Safety works at several North Harrow crossings are under renewed pressure after a series of serious incidents, with calls for Transport for London and Harrow Council to move faster on long-discussed changes.
London Assembly Member Krupesh Hirani has said action is needed at junctions on Pinner Road after collisions that campaigners say have already had devastating consequences.
The issue has been raised repeatedly over several years. According to the source material, incidents at the North Harrow junctions have included minor collisions, serious injuries and deaths. Campaigners point to the death of a cyclist in 2021 and a Year 7 child being hit by a car and suffering life-changing injuries.
School raises concerns over daily risk
Nower Hill School has also spoken publicly about conditions at the junction of Pinner Road and George V Avenue, where staff have been helping children cross safely.
Jo Skelhorne, headteacher at Nower Hill School, said: “The safety of our pupils, staff and families is our top priority. That’s why we’re so concerned about the risks at this junction.
“There have been a number of incidents involving this junction, including children and staff being injured. Every day staff are positioned on duty on this junction to reduce the risk of traffic accidents, and every day we witness close encounters between cars and children crossing the road. This underlines how necessary it is for action to be taken.”
She also said the school had welcomed the chance to speak directly with the Deputy Mayor about the risks at the junction and now wanted to see action that would give pupils, parents and staff greater confidence when travelling to and from school.
Delays, consultation and funding questions
Hirani has been pressing City Hall on the issue since at least September 2022, when he asked Mayor Sadiq Khan about urgent safety measures at Station Road and Pinner Road. At that stage, the response said designs were being reviewed.
He later asked what progress had been made after TfL reportedly provided £125,000 to Harrow Council to develop designs. TfL said a cyber incident in September 2024 had delayed the project. Hirani has since argued that the works have taken too long to move forward, and said there was an unexplained period between January 2025 and about March 2026 while modelling work continued. Since then, the Mayor said in response that Harrow Council had submitted designs and modelling for its preferred option in February.
A public consultation has now been published for improvements at Pinner Road and Station Road. It is due to run from September 22 until November 2, 2026. Harrow Council says that, depending on the outcome of the consultation and any further design work and approvals, the scheme is being considered for construction in 2027/27.
For the other two junctions, funding has not yet been approved. Harrow Council says feasibility work has been carried out for Pinner Road, George V Avenue and Headstone Drive, and that a preferred option is being developed. That option would include:
- controlled staggered crossings on all arms
- removal of splitter islands
- removal of slip lanes to simplify crossings
- wider footways
Proposals are also being developed for Imperial Drive and The Ridgeway, but the council says funding has not yet been approved to move the plans beyond that stage.
Who is responsible for what
Harrow Council says it requested £75,000 for each of the three junctions in 2025/26, but TfL only allocated funding to progress the Pinner Road and Station Road scheme. No funding was allocated at this stage for Imperial Drive and The Ridgeway or for Pinner Road and George V Avenue.
TfL has confirmed that Harrow Council has spent £13,000 of the allocated funding so far and that a further £190,000 will be allocated in the next financial year. The Conservative administration at Harrow Council has also said it requested £1.92 million from TfL to support the construction phase, subject to approvals and confirmation of funding.
Cllr David Ashton, Harrow Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and Highways, said: “TfL have only agreed to fund one of these three schemes, the Pinner Road/Station Road scheme in North Harrow.
“We are currently consulting with residents as the pedestrian crossing improvements will require alterations to traffic flows. The council is reliant on TfL to model these changes, which has taken more time than we would have liked.
“We are also keen to progress the other pedestrian crossing improvements, but TfL have not yet approved the necessary funding.”
TfL has said Harrow Council, as the local highway authority, is responsible for developing and delivering works at these locations, while TfL continues to work with the council and provide support where appropriate.
The dispute over pace, funding and responsibility means residents in North Harrow are still waiting for permanent changes at junctions that have been the subject of concern for years.
