Bowes Primary Area Quieter Neighbourhood

Following a petition from residents of the Bowes Quieter Neighbourhood, please see the following update from our Cabinet Member, Cllr Ozaydin:

Thank you for your letter and petition outlining the concerns from residents in the Bowes Quieter Neighbourhood. We truly appreciate the time you took to gather signatures and share your views at the Scrutiny meeting in February.

We want to assure you that the Council carefully followed every necessary step in designing and delivering this project, and we’re confident in its safety. We felt that Warwick Road and the associated traffic signals as the main entry point was an appropriate choice. As part of our broader effort to promote alternative travel and reduce unnecessary car journeys, the Bowes Quieter Neighbourhood is intended to help create a safer, healthier community. Nonetheless we do understand that cars remain essential for many journeys, especially for those with specific mobility needs, and our aim is simply to gently encourage more residents to explore alternative travel options.

We recognise that the A406 North Circular can cause congestion and disruptions that impact daily life. While the project has helped reduce through-traffic in the area, we understand the concerns about access arrangements and the effects of congestion on the A406.

In light of these issues, we will undertake a trial to assess the impact of allowing additional residential access through the camera-controlled points at Warwick and Maidstone Roads. This trial will be carefully planned and guided by evidence to ensure we introduce changes that benefit the community whilst maintaining safety and the aims of Quieter Neighbourhood. Therefore, we will:

• Collect data on current vehicle movements through the neighbourhood, including the proportion of journeys made by residents with existing permit exemptions.
• Undertake a trial in which additional permits are issued to residents, allowing use of the Warwick and Maidstone Road camera points.
• After a 12-month period, we will assess whether the volume of motor traffic remains within acceptable levels to respond to residents needs whilst supporting the aims of the Quieter Neighbourhood.

Overall, the intention of trial to explore adjustment in our approach to better suit the unique layout of the Quieter Neighbourhood and the concerns raised by residents while still keeping the benefit of reduced through-traffic. Over the next few weeks, we'll be carrying out safety checks and gathering some initial data, and at the same time updating our system so residents can easily apply for a vehicle permit online if needed. Once these steps are done, we hope to launch the trial at the start of Summer 2025, and we'll keep you informed about any updates or changes through the Bowes Primary Quieter Neighbourhood project page.

Further updates will be added to the project page along with the development of a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section for the trial. Any suggestions for questions to be added to the FAQ should be emailed to the project team via JourneysandPlaces@enfield.gov.uk

We are committed to listening to residents and making decisions based on clear evidence. Any changes that result from the trial would be subject to further engagement and review, including consideration of how they align with our wider policy objectives.

Thank you again for raising your concerns and your patience whilst the petition has been fully considered.

Cllr Ozaydin

Works on the Bowes Quieter Neighbourhood project are now complete. There will be further works taking place in the area but these are part of separate Journey & Places projects. More information can be found on the Maidstone Road Public Space Improvements project here and the Brownlow Road Walking and Cycling Route project here.

This project page which includes a range of reference material will remain accessible.

This concludes the project and project page updates. Thank you to those who have engaged in this project.

Enfield Council has undertaken various monitoring activities in the Bowes Primary and Surrounding Streets Quieter Neighbourhood both during the trial period as well as since the scheme was made permanent in early 2022. The purpose of the monitoring traffic volumes since the scheme was made permanent was to further review traffic volumes, and to understand how traffic volumes may have changed since monitoring undertaken during the trial period.

Please see the Bowes Primary Area Quieter Neighbourhood Traffic Monitoring Report here, which provides a summary of the analysis undertaken. This concludes the traffic monitoring for this project. However, Brownlow Road, Wilmer Way and Powys Lane will continue to be monitored as part of ongoing borough wide monitoring.

BOW virtual permits are in place for the Bowes Primary Area Quieter Neighbourhood (Bowes Area QN) in Enfield. Blue Badge holders living in some parts of the Bounds Green Low Traffic Neighbourhood (Bounds Green LTN Area A) in Haringey can now apply for a BOW virtual permit.

The BOW virtual permit applies to the following camera enforced modal filters:

• Maidstone Road at its junction with Warwick Road and
• Warwick Road, near its junction with Maidstone Road.

