Residents won a battle to get a road closed for work reopened.
Pike Road, near Apex Corner, Edgware, was reopened by Transport for London and Barnet Council last night (May 17) to the delight of locals.
TfL has been inundated with complaints with hundreds of drivers who live on and off Ellesmere Avenue claiming they have been ‘trapped’ by the closure of Pike Road, by KFC, which leads to the A41.
The road was used to store maintenance vehicles working on bridge repairs on the A41 which started in April and lasts until August.
See more: Drivers took part in ‘horrendous’ road works causing miles of traffic jams
Pike Road photographed when it was closed. It is now reopened to residents
Since early April, the only exit for locals has been the A1 towards Borehamwood, before turning around if they have to go through Apex Corner.
But since May 10 the situation has become “horrendous” as lane closures at Apex Corner have caused long delays on the southbound A1 between Stirling Corner, Borehamwood and Apex Corner.
Tina Tailor, who lives at The Fairway, said: “We felt locked in. It’s impacted the schools, the seniors, it’s been horrible.
“It’s fantastic that Pike Road has reopened. We’re delighted – it feels like we’ve finally been listened to.”
Residents are frustrated with the traffic delays roadworks at Apex Corner are causing
However, Ms Tailor warned that not all issues had been resolved.
She said: “We are still very impacted by traffic which is all at our doorstep. Five minute journeys take 45 minutes. I feel like the lane closures are overdone.”
More than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for lane closures on the A41 and A1 to be reduced because of the ‘serious disruption’ they are causing to thousands of drivers passing through Apex Corner, Mill Hill and Edgware . Hendon MP Matthew Offord described the roadworks as a “disaster”.
See more: Over 1,500 sign petition calling for an end to ‘traffic chaos’
One lane is closed in both directions on the A41 bridge which crosses the M1. There are also lane closures at all approaches to Apex Corner causing significant traffic delays.
TfL says lane closures are in place to ensure the Apex Corner roundabout operates at “safe capacity”. The current lane closures are expected to remain in place until the end of July, with the entire project expected to be completed by the end of August.
However, in a sign that further changes could be forthcoming, a Barnet Council spokesman said on Tuesday: ‘On the A41, TfL is urgently considering reducing the length of the tapered cone blocking two lanes and modifying the traffic management system currently in place.
“We have been liaising with local residents and schools to help manage the disruption caused and would like to thank everyone involved for their continued patience as TfL completes this essential work.”
Roadworks at Apex Corner
Nick Fairholme, TfL’s Director of Projects and Programmes, said last week: “This essential maintenance work is essential to ensure that the road network and infrastructure here can continue to operate safely for years to come.
“Our construction crews are working hard to get the work completed as quickly as possible. Any temporary changes to the roads have been designed to support the rapid completion of this work.
“We are sorry for any disruption this work has caused to residents of the area and we are working to complete it on schedule later this summer.”
A full Tfl work schedule can be found here.
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-18 18:23:31
