Southwark has many traffic lights. Across London 6,452 traffic signals and TfL is responsible for all of them. 1,390 of these crossings have ZERO pedestrian facilities. Legislation was passed 1995 that they all had to be safer for all residents especially those with disabilities. This has been interpreted as just the 5,049 with traffic lights. But after 22 years we still have some of those traffic signals not compliant with that legislation. Fortunately none in Southwark.
Council officials after the latest batch of speed surveys and crash reports have come up with the 12 roads where 20mph is being exceeded the most across Southwark:
Sadly many of these roads in in East Dulwich.
They will now review what measures could be taken to bring vehicles down to the speed limit of 20mph. The most effective has been shown to be average speed cameras. Close to 100% adherence where installed. But camera enforcement is a cross London enforcement via the London Camera Partnership – so we need TfL to agree as well as the Met Police.
While we wait if you’d like to try enforcing the speed limit please join us on the local Community Speed Watch – contact me directly for more details.
Our most notorious road junction in East Dulwich is where East Dulwich Grove (EDG) meets Lordship Lane. It feels dangerous and you have be razor sharp crossing with confidence. Over the last 5 years 10 crashes have occurred.
Putting full traffic lights would significantly reduce the capacity of Lordship Lane there and result in lots more rat running. It would also see significant parking removed to make it happen – both along Lordship Lane and East Dulwich Grove – which is predicted to speed traffic up countering any safety.
On a site visit with council officials we noted the following potential improvements:
Southwark Labour proposed earlier this year to have 10m of double yellow lines added to East Dulwich junctions. So for a 4 way junction 10m on each side of each junction would result in 80m of double yellow lines. We have a lot of junctions WOW circa 10km of parking would be removed across Dulwich.
We’ve objected and finally had agreement that ward councillors will review all such junctions and make our counter proposals. This is what I’ve proposed to my ward colleagues – maximum of 2m of double yellow lines from the apex of each corner. Cllr Rosie Shimell has confirmed she agrees so we’re now just waiting for the Labour councillor to agree or make alternate proposals for us to consider
East Dulwich double yelllow lines Sheet1
What do you think?
Some good news. Wednesday night East Dulwich councillors allocated our devolved road maintenance budget as per my proposals. All this maintenance is long over due and completes partially completed work funded by Southwark Council – we’re having to use our devolved budget to finish these incomplete works,
Rodwell Road – £29,870 to resurface parts of Rodwell Road not resurfaced previously. Not enough to do the pavements as well. Another year.
Landcroft Road – £20,000 to resurface middle third of Landcroft Road not previously resurfaced.
Landells road – £47,250 to replace half of all the pavements of Landells Road.
The works should take place between November and March 2017. When we have more details of exactly when the work will take place we’ll let everyone know.
For many many years cyclists killed and seriously injured on our roads have been systematically been denied justice. The Police appear to consider cycling a dangerous activity and assume somehow they’re guilty of any crash rather than motor vehicles around them having a duty of care to more vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.
The Police have failed and keep failing cyclists and their families.
Whereas for animal welfare the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) separately investigate crimes against animals. They decide whether to prosecute and frankly do a far better job than if the Police were to carry out this role.
Is it time for vulnerable roads users to have that type of separate more professional investigating body to properly investigate crashes involving cyclists or pedestrians?
I would say yes. How we’d fund it then becomes the issue and creating the laws to make this happen.
Do you agree? Or do you prefer motorists to be keep crashing into cyclists with relative impunity?
East Dulwich Road will be resurfaced 3->5 November each night between 8pm and 5am between Grove Vale and Crystal Palace Road. This assumes no surprises or bad weather.
Noisy work will be, as much as possible, contained 8pm to midnight each evening.
I’ve asked what the diversions for bus route 37 & 484 will be and other traffic. I’ve also had an extended dialogue with council officials over the summer about taking this closure as an opportunity to renew all the road marking and zebra crossings at Goose Green roundabout. Fingers crossed this all goes to plan as well.
Importantly if you park your car of off East Dulwich Road you’ll find access harder and may wish to park elsewhere for these two nights.
If you have any problems or concerns please let me know.
Copenhagen the main routes in and out of the centre have traffic lights working to encourage cyclists to go at a consistent 20km/h or 13mph. They do this by all the lights going green in a coordinated wave. Too slow and you keep missing green lights. Too fast and you keep coming up to red lights. Some lights have count down green LED’s in the road for cyclists to encourage them to catch the green light.
They do this partly to support people cycling. But partly to make cyclists more predictable for other road users.
Transport for London say they can’t introduce this in London. They say to do so they’d have to remove Bus Priority that triggers traffic lights to go green for buses. They also say it would limited their ability to doctor traffic lights to support extra demand. Considering the prize at stake- potentially seeing a leap in cyclist numbers and safety this seems very negative.
Anyone out there who can do the maths to analyse this properly?
I was initially very saddened to hear of the lady killed crossing the road in Peckham by a lorry 4 September. What a waste.
This has now turned to anger from the reports that almost no one did anything to help the tragic lady concerned in her last moments of life. Instead they gawped taking photos and videos. That’s bad enough but then posted them on online. At best this shows crass disregard for a fellow human being. At worst is just plain evil.
This case has really shone a light that we need UK laws to enforce the good samaritan principle but more importantly to create a duty to rescue that so many other, it would appear, more civilised countries have. Without this the culture of bystanding will only increase and get worse.
In the mean time I hope local newspapers can help name and shame the terrible people that didn’t allow this lady to die with some shred of dignity.
So works are finally underway to improve the junction of North Cross Road with Lordship Lane.
NCR_LL Junction Improvement Scheme Proposals
It should dramatically improve the entrance to NCR, slow traffic and improve the look and feel of this gateway into our local street market. It will also reclaim some dead space from Lordship Lane from cars that don’t use it to pedestrians who will use it. Lastly, the bus stop currently doesn’t work – with parked cars blocking buses getting to the kerb. The two car parking space are being relocated and buses will be able to pull in properly.
Do you know any other spots where we could reclaim road space that isn’t used for pedestrians?