Blue Badge holders living in the part of the Bounds Green LTN which is between Bounds Green Road, the railway line, and the Enfield-Haringey boundary are eligible to apply to Enfield Council for a BOW virtual permit. This area is the same area that is referred to as ‘Area A’ of the Bounds Green LTN by Haringey Council. A map showing that area can be found on the right-hand side of the page under the “Document Library”.

BOW virtual permit holders can nominate one vehicle to pass through the camera enforced modal filters within the Bowes QN without receiving a Penalty Charge Notice.

Please refer to the FAQs on this page for more details about the BOW virtual permit.

An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera will soon be used to enforce the modal filter in place at Maidstone Road.

At present, a bollard is in place to restrict motor vehicles from passing through this filter. People walking and cycling are still able to pass through this filter. Our contractor is due to be on site to remove the bollard within the next fortnight. The enforcement camera will become operational as soon as the bollard is removed by our contractor. Once the bollard is removed, motor vehicles will not be permitted to drive through the traffic restriction, unless exempt.

We are making these changes to provide more access points to the area for emergency services and virtual permit holders. Emergency services and Transport for London Dial-a-Ride vehicles will be automatically exempt from this new camera-enforced traffic restriction.

Blue Badge holders residing within the Bowes Primary Area QN are eligible to apply for a BOW virtual permit. For more information, and to apply for a virtual permit, please visit: https://new.enfield.gov.uk/services/parking/parking-permits-rb/. If you have already been issued with BOW virtual permit you do not need to re-apply and you will be able to pass through the new camera-enforced traffic restriction in your nominated vehicle without receiving a PCN.

A camera enforced traffic restriction (modal filter) is already in place on Warwick Road.

A map showing all the camera-enforced modal filter locations can be found on the right-hand side of the page under ‘Document Library’.

On 15 August 2022, the London Borough of Haringey is introducing a trial Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) in Bounds Green.

The Bounds Green LTN is located immediately adjacent to the Bowes Primary Area Quieter Neighbourhood, separated by the borough boundary between Enfield and Haringey.

Ten new traffic filters are being installed in the Bounds Green LTN area within Haringey to stop motor traffic using the neighbourhood as a through route. Some of these filters will be camera enforced which enables emergency and waste vehicles to pass through, and others will use a physical restriction, such as a bollard or planter.

All homes and businesses remain accessible by motor vehicles at all times. The maps on Haringey's website show the locations of the filters and how you will be able to drive to a home or business in the area by car. This may vary from your usual route.

You can view maps and further details about the LTN, including what exemptions are available, at their website here.

The Bounds Green LTN in Haringey will be introduced as a trial under an experimental traffic order (this can be in place for a maximum of 18 months) to see how it works in practice before Haringey takes a decision on whether to amend, remove or make the trial scheme permanent.

Get in touch with Haringey

If you want to get in touch with Haringey please call their dedicated LTN line on 020 8489 4787 or send an email to BoundsGreenLTN@haringey.gov.uk. More information is available on their website here.

We are introducing a virtual permit system (“BOW Permit”) to the Bowes Primary Area Quieter Neighbourhood (Bowes QN).

Blue Badge holders residing within the “BOW Permit Zone” as shown here. BOW virtual permit holders can nominate one vehicle to pass through the camera enforced modal filter within the Bowes Primary Area Quieter Neighbourhood without receiving a Penalty Charge Notice. As a Blue Badge is personal, eligible Blue Badge holders must nominate the vehicle to which the exemption applies.

The virtual permit must be applied for as it is not able to be applied automatically to a Blue Badge holder. One vehicle per Blue Badge holder may be nominated. There is no charge for a permit.

Enfield Blue Badge holders residing within the BOW Permit Zone will be able to apply for a BOW virtual permit from Thursday 23^rd June 2022. If your application is approved, you will be able to use this permit from Monday 27 June 2022.

We are working with Haringey Council so that residents within Haringey inside the BOW Permit Zone can apply for a BOW permit.

New signage will be installed on site to reflect the exemptions for BOW virtual permit holders.

There is no change to access for emergency service vehicles, which continue to be exempt from camera enforced filters.

Please refer to the FAQs on this page for more details about the BOW virtual permit.