Original Email:
Dear Department,
I would like to follow on the concerns raised by many residents along Queen Elizabeth’s Drive (QED), in that cars are continuously speeding down the stretch of long road- thus endangering residents who are:
- Coming out of their driveways
- Crossing the road
- Pedestrians in general
- Other ordinary road users.
The concern that I am having is that whilst this part of road isn’t patrolled and isn’t on the councils program to be included in any new traffic calming measurers scheme, I am upset to see that whilst Waterfall Road will now be included as part of the council’s 20mph scheme, this road that remains just as dangerous hasn’t been considered at all.
Could I please therefore ask the department:
- Is there any scope to included speed-humps along QED for the safety of residents?
- Is there any chance that the council relevant officer would like to go on a walkabout with myself and another resident, so that we can display the concerns of speeding along QED?
- What were the results of the past speed test along QED? Did the average speed come above or below 30mph?
I look forward to your response.
Kind Regards,
Cllr. Stephanos Ioannou
Response:
MEQ 18572 – Traffic Concerns – Queen Elizabeth’s Drive
I refer to your recent enquiry on behalf of your constituent regarding their concerns about the speed at which vehicles are travelling along Queen Elizabeth’s Drive and a request for speed humps to address this driver behaviour.
As I am sure you will appreciate the council receives many requests for speed reduction, and a sensible approach must be taken to manage these requests against our limited budgets.
The results of a speed survey carried out in Autumn 2015 show that the speed at which 85% of vehicles were travelling at or below was 33mph. Accordingly, there are no plans to introduce speed humps on Queen Elizabeth’s Drive at present. However, I will arrange for the speed survey to be undertaken when the schools return, as close to the previous speed surveys location to allow for comparison.
The speed limit on Waterfall Road/The Green is being changed to a 20mph speed limit as Walkers Primary School, directly accesses The Green/Waterfall Road and is one of the few schools within the borough that is not covered by a 20mph speed limit.
Additionally, I have reviewed the personal injury collision data held by the council, and in the last three years, there has unfortunately been one personal injury collision in Queen Elizabeth’s Drive. This occurred at the junction of Queen Elizabeth’s Drive and Wynchgate. As such, Queen Elizabeth’s Drive is unlikely to be considered as part of the council annual road safety programme.
To put this into context, previous years road safety schemes had an average of 4.7 collisions per year per site. Many of which involve vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
I hope the above answers your enquiry, should you wish to discuss any of the points made above do not hesitate to contact me.
