Roads

Dirty streets
Residents are not satisfied with the street-cleaning arrangements in Loughton. LRA are working hard to improve the situation. If you think your local street needs sweeping ring 01992 564608. If you do, please email us to let us know.

Reporting road defects
Don’t just grouse. Go to www.essexcc.gov.uk, click on 'Report a highway defect' and follow the links, and give the exact location and description, or call 0845 603 7621. You can report damage to (or other) grass verge problems; vegetation problems; damaged or incorrect signs; drainage problems; highway or road lining defects; kerb, path or footway or pot hole defects; street furniture defects; and third party accident claims. If you think the situation is an emergency, please call the Highways Department on 0845 603 7631 (24 hours).

New street lights
Some people are unhappy about the visual impact of the new lighting columns. At 6 metres (20ft) high, they are 3 feet higher than the existing ones, with the benefit that fewer columns are required. Most new columns are located at the back of the footway. A shorter column will be used where the street has little or no frontage and shared surfaces for pedestrians and vehicles, or where there are other reasons why the taller columns are inappropriate. There are already 6-metre columns incorporating the new SON/T lamps in Englands Lane, Pyrles Lane and Forest Road. In conservation areas the traditional style of columns will be retained.

Epping Forest Transport Strategy
report on the responses received to the public consultation, see www.essex.gov.uk/efts.  The key actions (with consultation where appropriate) in the Year 1 work programme are:
i)      development of the cattle grid network as part of the Branching Out Project;
ii)     a full review of speed limits;
iii)    minor road closures;
iv)    crossing point design and locations to be prioritised;
v)     detailed design and development of gateway infrastructure.

Station Approach
LRA Cllr Ken Angold-Stephens’ long-running battle to sort out the ownership of Station Approach – and get it properly cleaned and maintained – is not over yet. Sainsburys are responsible for the beds bordering the car park, which makes sense as they are on their side of the barrier. But why are London Underground Ltd (LUL) still responsible for the triangular bed next to Great Eastern Path, which should have been adopted by the County Council Highways Dept (who are responsible for all the other beds)? Somehow or other we will get it cleaned up!

M25 widening
The Highways Agency has awarded a £6.2bn contract for 30 years to widen the M25 between Junction 27 (M11) and Junction 30 (A13), beginning in July 2009 and ending before the Olympics in 2012.

In The Dark
Essex County Council (ECC) is considering turning off streetlights in Loughton and other towns after midnight. LRA County Councillor (and Town Mayor) Chris Pond spoke out at the West Essex Forum against a blanket imposition of a midnight switch-off. Cllr Pond stated that "life in Loughton carries on past midnight, especially in the High Road and with people returning from London".
Although the LRA recognises that there are sustainable and economical benefits to reduced lighting, it believes that these can still be achieved either with a shorter switch off time (say from 01.30) or by reducing the number of lights switched on after midnight. To find out more, please visit www.loughtonsafe.webs.com.
The proposals will now be considered by ECC's Safer and Stronger Communities Committee, with hearing(s) from September 2010, under the chairmanship of LRA Cllr Chris Pond.

Fly-posting
is a nuisance and unsightly. If you see any fly-posting in Loughton (or anywhere in the south of Epping Forest District) please contact the Environment & Neighbourhood Officers who deal with the south of the district - either Michael Richardson (mrichardson@eppingforestdc.gov.uk)  or Chris Smith (csmith@eppingforestdc.gov.uk);  01992564160.