Council should leave shop alone (From Harrow Times)

Council should leave shop alone

9:48am Friday 18th November 2011 in Your letters

It is depressing to see that the operator of the biggest shop to open in north Harrow, since the closure of Safeway, has been criticised by Harrow Council for using initiative to remind customers using its car park to look out for pedestrians.

Because the markings painted on the driveway at the entrance to its car park resemble zebra crossing stripes, some drivers might consider giving way to pedestrians when driving in and out.

This would be perfectly normal in Europe where pedestrians and cyclists, in any case, have priority where a pavement or cycle path is intersected.

The council has demanded the removal of the markings, which were painted to enhance pedestrian’s safety. That makes no sense. Instead, Harrow Council should copy this good example by painting similar markings at similar locations, such as the entrance to its own car park further down Pinner Road, where drivers ignore pedestrians, in their rush to stop in the car park.

If Harrow Council wants to revive shopping in north Harrow it could do no worse than ensure that the pavements are safe for pedestrians. Working with, rather than against, store operators might be a good idea too.

Meanwhile, a short distance away from the clear markings painted by a responsible store operator, the council has allowed the official zebra crossing, in busy Headstone Gardens at the Harrow View junction, to almost disappear through neglect.

Judging from the degree of decay, the council has been ignoring its duty to provide for pedestrian safety here for years.

Even in daylight it is hard to see the crossing. The black and white markings on one of the posts has been consumed by rust.

The zebra stripes on the road have been almost completely eroded. The flood lights which are supposed to light the crossing at night have not worked for some time. Last weekend, one of the two Belisha beacons was also not functioning.

This could be why the often fast moving traffic frequently fails to stop at this council-owned crossing and why this crossing has been known for years to be dangerous.

Instead of threatening a commercial enterprise for doing something enterprising for the community, Mr Appleby, public realm service manger at Harrow Council, should be taking care to ensure that he is carrying out his duties and maintaining the publicly owned crossings for which he is responsible.

But then Harrow Council has better ideas for pubic safety, such as the erection of an advertising sign in the middle of the cycle path at Rayners Lane Tube station.

Such a sign requires permission from the planning department. The refurbishment work on the cycle path would have involved the highways department.

Of course, public realm would have been involved too, and the council apparently has its own cycling officer.

Yet no one at the council thought to query this bizarre initiative which dangerously obstructed the cycle path for three months. It was finally removed two weeks after a letter in this paper drew attention to it.

Council taxpayers paid to have the stupidly sited sign erected, then paid to have it moved and the cycle path made good (although badly). Meanwhile, the considerately placed zebra stripes were paid for by the store.

No-one is paying for the maintenance of the dangerous zebra crossing on Headstone Gardens, because nobody is maintaining it.

Mike Robinson
Hyde Road, Harrow