Harrow secures London Streetspace Programme funding

Posted byhmgupdatedPosted inNews
St proposalsA total of £683K has been allocated to Harrow for the programme to deliver pedestrian space, low traffic neighbourhoods, strategic cycling and school streets as the government is keen to reopen the economy, despite concerning spikes of Covid19 cases in the UK (1,328 cases in Harrow).
The Mayor of London launched the London Streetspace Programme with government funding support to transform London’s streets to accommodate increases in cycling and walking as government C19 restrictions are eased.
Harrow could do with more and better physical exercise as the evidence indicates that a third of people in Harrow do very little physical activity and two thirds are overweight and both these factors increase the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and/or cancer.
According to a Traffic and Road Safety Advisory Panel report, the Harrow programme aims to support the changes in the way the public travel during the health crisis through the measures including:
(a) To reallocate carriageway to pedestrians by suspending sections of  barriers to extend pedestrian space in 9 key locations in the borough, including Station Road, Harrow – Civic Centre, shops & Mosque, and High Road, Harrow Weald.
(b) To support the delivery of strategic cycling measures e.g. meaningful measures that reallocate road space from vehicles to cycles and provide physical segregation – primarily at Honeypot Lane, Sheepcote Road, Greenhill and Uxbridge Road Harrow Weald.
(c) Restricting the streets surrounding a school to traffic at opening and closing times except for local residents living in the street – three primary schools and one secondary school have been proposed – Grimsdyke School, Newton Farm School, Marlborough School and Park High School.
Apparently an online information and engagement portal was set up by the council in June 2020 to be a focal point for residents and businesses with regard to the Harrow Street Spaces Programme but not well publicised as usual. Very interesting that only the percentages of comments rather than the number of people participated in the  ‘Public Engagement Portal Feedback’ have been documented – therefore no way of knowing the level of public ‘engagement’!!