18 October 2021

Buckhurst Hill Green Party joins local safer roads campaign after third tragic death in eight years

• Over 1900 people – more than a third of local residents in Buckhurst Hill East Ward - sign online petition calling for traffic calming measures on major roads in Buckhurst Hill.
• Local campaigners call on Essex County Council and Essex Highways to improve street lighting and lay speed bumps on dangerous roads.

Local campaigners gather near to the spot of last Tuesday’s (12 October) accident in which a woman in her 20s was killed. Residents are calling on Essex Highways and Essex County Council to make local roads safer by introducing traffic calming measures across Buckhurst Hill.

Buckhurst Hill Green Party councillors met with local residents on Saturday (16 October) as they launched a campaign to make the area’s roads safer after a woman in her twenties was tragically killed in a collision with a car last week.

The woman, who has not yet been named by police, was involved in the collision on Buckhurst Way last Tuesday (12 October). She is the third person in eight years to have been killed on either Buckhurst Way or Loughton Way in the town in an accident involving a motorist(1). The following day (Wednesday 13 October)  a car traveling at speed on Loughton Way lost control and ended up on its roof. It was sheer luck that no-one was killed in this accident.

Since Tuesday’s tragedy, an online petition has been started by concerned local residents calling for traffic calming measures to be introduced along Buckhurst Way, Loughton Way and Roding Lane. The petition has already gained over 1,900 signatures - representing over a third of all the people that live in the Buckhurst Hill East Ward(2) - from people who have become fed up with speeding along the roads in the local area.

Buckhurst Way, Loughton Way, Roding Lane, Palmerston Road and the High Road in Buckhurst Hill are all known locally to be dangerous roads where speeding by motorists is frequent and where accidents occur regularly. At Saturday’s meeting Buckhurst Hill residents told Green Party Parish and District Councillors, Matthew West, Steven Neville, Simon Heap and Sarah Goodfellow, of numerous accidents or near misses they had experienced on the roads around the town.

Of particular concern to local residents is the fact that a stretch of road that begins in the London Borough of Redbridge, named Hillside Avenue, has adequate street lighting and speed bumps until it crosses the border into Essex and becomes Buckhurst Way, the location of last week’s accident. 

Local residents, with the support of the Buckhurst Hill Green Party, are now calling on Essex County Council and Essex Highways to take urgently needed action and make immediate improvements to Buckhurst Way, Loughton Way, the High Road and Roding Lane in order to make local roads safe.

Local campaigners have three immediate demands:

1. That Essex Highways immediately impose speed bumps to reduce the chances of cars speeding along Buckhurst Way, Loughton Way and Roding Lane.
2. That Essex Highways improve road crossings on Buckhurst Way, Loughton Way and Roding Lane and the High Road with the introduction of Zebra crossings.
3. That Essex County Council restore street lighting throughout Buckhurst Hill to improve visibility on roads at night, and in order to improve overall safety of local residents.

Buckhurst Hill Green Party leader, Steven Neville, said: “It is a simple fact that a road that starts in the neighbouring town of Woodford has adequate traffic calming measures and street lighting to keep local residents safe but that once you cross what is, after all, an invisible border into Essex those measures that keep local residents safe disappear too.

“What makes Tuesday’s tragedy worse is that it occurred less than 100 metres from where those traffic calming measures and adequate street lighting end – all because it is the border between Essex and London.

“It’s hard for local people to escape the feeling that the safety of their neighbours just a few metres away in Woodford matters more to Redbridge Borough Council than their own lives do to Essex County Council and Essex Highways.

“Essex County Council and Essex Highways have been asked repeatedly over the years to look at the issue of speeding in Buckhurst Hill and have done next to nothing to tackle the problem.

“As the online petition started by local residents shows, people have had enough of being ignored by Essex Highways and Essex County Council. It’s about time those responsible took action before someone else is killed.”

