s=10RESIDENTS of streets bordering Pymmes Park are at war with each other over proposals to introduce a traffic calming scheme.o

Householders living in Victoria Road towards the junction with the North Circular Road are delighted their part of the road is to be closed to traffic as it will prevent their street being used as a short cut to Edmonton.

However residents living in Sweet Briar Walk and Park Lane fear the closure will simply shift the problem of rat-running motorists into their roads. They also believe it will increase the risk of accidents

The final decision to go ahead with the partial road closure was taken at a meeting of the full council on Wednesday.

Councillors decided to press ahead with the traffic calming scheme despite opponents presenting a 250-signature petition to members.

Leading the deputation was Kenneth Hill. He said: "Closing part of Victoria Road will just shift the problem into our streets. I think the whole plan is wrong. We are confused about the determination and the stubbornness of the council to go ahead with the road closure."

Maria Sotiriou was among 72 residents who wrote to the council expressing their desire to close the road.

She said: "The residents of Victoria Road applaud the planned closure of our road and wholly support this decision."

Cabinet member for the environment department Cllr Betty Costello said: " We decided to close the road in response to a petition from people in Victoria Road. In recent years the volume of traffic has increased by 84 per cent so something had to be done because people's lives were being made a misery".

Cllr Costello said surrounding roads would be monitored and further traffic calming schemes may be introduced if the increase in the volume of traffic increases markedly.

She said she hoped part of Victoria Road would be cut off before Christmas. A gate will allow access for emergency vehicles.