Petition demanding more A10 speed cameras signed by 1750 …
Conservative councillor James Hockney is submitting the petition to Transport for London this week, reports James Cracknell
The A10 in Bush Hill Park and (inset) ward councillor James Hockney
An Enfield councillor says residents are “utterly sick” of speeding and noise pollution along the A10 – as he submits a petition signed by more than 1,750 local residents demanding Transport for London (TfL) take action.
Conservative councillor James Hockney represents Bush Hill Park ward[1], which is bordered by the dual carriageway, and says that despite previous efforts to curb A10 speeding the problem is persisting and even getting worse.
Three years ago TfL installed average speed cameras on half of the route in Enfield[2], between the M25 and Southbury Road, but not on the southern section that runs between Bush Hill Park and Edmonton to the North Circular Road. When the Dispatch again asked this week if more cameras would be considered in response to Cllr Hockney’s petition[3], TfL took three days to issue a statement almost identical to the one it gave when previously approached in June 2022 – saying there were “no immediate plans” to install more cameras.
Cllr Hockney said in response: “The mayor of London needs to start listening to the residents of Enfield and Edmonton – who are utterly sick of the speeding and noise on the A10 and car parks.
“This latest A10 petition has significantly more signatures than any of the previous petitions and underlines that the call for action is deepening.
“I am so grateful to all the people that have signed and shared the petition.”
Noise pollution from the road is often worse late at night, when ‘car meets’ regularly take place at some of the A10’s retail parks. Drivers then show off by flooring their throttles, making a noise from their exhaust that sounds like gunfire and can be heard over a mile away.
Cllr Hockney added: “It is not just the night racing […] we have an overall serious issue of speeding on the A10 – with excessive speeds also captured during the day.
“There was one month where speeding offences on the A10 accounted for 12% of all London speeding offences. Sadly we have seen far too many serious accidents on the A10 and we will not rest until we have all the Enfield/Edmonton A10 corridor covered with average speed cameras.
“If the mayor of London thinks by placing average speed cameras on half the stretch, that it is job done, he is mistaken.
“I urge him to listen and think again.”
When several Enfield residents spoke out about the issue last year[4], saying it was blighting their lives, TfL’s chief safety, health and environment officer provided a statement which has now been repeated almost word-for-word by an anonymous spokesperson.
They said: “We’re determined to reduce road danger caused by speeding as part of our ‘vision zero’ commitment to eliminate death and serious injury from London’s roads. We know speeding is a major concern for people in the area and we installed an average speed system on the A10 in March 2020, which is in addition to the spot speed cameras being used to tackle speeding in the area.
“Although we have no immediate plans to install a fixed safety camera system 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.
“Breaking the speed limit is selfish and reckless and we will continue working with the borough and police to ensure that roads are safe for everyone who lives and works in Enfield.”
References
- ^ represents Bush Hill Park ward (enfielddispatch.co.uk)
- ^ half of the route in Enfield (enfielddispatch.co.uk)
- ^ Cllr Hockney’s petition (www.change.org)
- ^ spoke out about the issue last year (enfielddispatch.co.uk)