• HUNDREDS of West Hampstead residents are feeling tired and frustrated. Traffic and parking problems on and around Maygrove Road and Iverson Road are the cause, as residents with small children or disabled family members struggle to park on their own streets and suffer from traffic jams that frequently lead to blaring car horns late into the night, keeping even non-driving residents awake.

New building developments, approved by Camden Council, have further exacerbated these issues. Residents had repeatedly predicted the increase in traffic, but these concerns were ignored. The narrow streets are far too congested for two lanes of traffic and car parking spaces are always full.

Residents have suffered these problems for over two years and have called on Camden Council for a solution. The parking zone (CA-Q) is huge, stretching over two kilometres from Cricklewood Broadway to Abbey Road. Limited traffic management exists.

More than 200 Maygrove and Iverson residents have signed a petition for a separate parking zone that better reflects parking habits and would allow better traffic management.
Despite this Camden continues to fail the residents.

At a council meeting this month, when the issue was discussed, West Hampstead’s councillors didn’t inform residents of their right to speak by making a deputation, meaning their voices weren’t heard.

What’s more, a Labour councillor made a speech against their proposal. It was left to Hampstead Town’s Conservative councillors to make the case for West Hampstead residents.

Camden’s administration has demanded residents collect 800 signatures before it will look at the proposal, but this is wildly unrealistic – a case of bureaucracy trumping humanity.

Council officers should visit the area, see the chaos that the lack of traffic management has caused, and launch an immediate consultation to tackle this issue and give West Hampstead some much needed rest.

MARIA HIGSON
DAVID BRESCIA
MOHAMMED SALIM
Conservative candidates for West Hampstead ward