Dear Cllr Stephanos Ioannou,
Thank you for your enquiry.
I believe the road works you mention are the minor improvements undertaken recently at the zebra crossing on Wilmer Way near Seafield Road. I am sorry if this activity has caused undue disruption to local journeys. I understand the work is now complete.
The zebra is an important facility to aid crossing movements to and from the adjacent school. However, defects identified in the profile of the road surface were leading, in wet conditions, to significant ponding of water at the crossing points. This presents a barrier to safe and convenient use of the facility and introduces a potential road safety hazard if pedestrians start seeking to improvise crossing movements elsewhere. The remedial work required stripping away some of the road layers and shaping new bituminous material to promote better drainage of the finished surfaces.
The facility features a central island. This offers a significant benefit in allowing crossing movements to occur in two easy stages. Wide zebra crossings with no island are the type that I believe are most prone to incidents of drivers approaching at excess speed and of failing to yield to pedestrians. The presence of the island minimises this and, furthermore, applies a slowing effect on drivers even during periods of the day when the crossing is not much in use. One drawback is that when work to either side of the road (and in this case, both sides) becomes necessary, there is no surplus carriageway space to allow traffic to pass the site easily, instead temporary traffic signals are required.
The cost of the work is in the region of £7,000. It also included refreshing the road markings and strengthening the parking controls at the kerbside to the south of the crossing. Developer contributions arising from previous development work, and specified for use at this specific location, were used to pay for the construction work.
Regards
Traffic Engineering Manager
Environment and Communities Directorate
Enfield Council
Original enquiry description:
Good morning team on the north circular Road at the junction near new Southgate where Laurel Park school is on entry to the north circular Road. They have now been doing roadworks for approximately a week every day residents that are going from Wilma away onto the North circular Road have to sit in over half an hour traffic just to get on the north circular Road is a ridiculous state of affairs. When is the council finally going to get these roadworks done? We want an estimated time of completionwhat exactly is the issue why do they keep on opening up the road and on a much more serious note, how much is all this opening and closing and digging of the road costing the department has this ever been costed can we please identify what the issue has just get it over and done with once and for all