We have received a copy of an open letter addressed to Steve Tuckwell (Leader of Hillingdon Council), Phillip Corthorne, John Riley and Peter Smallwood (Ruislip’s ward councillors) and Hillingdon Council’s Complaints department, and reproduce it in full, below:
URGENT FORMAL COMPLAINT & SAFETY ESCALATION:
Re – Dangerous Driving, Traffic Evasion, and Shift-Worker Sleep Deprivation on Ducks Hill RoadI am writing to lodge a formal corporate complaint regarding the unmanaged traffic crisis on Ducks Hill Road caused by visitors to Ruislip Lido.
The situation has severely escalated from a seasonal parking issue to an active public safety hazard and a direct threat to my health and livelihood.
- Dangerous and Illegal Driving Conduct To evade the gridlock and traffic controls at the Bury Street/Reservoir Road junctions
I have repeatedly witnessed motorists executing highly dangerous manoeuvres outside my property. This includes multiple cars deliberately driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic and vehicles speeding illegally the wrong way through the local car wash premises to bypass queues. This behaviour puts pedestrians and other law-abiding road users at immediate risk of a serious collision.
- Ineffectiveness of Parking Fines & Controlled Zone Violations
Furthermore, visitors are now routinely parking in surrounding Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) and on local verges completely irrespective of any tickets issued. Drivers treat standard Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) simply as a “cost of admission” to the Lido. Because financial penalties are entirely failing to act as a deterrent, illegal and obstructive parking continues unabated throughout the day, completely undermining the purpose of local residential restrictions.
- Severe Health and Wellbeing Impact (Shift Worker)
I am a shift worker who works night shifts. The non-stop, aggressive blasting of car horns by gridlocked drivers completely deprives me of daytime sleep. The council’s failure to manage the Lido traffic is creating an unbearable statutory noise nuisance that leaves me completely unable to sleep or rest in my own home, severely impacting my safety at work and my mental health. The current management strategy is failing entirely.
- Hostility to Enforcement and Abuse of Traffic Barriers
The situation has further deteriorated into an issue of public disorder. Visitors are now completely ignoring the physical traffic cones placed to protect residential areas, with drivers actively moving or running them over to force entry. Furthermore, the council’s parking management team is routinely subjected to severe verbal abuse and intimidation from aggressive drivers when trying to enforce restrictions. It is clear that standard traffic management staff can no longer safely contain this crowd behavior without a dedicated, high-visibility police presence.I urge Hillingdon Council to move beyond ineffective ticketing and work immediately with the Metropolitan Police to deploy towing operations for vehicles violating the clearway, alongside physical traffic management teams to intercept dangerous drivers. I also demand the deployment of noise-monitoring and high-visibility traffic wardens to deter anti-social horn usage. I expect a formal response within 10 working days detailing how the council and police intend to jointly handle this dangerous escalation.
Yours sincerely,
[Name withheld to protect resident privacy]
Editor’s Note: The author of this open letter has shared their full name and address with us but requested anonymity online
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