Issue - meetings

This report seeks the approval of the committee to implement a traffic management and road safety scheme with an associated 20 mph speed limit on the section of the A5 Kilburn High Road between Willesden Lane and Kilburn Station.  This is a jointly developed scheme which Camden and Brent Councils have been working on to improve public realm and safety along the corridor.  The scheme will extend from Willesden Lane to Kilburn Station and on through the borough of Camden to their border with Westminster.

(i)            That conceptual designs jointly developed by Brent and Camden for a proposed urban realm improvement and traffic safety scheme for A5 Kilburn High Road, including a reduced 20mph speed limit between Willesden Lane and Kilburn Station be noted;

(ii)          That subject to agreement to LIP funding requirements, further preliminary and detailed design work be undertaken in collaboration with London Borough of Camden leading to a full public consultation over the proposals in 2014/15.

The Committee received a report from the Head of Transportation that sought approval to implement a traffic management and road safety scheme with an associated 20 mph speed limit on the section of the A5 Kilburn High Road between Willesden Lane and Kilburn Station.   Paul Chandler, Head of Transportation clarified that this was a concept scheme developed jointly with Camden to improve public realm and safety along the corridor.  Members heard that Camden was looking to implement a borough wide 20 mph limit, of which the Kilburn High Road was a part.

Paul Chandler continued that as the joint concept was subject to committee approval, officers were proposing to prioritise Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding in 2104/15 and 2015/16 so that further detailed design and development work could be undertaken prior to consultation and implementation. He updated members that Camden already had funding agreed for their part and were looking to develop parts of the scheme on their section of the High Road by 2014/15.  In order not to heighten residents’ expectations ahead of funding, he cautioned that the scheme was only a concept at this stage. Once a more formal scheme had been developed, a comprehensive local consultation would be undertaken.

Paul Chandler clarified that Brent currently adopted a case by case approach to the use of 20mph speed limits, concentrating investment in streets and areas which had a history of accidents. He added that the approach had been very successful in reducing the number of accidents and casualties on our roads.  He continued that Brent’s current policy was to only introduce 20mph speed limits on residential and where benefits in terms of addressing a poor collision record and where the reduced limit would be largely self-enforcing, through the introduction of traffic management or calming measures that change the nature of the road and create an environment where a lowered speed limit can be demonstrated.

In welcoming the concept scheme, the Chair added that Brent’s approach had been very successful to date, with numbers of persons being killed or receiving serious injuries (KSI) collisions in Brent reducing from 350 in 1991 to 72 in 2011, beating both national and Greater London reduction targets by a significant margin.  Councillor Cheese suggested that in order to educate children about road safety and to keep up with the reducing trend, members should be encouraged to accompany the road safety team to schools.

RESOLVED:

(i)            that conceptual designs jointly developed by Brent and Camden for a proposed urban realm improvement and traffic safety scheme for A5 Kilburn High Road, including a reduced 20mph speed limit between Willesden Lane and Kilburn Station be noted;

(ii)          that subject to agreement to LIP funding requirements, further preliminary and detailed design work be undertaken in collaboration with London Borough of Camden leading to a full public consultation over the proposals in 2014/15.