Getting the facts out on shisha dangers
Your councillors are working to spread the word on how to run shisha premises responsibly. Shisha smoking is at least as dangerous as cigarette smoking in terms of nicotine content, and several Middle Eastern countries have taken action against it. Carbon monoxide and particulates are by-products of the preparation process, coals need to be disposed of without causing fire risks, and, where pipes are shared, there are wider health concerns.
The number of shisha premises has more than doubled in the last six years and many operators are confused about what regulations apply. Westminster City Council has produced a document about the health risks and how premises can comply with regulation. You can find it here via this link: Shisha Strategy. The Council is also lobbying to make shisha a licensable activity, to give us more tools to help ensure businesses comply.
More trees for Hyde Park ward and a special community event
Your councillors organised some tree planting around the ward in the late spring, to improve the streetscape and air quality. The hot spell at the beginning of the summer may have affected their ability to become established. Some very kind local people and businesses looked after trees near them and gave them weekly buckets of water but not all of them flourished. In those cases the nursery has agreed to provide replacements in the autumn. Let us know where you think there is space appropriate for tree planting as we can try to get more trees in, if the infrastructure allows.
Also coming this autumn: the 50th Horseman’s Sunday. On September 17th St John’s Church in Hyde Park Crescent will carry out the 50th blessing of the horses, marking a half-century of celebration of the role of horses in and around Hyde Park. This year, working horses from far and wide will be joining the procession on what is a unique London celebration open to the whole community. As usual, there will be some limited road closures that morning so it’s a good chance for a stroll to see this very special event.
New stop sign, road markings and double yellow lines to tackle traffic dangers
After hearing reports of accidents at the Connaught Square junction with Seymour Street, your councillors had the "Give Way" signs changed to a "Stop" sign, to reinforce the need for traffic coming southbound out of Connaught Square towards the park to be extra careful. The new sign means drivers must actually stop at the stop line, not just slow down. This is a particularly important junction for safety, being just opposite a school and on a much used walking route. It will soon be in the 20 mph trial area, which we anticipate will also help reduce accidents here. Also, in Chilworth Mews, traffic volume monitoring has been carried out at residents’ request and new road markings put in.
At the time of writing, new double yellow lines are also due to go in, following consultation in June, at the junctions of Hyde Park Square, Hyde Park Street and the western end of Connaught Street, in order to prevent dangerous parking. The traffic order maker can be contacted on 020 3116 5996, ref 7308/LH, if you would like further details. We will be providing details of further traffic matters in future e-newsletters as well as to residents’ groups.
