DANGEROUS speed chicanes which become invisible in snowy weather could kill a motorcyclist, say residents who are fighting for their removal.
A meeting is to take place on March 23 at Hillingdon Civic Centre, to discuss the future of the chicanes, which are situated in Ryefield Avenue, Hillingdon.
The chicanes were installed several years ago when the roads on the Oak Farm Estate were given an overhaul, being reduced to 20mph zones. Yet residents say they never asked for, or were notified about the chicanes.
Connie Evans, 89, chair of the Oak Farm Residents Association, said: "We never wanted them, these granite blocks shorten the width of the road. We are arguing that they are expensive to upkeep, always getting broken and serve no useful purpose. This is a bus route. Between buses and the parked cars down there you don't need the road narrowed, not in our estimation."
Vic Stoneham, of Lynhurst Crescent, is leading the fight, and lodged the petition last August, and it has taken until now for the council to set a date to hear their petition.
"When a vehicle parks on the opposite side to them, have to play chicken with the car coming the other way. It's a real dangerous game. When they are covered in four inches of snow you can't see them, a motorcyclist or cyclist could fly straight into one without ever knowing they are there. The council are regularly having to come out and repair them, so they cannot be cost effective."
The Oak Farm Residents Association secured funding from TfL in 2007 years ago after a long fight. Mrs Evans said: "A decade ago a young boy was killed down here on a motorbike, the speed reduction has stopped a lot of nasty accidents, but these granite blocks mean there is still a risk."
Hillingdon Council have compiled a report ahead of the meeting tonight which Mr Stoneham is not happy with.
But all three ward councillors for Hillingdon East, Councillor Wayne Bridges, Councillor Patricia Jackson, and Councillor Timothy Barker (all Con) have backed the residents views.
The council report states it will listen to the petitioners concerns, and plans to instruct officers to assess the complaints about the hazards. It also disputes Mrs Evans' account, saying that the design was drawn up in conjunction with her, as the chair of the residents association.
