An example of the low-traffic neighbourhoods in Harrow (Photo: Atish Anand) A Harrow Council committee will review a series of contentious traffic-easing measures at a public meeting next week. Its Traffic and Road Safety Advisory Panel (TARSAP) will discuss the ‘Streetspace’ schemes that were implemented last year on Monday (January 11). Many of the new measures, which sought to address the impact of Covid-19 on travel and improve the borough’s environment, have split opinion since they were put in place. Road closures as part of ‘low-traffic neighbourhoods’ have come under fire due to their impact on traffic build-up in other areas and issues relating to emergency vehicle access.
The council and emergency services have discussed the LTNs (Photo: Atish Anand/Pexels/Newsquest) The leader of Harrow Conservatives has called for low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the borough to be removed “as a matter of urgency” after seeing a letter from the London Ambulance Service (LAS). Cllr Paul Osborn wrote to Harrow Council’s chief executive, Sean Harriss, asking him to “rectify the defects” in the LTN programme, which was implemented as part of plans to promote active travel and assist the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. He said they could cause serious problems for emergency services in terms of getting to those in need and suggested, if they are not addressed, this could lead to legal issues.
Emergency services made it clear that any road changes should not affect their response times (Photo: Pixabay/Atish Anand) Changes have been made to some of the contentious ‘Streetspace’ schemes in Harrow following concerns raised around access for emergency services. Harrow Council confirmed some roadblocks, which form part of low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) measures in Headstone South and Vaughan Road, would be altered to allow emergency vehicles to pass. It is also removing part of a pop-up cycle lane in Honeypot Lane to allow easier access to Stanmore Fire Station. The Streetspace programme, implemented using funding from Transport for London, allowed the council to make road changes to assist with the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and encourage active travel.
Harrow Council has been set back millions of pounds due to the Covid-19 pandemic (Photo: Newsquest/Pexels) A senior Harrow councillor has called on the Government to fulfil its “promise” of reimbursing local authorities for the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Cllr Adam Swersky, who is responsible for finance at Harrow Council, explained that the crisis has set the borough back £36 million in terms of additional costs and lost income opportunities. The Government has provided financial support worth more than £25 million, but Cllr Swersky said it is vital it covers the outstanding balance to ensure key council services are not affected.
The council leader issued a statement after it was announced London was to enter Tier 3 restrictions (Photo: Pixabay/Harrow Council) The leader of Harrow Council urged residents to “reconsider” visiting family or friends over Christmas as Covid-19 cases continue to rise. Cllr Graham Henson said people should think again about travelling outside their household between December 23 and December 27. It comes after Harrow – along with the rest of London – was placed under Tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions following a sharp rise in positive tests in the region. Cllr Henson said: “This is a debilitating virus that can and does kill people and puts enormous pressure on our overstretched NHS.