Council agrees to consider safety of four roads (From Times Series)

Barnet Borough Council agrees to consider safety of four roads in Hendon and Mill Hill

11:26am Thursday 18th October 2012 in News By Emma Innes

Cllr Sury Khatri believes traffic calming measures are required to make the roads safe

Following appeals from a councillor Barnet Borough Council has agreed to consider introducing new traffic calming measures in four streets.

Mill Hill’s Councillor Sury Khatri expressed his concerns about the Mill Hill and Hendon roads at a meeting of the Hendon Area Environment Sub-Committee on Tuesday.

At the meeting, which took place at Hendon Town Hall in The Burroughs, Cllr Khatri asked that the council consider the safety of Devonshire Road, Pursley Road and Lawrence Street in Mill Hill and Wyndeham Road in Hendon.

Cllr Khatri, who lives on Devonshire Road, told the committee that the road has become dangerous since speed humps were removed last year.

He said: “I have been living on this road for 37 years. It used to be like a backwater but people have learnt to use it as a cut through to Edgware.

“Over time it has become a shortcut. Lots of families live here and there are two primary schools.

“It is getting crazy. I am very concerned because there are a lot of young people here and the speed of the traffic is just crazy.”

The Conservative councillor told the committee that Metropolitan Police statistics show that between January and August this year there were eight crashes on Devonshire Road and Pursley Road alone.

He is particularly concerned as his wife was involved in a crash on Devonshire Road in August.

As she tried to turn into their driveway a car ploughed into the back of her stationary car propelling it forward 20 feet.

Cllr Khatri said: “The impact must have been tremendous to move the car so far.

“The other drive must have been going extremely fast. This just shows how dangerous the road has become.”

Cllr Khatri initially raised the problem with these roads in 1983.

He gathered a petition of Devonshire Road residents as a result of which speed humps were introduced.

He believes that for many years this improved the safety of the roads.

However, when they were resurfaced last year the humps were not replaced and the problem has returned.

During the sub-committee meeting it was agreed that council officers will look into the safety of the roads and that they will draw up proposals for improving it.