Rayners Lane Town Centre Improvements
Welcome to the Rayners Lane Town Centre improvements engagement page.
What is this about?
Rayners Lane Town Centre is a vibrant destination with great shops, restaurants, services, and transport links.
Following engagement with residents and businesses this autumn, the London Borough of Harrow has launched a 6-month Red Route trial. A series of parking and loading improvements to help ease congestion and improve access in the area have also been introduced.
We have also carried out resurfacing works in Rayners Lane Town Centre as part of Harrow’s £42 million Better Roads investment programme, which is delivering better, safer road surfaces across the borough.
The 6-month experimental Red Route trial began on Monday 24 November 2025.
What were these measures implemented?
Feedback from residents, local businesses, emergency services, and London Buses highlighted several ongoing challenges in Rayners Lane Town Centre, including:
Dangerous double-parking and vehicles idling in unsuitable areas
Limited short-stay parking and loading facilities for shoppers and businesses
Motorcycles occupying parking bays intended for cars and delivery vehicles.
These issues cause congestion, delay emergency and bus services, reduce air quality, and negatively affect the town centre’s appeal for residents, visitors, and traders.
While the previous parking controls offered some support, they were no longer enough to tackle persistent problems.
Action was needed to improve safety, accessibility, and traffic flow for everyone using the road network.
What’s changed?
To address these issues, we have introduced a trial Red Route along key sections of Rayners Lane Town Centre:
Alexandra Avenue, between Warden Avenue and Rayners Lane
Rayners Lane, between Alexandra Avenue and Village Way East
Village Way East, between Rayners Lane and Imperial Drive
High Worple, extended following public feedback
Sections of road marked with Double Red Lines are subject to a strict “no stopping at any time” rule.
This includes stopping for drop-offs, pick-ups, or deliveries, except in clearly marked bays.
Exemptions apply only to:
Emergency vehicles
Buses
Licensed taxis (Hackney carriages/black cabs) briefly picking up or dropping off passengers
Blue Badge holders assisting disabled passengers (briefly, not parked)
Compliance will be monitored using CCTV and other enforcement methods in line with current legislation.
What else is changing?
Alongside the Red Route, we have introduced several additional improvements to make parking and loading more efficient and to keep traffic moving:
Updated Pay by Phone parking hours and new location codes across Alexandra Avenue, Imperial Drive, Rayners Lane, Village Way East and Warden Avenue. Please check parking signs carefully when you park.
Dedicated motorcycle bays with a maximum stay of 1 hour to encourage turnover and prevent long-stay use.
Improved Blue Badge parking, including one additional bay.
One-hour free parking will continue in all council-managed car parks and on-street Pay by Phone bays.
What changed following engagement?
Following engagement and drop-in sessions outside Rayners Lane Station in the autumn, the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Highways and Community Safety approved the Red Route trial with the following adjustments:
Extension of the Red Route along High Worple to reduce unsafe parking and improve traffic flow.
Two new 5-minute parking bays near Rayners Lane Station for quick drop-offs and pick-ups.
Relocation of a loading bay on Rayners Lane to better serve businesses with frequent deliveries.
Extension of the loading bay outside 429 Alexandra Avenue to accommodate larger delivery vehicles.
Improved signage to help guide motorists to Rayners Lane Station Car Park (on High Worple), which offers all-day parking.
These refinements were made to improve safety and access while supporting local businesses.
Resurfacing works
As part of the London Borough of Harrow’s £42 million Better Roads investment, resurfacing works were completed on Alexandra Avenue, High Worple, Rayners Lane, and Village Way East. These works improve road quality and safety in Rayners Lane Town Centre.
How will the trial work?
The Red Route and associated parking and loading changes have been introduced under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) from 24 November 2025 to 20 May 2026.
During this period, we will:
Run a public consultation to gather feedback
Monitor traffic and parking activity
Assess whether the measures reduce illegal and unsafe parking
Identify any unintended impacts
You can provide feedback or submit formal objections at any time during the 6-month trial via the online survey below.
If submitting in writing, please quote reference 25-39 BJ and send to:
Transportation, London Borough of Harrow
P.O. Box 1362, Harrow, HA3 3RL
transportation@harrow.gov.uk
What happens after the trial?
All feedback and monitoring data will be reviewed and presented to Cabinet for consideration.
Recommendations will determine whether to:
Make the measures permanent
Amend the scheme, or
Remove it entirely
The trial may be extended for up to 12 additional months, allowing a maximum duration of 18 months under the ETO.
Everyone who submits feedback will be informed of the outcome and next steps once a decision has been made.
Find out more
You can:
Read FAQs and view updated scheme plans
Follow updates throughout the trial
Share your views via the survey below
If you’d like to discuss any aspect of the scheme in more detail, please contact:
transportation@harrow.gov.uk