Buckhurst Hill East Parish Candidates 2021: 4 -Matt West

 

Matt has close links to Buckhurst Hill and the surrounding area, having grown up in Abridge before moving to Rayleigh at the age of eight. He holds a History & Politics degree from the University of Essex and after graduating began a successful career in business and political journalism, working for among others the BBC, Channel 4 News and, as managing editor of the political news website politics.co.uk. Matt is now a PR Manager for a financial services trade association attempting to protect consumers from fraud, amongst other things. 

He has lived in Buckhurst Hill, with his wife and two young sons, since 2015.

Buckhurst Hill East Parish Candidates 2021: 3 -Anne Redelinghuys

 

Anne is an active member of the local community. She is passionate about the community, people, and nature. Always in the process to engage, empower and support local communities. Anne is a committed Christian, and works for a food bank.

In 2016 she was the driving force for the establishment of the very successful  GROW  Community garden and is in the process of recruiting to get another community growing space established. Her vision is to engage more people in organic food and flower growing activities.

She supported the establishment of the 3food4u food distribution group. 

Experienced in the environmental charity sector and collaborating with various groups and organisations, it is her vision to support building resilience and create environmental awareness. Believing in diversity and inclusivity to make a difference, empowering people is at the heart of her enthusiasm

Buckhurst Hill East Candidates 2021: 2 -Alison Hall

 

Alison Hall is standing for Parish Council and lives in the ward. She is a semi retired teacher who has run her own business. Alison says “ I’ve lived in Buckhurst Hill for 17 years and I love living here. I have recently semi-retired from teaching although I’m still helping students as a Learning Support Assistant at Redbridge Institute of Adult Education. In this role I help students who might be having difficulties. I assist in classes for students with learning difficulties and students who are studying for a Level 3 qualification.

 

I left school at 16 with no qualifications but went back to school in my late 30s and came out with a Degree just after my 40^th birthday. I started my teaching career at Barnet College and finished at Working Men’s College in Camden. I discovered that teaching is the most rewarding occupation especially teaching adults. In between I, with my daughter, started our own business which ran for 5 years. 

 

I am passionate about Buckhurst Hill, the diaspora of constituents and the closeness of town & country. We have been doing well but I believe with the right people, we can do better and I hope you will allow me, by voting for me, to assist in improving the lived experience of all people in Buckhurst Hill.”

Buckhurst Hill East Candidates 2021: 1 -Simon Heap

 Simon Heap has represented Buckhurst Hill East since 2016. Simon, who recently secured a commitment from Essex to resurface Albert Road and Buckhurst Way (currently scheduled to take place from July to September ), works in the creative sector in design and project management. He was born and lives in Buckhurst Hill and is married with two grown-up children.

He is standing the county council, seeking re-election as a district councillor and standing for the Parish Council. Simon has been a diligent and hard-working counsellor for Buckhurst Hill East. Among his achievements is getting Dene Road resurfaced, getting compensation for some residents adversely affected   by the building of new Council housing in Hornbeam Road, getting Epping Forest District Council to greatly delay any development at the shops and flats at the top of  Lower Queens Road, and countless pot holes and lights fixed. On Epping Forest District Council he has been effective thorn in the side of the ruling group by asking challenging questions about the council’s Qualis, the set of companies set up by EFDC, that services are being outsourced to, and the local plan.

Simon believes Essex county council is very badly run. He also believes that yet another Conservative councillor will not effectively challenge the status quo. Essex has served us badly. Our roads are in an awful state. They’ve cut back on children services, libraries and youth services, with the latter cut to the bone. At county hall he will be able to affect more effectively challenge the proposed Clean Air Zone of Epping Forest.

Greens in action

 Recently Steven has had the service road/path next door to the river housing allotments near the Boxted Close

entrance resurfaced and made level. He also got a park bench put back into the Roding Valley Recreation Ground.

Step Free Access

From Monday work will begin to open up the Lower Queens Road entrance of Buckhurst Hill station and allow step free access. Work still needs to be done to make the subway between the westbound and eastbound platforms disabled friendly.