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Grafton Road closure raises cash but cuts accidents too
• YOUR correspondent, David Howard, writing about the road closure trap at Grafton Road (Letters, August 20) seems to be unaware of the reason for this timed closure, the timing recently adjusted incidentally, to take into account local residents’ wishes.
Prior to its timed closure the road was used as a rat-run by commuters to avoid Kentish Town Road.
This resulted in several serious accidents to the many children who use the road on their way to and from the five schools in the area.
Indeed, the lollipop lady from nearby Carlton school was badly injured by a speeding motorist.
Subsequently a system of rising bollards was constructed at a cost of more than £100,000 but these were subsequently abandoned because, it was said, of vandalism.
The timed closure has very successfully prevented such accidents. However, your correspondent has a point in tahat the notices are not very distinct and would benefit by a system of flashing lights (frequently seen on school crossings) when the closure is in operation.
One might suggest that if the closure was not a merely revenue-raising scheme Camden Council would be only too willing to put up such lights.
In terms of this closure as a revenue earner for the council, a much better target would be to campaign against the iniquitous tax of £33 per day for builders’ vans carrying tools and materials parking outside their place of work.
While it is in a sense “optional” to go through the Grafton Road bollards it is not to park your van outside your place of work except, of course, to be unemployed.
M R FARRANT
Oak Village, NW5
Falling for the trap
• ANYBODY else fallen into the Grafton Road trap? asks David Howard.
Yes, I well and truly fell for the Grafton Road trap, not just the once, but four days in a row!
I do the school run in the afternoons from Camden Town to Muswell Hill and for want of variety I usually drive to school via the main roads and home again the back route via Grafton Road.
I had noticed the sign forbidding motor vehicles between 7am and 10am Monday to Friday, which at 3:45pm obviously did not affect me.
However, one day I decided to reverse my route and drive to school via Grafton Road.
My big mistake was to assume that the 7am-10am prohibition applied in both directions, which, as I found out later, was not the case.
Enjoying the change of route, I carried on this routine throughout the week, only one morning, to receive a penalty notice in the post clearly showing that I was driving though a “no motor vehicles between 3pm and 7pm” area.
Realising to my horror that I had driven through there four days in a row, I quickly calculated that four penalty notices at £60 each was going to cost me a horrendous £240.
name and address supplied
Devious
• IN response to the letter from David Howard, I too have been caught by this devious trap.
I was visiting London on August 5 to attend an appointment at the Royal Free Hospital and, according to Camdens’ CCTV, went through the non-existent barrier at 15.13 pm.
I did not know that I had committed the “offence” until I received the penalty charge notice from Camden.
Like Mr Howard, I saw no barrier preventing me from entering the restricted roadway, I therefore presumed that I could proceed. On looking at the photographs sent to me by Camden, the prohibited sign is positioned at the entrance to the restriction.
At that juncture you would be concentrating on positioning your car to go through the narrow entrance, not the single sign.
I am a disabled pensioner and drive a mobility car.
I have appealed against the penalty charge.
name and address supplied, Kent
Grateful
• THE barrier at the top end of Grafton Road was not set up to gain revenue.
It was put in place to relieve the residents of 2,000 traffic movements a day with the consequent pollution that that generates.
We are most grateful to Camden Council for listening to us.
JP MUGFORD
Grafton Road, NW5
Scandal
• THE Graftongate scandal rumbles on.
In the 21 century BC (Before Cameras) drivers would drive up to the gate, utter a few choice words and drive back the way they came.
The gates have gone and the time signs in Grafton Road are large and clear, as are the camera signs.
As many driver’s have found, ignore them and find your wallet a lot lighter.
The parking adjudicator can only ever find in favour of the motorist if there has been fault in law.
For example, the wrong date, time or place on the ticket or the traffic management order for the location is wrong.
The council are the only organisation that can use discretion and the reasons have to be very compelling for this to be granted.
The only way a motorist can avoid parking tickets is to not contravene the regulations in the first place. Good luck.
DAVID GOWERS
Broxwood Way, NW8
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