Local news and opportunities to get involved from your local Labour and Co-operative councillors in Thurlow Park.
Many of you told us that speeding was your top priority for Thurlow Park ward – so as part of the Our Streets project we secured funding for speed reduction measures on some of the streets with the biggest speeding problems.
We’re really excited that new 20mph banners have been installed as part of this project! They’re up on Lancaster Avenue, Robson Road and Norwood Road. You’ll also see new 20mph signs and road markings installed over the next few months
Friday 13th October 2017 proved unlucky for some speeding motorists on Lancaster Avenue as LARA ran its first Community Roadwatch event with the Lambeth Safer Transport Team led on the day by Police Community Support Officer Bruce Hay accompanied by two of his colleagues and ably assisted by residents from the Avenue.
Using a speed gun supplied by the Lambeth police team and expertly handled by one of the residents the Roadwatch team captured 78 vehicles travelling at 25mph or more in just 75 minutes between 4pm and 5:25pm. Of those 78 vehicles, 20 were captured travelling at over 27 mph and the worst offender was clocked at a staggering 42 mph.
The registration numbers of all vehicles registering 25mph or more on the laser gun were recorded and have been reported to TfL by the police team. Drivers who are subsequently caught speeding a second time will receive warnings, which for the worst offenders may involve a knock at the door from Bruce and his team, and further infringements will incur stiffer penalties.
Bearing in mind the presence of a nursery, two care homes and an infant school on our road and the long-standing nature of the 20mph speed limit the speeds some motorists were travelling at really does beggar belief.
PCSO Hay declared the event “very busy by any standard” and plans to return, this time with 2 speed guns, for a further event in the November. He assures us that the need to return so quickly is driven by the evident problem which affects our road and not by the excellent cups of tea and good company supplied to him and his team.
Speeders watch out!
Lambeth is preparing to roll out a borough-wide 20mph speed limit in Lambeth in April 2016. By reducing speeds to 20mph, it will reduce the number of casualties in the borough, improve pedestrian safety, encourage more confidence among cyclists and cut the number of incidents around schools.
If you have any enquiries or require any additional information please contact the Council’s Highways and Transport Group at the following e-mail address 20mph@lambeth.gov.uk or view this link – http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/parking-transport-and-streets/streets-and-roads/lambeth-goes-20mph
This morning another bridge strike involving a large lorry disrupted commuter trains and traffic. This bridge is the worst in London for strikes and the disruption has a huge impact and cost.
As we shared a couple of months ago, we have raised this issue with TfL and action is being taken as a result. Senior officers are looking to invest in better signage to replace the existing temporary signs before the Spring. These should provide a short term improvement – and signs can be reused so if and when they are no longer needed in Thurlow Park, we can ensure they are reinstalled elsewhere to make best use of resources.
To tackle the problem in the long term, a business case for the large amount of funding it would take to lower the road is being put together. This would also be a significant engineering challenge – there is a sewer below the south circular and the side roads like St Faith’s would need to be examined to work out how to accommodate lower junctions.
Senior TfL officers have offered to meet with Lancaster Avenue residents this month as their road is currently the diversion route for oversized vehicles. We will be discussing new signage, improving 20mph signage to reduce speeding, and the long term plans for the bridge.
As of November 2015 Lambeth will be rolling out a borough-wide 20mph speed limit on all borough roads. The implementation should be completed by March 2020. The new speed limit will be marked with signs and road markings rather than physical interventions.
Lambeth Council will however be monitoring the speed of traffic and if after 18 months the speed of traffic is unacceptably high in certain roads, the Council will consider introducing physical measures to reduce vehicle speed.
Please see the below links for further information:
http://love.lambeth.gov.uk/lambeth-roads-20mph/
http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/parking-transport-and-streets/streets-and-roads/lambeth-goes-20mph-guide
Residents have told us that road safety should be one of our top priorities. We agree – particularly in areas of the ward near to schools.
As the new school year starts this week, we have asked our Safer Neighbourhoods Team to carry out speed checks on Rosendale Road to ensure drivers stick to the 20mph limit.
At July’s full council meeting, Anna asked for an update on the rollout of 20mph across the ward. This has been raised as a priority for many local residents, particularly in Herne Hill and Tulse Hill – Anna referenced residents in the Deronda Triangle who have made their own 20mph signs to try to encourage drivers to go more slowly. For full minutes, click here.
We have been very pleased to see so many Thurlow Park residents writing to us about improving cycle safety and welcome the excellent work that the London Cycling Campaign has done in helping to coordinate some of the priorities of cyclists across Lambeth. The Labour Council have compiled a complete list of those priorities by ward across the borough, which we would be happy to share. As soon as we have more information about your proposal to make routes to Turney and Rosendale schools safer we will update you.
In the meantime, the Labour Council is working hard to make the borough as cycle friendly as possible. We are pleased to be the third most popular borough for cyclists in London and it is a Labour manifesto commitment to make Lambeth the most cycling friendly borough in London. Some steps we taking in this direction include;
Labour are committed to making a record investment in our road and pavement network. In the next 4 years alone Lambeth are going to repave 130 miles of highways and footpaths to help eliminate potholes and other obstacles that pose a threat to cyclists.
We are working with neighbouring Southwark to introduce a borough-wide 20MPH zone.
In Thurlow Park, many of you signed our petition last summer calling for greater safety measures around the Tulse Hill Gyratory. We managed to secure a £5 million investment to redesign the junction to make safer and more cycle friendly.
Under Labour, Lambeth were the first borough in the UK to introduce secure, covered cycle hangars on streets and estates for residents without spaces to store their cycles and we are looking to expand this provision.
In Thurlow Park we are working on improving road safety in and around the Rosendale School area to allow everyone to cycle safely, including better traffic monitoring and the potential addition of a cycle path.
Thurlow Park News 