Any local gov’t / Highways experts around? Installation of pedestrian crossing outside our homes🚦

[Papier1]

Our local council have informed us and our neighbours that they’re installing traffic lights/pedestrian crossing directly outside our row of terraced houses.

No consultation or anything like that, just a letter through the door to say it’s happening.

We will lose on street parking (fully aware this isn’t ‘ours’), which makes me concerned about the impact on house values - as well as where on earth we’re supposed to park! We wouldn’t have bought this house without the parking so it’s fair to say other people would think the same.

We’re also all concerned about the fumes from idling cars, and the increased noise/light pollution as well.

I guess I am most surprised that a council can just do this, with no notice or consultation? Am I wrong to be surprised? Is there anything we can do?

If it's need, say for a school, then it's needed but might they be amenable to suggestions it be sited elsewhere?

A controlled ie lights crossing is subject to a statutory consultation, a basic non controlled crossing is not.

You need to go back to your council.

Is it possible you missed this consultation?

Parking is a consideration, as are number accidents, traffic volumes and pollution caused by idling vehicles.

Yes, it will be controlled with lights / push button.

There was no consultation - the council has admitted this. The first we knew of it was a letter through the door saying the council have decided to install them.

I contacted the local MP a couple of weeks ago but had no reply - I do understand it is recess now.

I contacted the council to ask if it could be sited slightly elsewhere due to considerations such as parking, noise, pollution etc, but the reply was essentially, 'no, we've made the decision, tough luck.'

I just can't get my head round the fact that this is allowed?

I’m so upset about this; I feel so impotent that this can be imposed without even an acknowledgement. And literally overnight, £xx,000 wiped off the value of our homes as there is now no nearby parking available. I just don’t know how this is allowed.

When were you informed?

I would have thought if there is a statutory need for a consultation, they cant legally go ahead

However parking is a difficult one because you cant guarantee on street parking, its why I would never buy a house without off street parking. I take it there will be yellow lines now up to the crossing?

This type of crossing requires a Traffic Regulation Order. There has to be consultation with a TRO, at least notices on lamp posts but would have expected all those with direct impact to have received letters too. It's not a quick process and you need to understand where the local authority are within this process.
Has the consultation been concluded, what were the results and why weren't you made aware?

As others have said requires a TRO. These take months to put through. I would urgently contact your local ward councillor; they will be aware.

Also depending where you live will depend which type of council looks after highways; it won't necessarily be who you pay your council tax to.

We were informed through a letter through the door less than three weeks ago and the work was done today. They were hampered by the fact there were cars and a skip outside and people had gone to work - we hadn’t even received a letter to say what date the works would take place..!

Yes, there are now long zigzag lines stretching in both directions. Parking all gone.

On street parking was a compromise we made when we bought the house - but you never imagine it’s going to be taken away, do you!

It’s not just the parking that’s the issue though - the noise and fumes too 😔

There was no consultation so there was no outcome of the consultation. The local FB group has become very animated this evening.

Thank you for letting me know about the TRO. Our MP coincidentally replied to me a few hours ago saying she has contacted the council and will update me when she receives a response. I will email her tomorrow to mention the TRO. Thank you.

Have you spoken directly to your local councillors?

Crossings are not consulted on in the same way as other TROs. The council has to publish notice of its intention to install a crossing, and the public has 21 days to comment.

Have you found the notice, in the local press or on the council's website?

There is no right to park outside your property, as you know. It is likely that the crossing was requested by the local community. The need for a crossing will have been assessed and prioritised. Crossings are very costly so this was not installed on a whim!

So… there is no TRO. And no published notice at all. Nothing. Just a letter through our doors a few weeks ago.

No word back from the MP.

This has taken away 8-9 car parking spaces and there simply isn’t anywhere else locally that we can park.

I am trying to put on a brave face but DH is gutted. He says we have put so much money into this house to refurb it and now he doesn’t want to live here any more. He’s right, we would never have bought this house without the on street parking. We ruled out so many houses on this basis. It’s wiped thousands off the house value. And now we have traffic lights right outside our living room window and all the bus passengers peering in.

I simply cannot understand how a council can do this.

No, we haven’t contacted the councillors. We have emailed them once before about another issue but they weren’t helpful and didn’t do anything about it.

Does anyone know if there’s any legislation about how close a traffic light can be situated next to a house?

Position is based on proximity from the kerb to allow clearance for passing vehicles. If the light is bothering you, because it's aging into your windows, you can request that shielding is added.

Please contact your councillors to take the issue up on your behalf. That's their job.

Sadly, from the lists on the local Facebook group, the councillors are all right behind it.

Two other options are to

Make a Freedom of Information request to ascertain what process should have been followed (public advertisements, consultation) and whether it was followed, request details of the TRO notices and outcomes etc.

Make a formal complaint about what has happened, lack of consultation, notices etc. There are steps to follow and if still not satisfactory you can go to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Re the noise, there's a silent one near me that wouldn't disturb neighbours. You could get blackouts for the light.

Where I live councillors are only against things on their own road

@Papier1 This has taken away 8-9 car parking spaces and there simply isn’t anywhere else locally that we can park.

nb you have just as much right to park on the road 3 houses away as soon as the crossing-area-paint stops as the people who live 3 doors away do. It's not the case that you have to park far away. All on-street spaces are 1st come 1st served

You are looking for evidence that due process was not followed. Stick to the facts and don't rant about loss of parking, but mention practicalities such as distance from alternative onstreet parking, inability to load/unload directly outside. Noise and increase air pollution from idling traffic. Disturbance in bedrooms from the traffic lights and any additional street lighting.

Hi @Papier1what happened with your crossing? I am facing the same situation! We have also spent thousands on our home! But my husband is refusing to move and I’m desperate to!