Ever since the proposal for the main entrance of the Kensington Aldridge Academy to be located on the junction of Silchester Road and Lancaster Road, the Grenfell Action Group and local people have been warning the RBKC Council that it is only a matter of time before a school child becomes involved in a serious or fatal road accident.
It is well known among our community that many car drivers pay no respect to supposed speed limits in this area and see the stretch of Lancaster Road, leading away from Ladbroke Grove, as an ideal chance to put their foot down and gather some speed. It has been witnessed that cars are often seen careering around the corner at the junction of Silchester and Lancaster Road and that this has been a site of road traffic accidents in the past.
Residents from Lancaster West came together during the consultation for the KALC project and informed RBKC about our concerns and our local Labour Councillors even included a reference to these concerns in their official response to the the KALC Planning Application way back in 2012:
9.0 The Transport Assessment
The Junction of Lancaster Road and Silchester Road:
9.1 Children will approach the Academy from the east at a very dangerous blind bend where Lancaster Road meets Silchester Road – the site of several road fatalities in the past and regular traffic “incidents”. These notwithstanding, it seems that there will be no bollards along this pavement.
The road safety and traffic mitigation measures at the junction of Lancaster Road and Silchester Road must be revised and improved.
Despite the urging of our Notting Barns Councillors and the concerns voiced by the local community it appears that Laura Johnson (RBKC Head of KALC) and her cabal at the Council have done very little indeed to address the issues that we have raised and, by failing to act, we believe that they are neglecting their duty to properly ensure the safety and well-being of the young children attending the Aldridge Academy as they enter and exit the school campus.
Despite repeated warnings, no effort has been made by RBKC to introduce speed ramps, to install a properly located pedestrian traffic crossing or traffic lights, to protect the pavement with bollards or to even adequately sign-post that a school building is approaching. This lack of action is dangerous and negligent of RBKC and needs to be responded to as a matter of urgency.
We restate to RBKC the promise that the Grenfell Action Group made to the Council a few years ago that we will march to Hornton Street when the first child is injured in a road accident and we insist that any blood spilt will be entirely the responsibility of the Council.
Grenfell Action Group 