Current Petition

Presentation by Mark Blundell to Hertsmere Council - 20 October 2009:

"For the twelve years that I have lived on Shenleybury the traffic has increased in both volume and speed.  The speed is theoretically restricted to 40mph; it is however not enforced and is continually exceeded. 

If vehicles kept within the speed limit there would be no problem here.  They don’t and there have been many accidents.

A child pedestrian very nearly died and was in intensive care at the Royal Free Hospital with serious head injuries; a gentleman driver is still under specialist care following an accident a year ago.

There are regular accidents involving cars coming off the road and ending up in the bushes, indeed one of these very nearly ran over my wife, daughter and mother as they left the Churchyard.

Accidents are also commonplace at the roundabout at the bottom of Black Lion Hill. 

It is just luck that there have been no deaths in recent times.

With the advent and growth of the Clore Shalom School and the greater number of children who now walk to that school there are far more pedestrians that use Shenleybury, particularly at peak times.  The Shared Futures Project between Clore Shalom School and Shenley JMI means more and more children will walk between the two schools along Black Lion Hill and Shenleybury.

They are at severe risk if cars continue to travel those roads at speeds in excess of the legal limit.

Indeed on Black Lion Hill it is extremely difficult when coming down the hill to adhere to the 30 mph limit and as a result few drivers do, despite the automatic sign at the bottom of the hill. Those that do adhere to the limit are frequently overtaken by illegally fast drivers.  There is a very narrow pavement here from which fast traffic seems almost to suck pedestrians into the road.  Children walk this road. 

The traffic here must be slowed to 30 mph limit.

There is an old persons home also with a blind access onto the road, a church and any number of private houses with access onto this road on which vehicles are often travelling  in excess of 60mph.  There is a bridleway that crosses Shenleybury which is regularly used by walkers, cyclists and horses.  This crossing place has a dangerous blind spot.

There are tragic accidents waiting to happen all along these roads.

The traffic must be slowed down at least to the limit on both sections of this road, Shenleybury and Black Lion Hill.  There are a number of ways this could be achieved:

A roundabout at the junction Shenleybury with Farm Close

A Pegasus crossing, controlled by traffic lights similar to the one in Bell Lane, at the point that Bridleway 13 crosses Shenleybury or at least a chicane similar to that on the approach to South Mimms

Even an operating speed camera or two.

We would have thought that the roundabout and crossing would achieve the desired result on Shenleybury and a Chicane, speed camera or at least double white lines on Black Lion Hill.

Something has to be done or people will die."

The Action Group for a Safer Shenley will continue to campaign for action to be taken to slow the traffic to the stated limits on all approach and through roads to our village until Shenley is a safe place to walk, cycle, horse ride and drive.

Original Petition

"We the undersigned wish it to be known that we have severe concerns at the excessive speed of the traffic that enters our village of Shenley on the three main access roads: Shenleybury and onto Black Lion Hill; London Road and Green Street, leading on to Woodhall Lane."

It is our intention, through the Action Group for a Safer Shenley, to submit detailed requests for specific action in all locations to ensure the safety of our neighbours and in particular of our children who are at great risk under the present arrangement of roads.

Our first submission will be concerning Shenleybury, leading onto Black Lion Hill.