their online reporting tool, RoadSafe London. Every report helps the police and TfL to understand where and when bad road user behaviour takes place. The information and intelligence gathered via this tool is used to inform the activity of the police and partners. The tool is available online at https://www.met.police.uk/report/report-a-road-traffic-incident/.

I hope the above satisfies your queries, but please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further queries.

Yours sincerely

Here is the full council response to the concerns of the increased number of ambulances parked around the Southgate area, especially down The Vale:

“Dear Cllr Ioannou

Thank you for your member enquiry regarding the parking and cleaning of ambulances on the public highway.

I know that your primary concern was the cleaning out of the vehicles and any potential for the transmission of infection.  We have spoken to the Concerns Team at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who confirmed that XXXX are a registered provider. They will be speaking with the company regarding parking and cleaning of their vehicles on the  public highway.

I note from your email that you refer to XXXXXXX, XXXXX and XXXXXX. I have referred these details and associated registration numbers to the CQC for further investigation by them.

The ambulances that are parked in Southgate are private ambulances which provide patient transport services, transporting service user to medical appointments. They are not afforded the benefit that a LAS emergency ambulance has for parking. We are of the view that these private ambulances should not be parked on the highway, but should be located off road. It is the responsibility of the business operator to ensure that this is done. It is not appropriate for the business operator to use our highway as an extension of his business to park overnight, which is the case here.

In July 2019 a CPN Warning was issued on Patient Transport Service Ltd to cease parking these vehicles on the highway. Further visits to monitor the roads demonstrated that this notice was complied with. As a result of recent complaints and councillor member enquiries the Envirocrime team have been visiting the roads where the ambulances are alleged to be parked and have gathered enough evidence to now serve a Community Protection Notice on the business operator by the end of this week. The ward officer has contacted the business operator to advise him of this. Further monitoring will be carried out to ensure compliance. If the Community Protection Notice  is not complied with we will issue a FPN or prosecute.

With regards to the cleaning of the ambulance vehicles in the highway. This has been raised with the business operator. This is an offence under section 4 of the Cleaner Neighbourhoods Environment Act and that will also be addressed through regular site visits and if found to continue by either FPN or prosecution. The business operator has been advised by the ward officer to cease this.

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Councillor Ioannou,

Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding the hedge row along the Bourne.

We will trim the vegetation back from the fence line during this week.

Yours sincerely,