Category: Transport

  • QUEEN’S PARK AREA – HEALTHY NEIGHBOURHOOD

    MP Smarter Travel (MPST) is working with the Queen’s Park community to shape a safer and healthier local area. MPST want to hear your views on potential efforts to create quieter streets with reduced traffic and improved air quality.

    MPST are holding meetings and have an online survey for local people to complete.

    For more information, see the flyer below and go to the Queen’s Park Area – Healthy Neighbourhood page on this website.

  • QPARA news: What is happening on Brent’s plans for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) for the Queen’s Park Area and Kilburn Area?

    First of all a personal thanks from me to all of the almost 60 people who took the trouble to provide our Streetscape team with your feedback on the plans. You expressed a wide range of views sometimes cogently and often with passion! 

    A lot has been going on since then and our Chair and the Streetscape team have provided the following update in advance of the next QPARA monthly zoom meeting on Thursday 8th October. Members will get their invitation in the next day or so. Anyone wishing to join QPARA and have your say, can do so here: qpark.org.uk/join-us.

    QPARA supports efforts to reduce pollution stemming from through traffic and congestion in its area and around (i.e. on so-called through roads which are also heavily residential). The Association has long campaigned for action on these issues but does not regard Brent’s current Low Traffic Neighbourhood approach as the answer.

    On Tuesday 22 September Cllr Shama Tatler, Highways lead for Brent Council, and Tony Kennedy, Head of Highways, held an online meeting with some 15 representatives of local residents’ associations and other groups. She showed maps of the two Traffic Order schemes being proposed for Queen’s Park and Kilburn.

    These were the same as those circulated unofficially, except that all road closures and ‘no turns’ etc in the Queens Park proposal were  shown in green with a legend stating that they are ‘Potential Future Closure if Needs Be’ or ‘Potential Future Banned Turn if Needs Be. The one exception was Tiverton Road at the bridge into Queen’s Park, still shown as a red ‘Proposed Street Closure’. She emphasized that she was keen to have dialogue with QPARA and other residents’ groups from hereon.

    The Kilburn TO map still had all changes in red – the same as seen already. – Cllr Tatler explained that this would now proceed, subject to full clearance from the relevant emergency services and letters to all residents. Tony Kennedy said actual implementation of both schemes would be at least two weeks away.

    Of the many questions and comments which followed several centred on asking what traffic and air quality data had been available for scheme design and could it be shared. Tony Kennedy said there was little data available but that some monitoring strips had been installed in the last few days.

    While waiting for the promised official note of this meeting QPARA has been busy collecting its own data on vehicle movements during the morning rush hour and assessing the likely impact of the revised scheme. Fundamentally QPARA seeks proper consultation, supported by data, and is ready to give positive consideration to any scheme which improves air quality and reduces congestion both inside the planned LTN area and on the roads which surround it such as Salusbury and Chamberlayne.

  • QPARA’s response to Brent Council’s Transport Plan (LIP3)

    We thought you might like to read it.

  • Queen’s Park station ticket office – use it or lose it

    Several Overground ticket offices have closed recently following installation of smarter ticket machines. Queen’s Park ticket office is still on the danger list. New machines have just been installed and their use will be monitored for 3 months. If this falls below a certain threshold, the axe will fall. So keep buying your local and long distance rail tickets there if you want to keep the ticket office open. Weekdays are your best bet, as the it sometimes closes at weekends.

  • CAPS – Combatting Air Pollution on Salusbury Road – project update

    nox-pollution-01

    The CAPS project has moved forward rapidly since our first posting. Brent has confirmed that they can let us use their big mobile monitoring machine either in July/August or later if we need time to agree a suitable site close to Salusbury Road. This machine measures NOX and particulate pollution from diesel by time of day. We will also hang small diffusion tubes on lampposts. The tubes record NOX only over a period.

    Friends of the Earth (FOE) will help with a project in the autumn that involves children and parents. We are also liaising with Transition Town Kensal to Kilburn and Brent FOE. We have been pleased to learn that the new Mayor of London plans to launch a major consultation on combatting air pollution soon and that Brent will be consulting on a revised Air Quality Action Plan. When we have results from our monitoring project we expect to make recommendations for action by individuals, Brent, the Mayor and probably national government too.

    The CAPS group met on 1st June with officers from Brent Council and national FOE in support. You can find a link to the notes of that meeting and more information about CAPS on our Environment Action Group page.