Proposed road safety improvements Westbere Road - Hampstead School

Overview

We are writing to seek your views on the Council’s proposal to redesign the footway space and the pedestrian crossing points on Westbere Road outside Hampstead School. Westbere Road is a boundary road between Camden and London Borough of Barnet. This also means that vehicles go from a 30mph speed limit in Barnet to Camden’s 20mph speed limit. This transition happens just before Hampstead School for vehicles heading south towards Mill Lane. Data collected for vehicle speeds shows that on weekdays 95% of vehicles are exceeding the 20mph limited with 55% exceeding 25mph. More recent data collected for Lichfield Road which runs directly into Westbere Road supports these outcomes and shows vehicles are likely still exceeding the speed limit.

The crossing distance for pedestrians outside the School is currently 9.2 metres. This distance plus the relatively high vehicle speeds increases the risk for the 1300 children and young people that attend Hampstead School. Outside the School there is a mix of informal pedestrian crossing points in the form of central islands and a formal zebra crossing.

The aim of these changes is to reduce the vehicle speeds entering the borough and particularly in the vicinity of the School and to improve road safety for pedestrians with a focus on the children and young people traveling to and from the Hampstead School site.

Proposed changes

We are proposing to build out the footway on the north side of Westbere Road outside of the School to reduce the carriageway width, this will improve pedestrian safety by reducing the crossing distance and should also have a traffic calming effect resulting in reduced vehicle speeds. There is also an option, subject to funding and detailed design, to include some ‘rain gardens’ similar to one shown in the photo (Image 1) below. The rain garden, if feasible, would act as an informal barrier that encourages pedestrians to use the crossing points and provide sustainable footway drainage.

We are also proposing to build raised tables on the informal pedestrian crossing point at the north end of the School and the zebra crossing further south to reduce the vehicle speeds. The raised tables raise the carriageway to footway level and have a ramp either side for vehicles, this both makes it easier for pedestrians to cross and more accessible for anyone with mobility issues. The raised table is intended to have a traffic calming effect and will reduce vehicle speeds.

Please see design drawing (Plan A) below.

Image 1