How did the Problem Start?
In 2000, planning permission was granted by East Herts District Council for the development of the site (which adjoins the BP petrol station) as a McDonald’s restaurant and drive-thru.
Some five years later, traffic signals were installed on the Rush Green roundabout, aimed at reducing the number of collisions resulting in personal injury and, according to Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) Highways, this worked although traffic problems still remained. Also in 2005 the BP petrol station added an M&S store adding further traffic to the site.
Many drivers who use Rush Green still regard the situation as dangerous, especially at peak times when queuing for McDonalds and the BP garage causes tailbacks onto the roundabout and roads leading to it.
What's been the Campaign so far?
Since 2013, local residents, Nigel and Lesley Bowen, together with councillors and others have campaigned for measures to improve this chaotic situation. Although the entrance to the services roundabout was subsequently designated as an urban clearway (meaning cars cannot queue there) this is ignored and the police have stated that they do not have the resources to enforce it. Urban clearways are not well understood by motorists and HCC have rejected suggestions that signage be erected to make it clear that queuing onto the roundabout is illegal.
In 2015 a proposal for a ‘yellow box junction’ was considered but a safety audit ruled this out due to “safety issues” and additional concerns that it might interfere with the workings of the traffic signals and thereby create further problems. These perceived safety issues have never been satisfactorily explained by Hertfordshire County Council.
Then, in March 2017, at a public meeting chaired by our County Councillor the ongoing problems relating to Rush Green roundabout were included in discussion and an action plan was agreed, which looked at possible immediate, medium and longer term solutions.
In 2018, Nigel Bowen launched a petition aimed at urging the County Council to work with McDonald's and BP to resolve the issue. The petition was presented at a full council meeting and then referred to a County Council cabinet meeting in July 2018, where it was agreed that all stakeholders would work together on proposed changes to the access and egress arrangements.
As a result of the petition, HCC proposed three potential mitigations and selected their preferred option which would reduce the number of cars queuing by three or four vehicles so would be ineffective at peak times. Furthermore, in relation to HCC’s preferred option it is not clear from the plan what will happen to pedestrian access to footpaths from the roundabout.
2018 also saw the police also issue orders against both companies to resolve the nuisance caused by the site. This has proved ineffective.
During November 2019, The Kingsmead Residents’ Association (KRA) organised a peaceful protest outside McDonalds. At the time, KRA Chairperson, Mike Viitmaa told the local press: “The local councils, including Highways and the Herts Police, must take some of the responsibility for allowing the retailers to overdevelop their outlets, thereby culminating in the hazards we currently experience. This together with ineffective enforcement of offending traffic blocking what I suspect is meant be a clearway, is a dereliction of public duty to the community." In the same press article, a county council spokesperson said: “This is a complex issue and it's therefore taking a long time to resolve. However, we have agreed what we believe is a practical and affordable solution with McDonald's and BP. We're currently trying to get a commitment from both businesses to fund the works”.
Unsurprisingly, in response to the recent Kingsmead Neighbourhood Plan Initial Survey, a total of 88 percent of respondents cited the significant issues caused by the poor layout at Rush Green roundabout as being a major issue for them.
Where are we now?
The HCC selected proposal offers a slip road on Stanstead Road which appears to accommodate approximately four vehicles; many residents do not believe this measure will help and it will impact the limited pedestrian access to the roundabout and footpaths. McDonald’s stated its willingness to fund these measures but for some time BP were not agreeable and did not engage in discussions therefore the situation stalled for a long period of time.
During lockdown McDonalds have employed a traffic marshal, who uses a board to close the drive thru when traffic becomes an issue, this has largely been ineffective as the sign is ignored by motorists.
The current position is that BP and McDonalds are involved in talks with HCC and our MP about progressing a solution/mitigation. In the past, BP have been very reluctant to engage in these talks and proceedings have stagnated.
Furthermore, BP have recently applied for an alcohol licence extension which is being objected to by a number of residents on safety and nuisance grounds due to the traffic issues already caused by the site.
Kingsmead Residents’ Association – March 2021
Contributors:
N. Bowen; K. Johns; M. Viitmaa; B. Wrangles
The proposed change to the junction is loaded below and can be either downloaded or viewed
I just had an email from Discover Hertford with the Headline “Rush Green Resolved?”
So has it?
https://www.hertford.net/local-news/523/rush-green-resolved