Tag: roads

Nominate your street!

Lambeth Council’s street improvements team is inviting each ward to nominate three roads and three pavements we would like to be resurfaced, as part of our manifesto pledge in 2014 to repave 130 miles of road and pavement.

So, we’d like to hear from you! Does your road need an upgrade? Let us know so that we can organise a walkabout to each road nominated. 

A number of streets have already been improved. Currently, Lovelace Road’s pavements are being repaved – we look forward to the work being completed!

Does your road or pavement need resurfacing?

Your Thurlow Park councillors are submitting a list of roads and pavements we would like to see resurfaced as part of our £12.5 million commitment to improving roads across Lambeth in our manifesto in May 2014.

If you think your road should be included in our submission, please get in touch! Feel free to send pictures or just a description of where and why you think your street needs improving.

And remember, if there is a pothole or areas of uneven footpath, these can be repaired on an ongoing basis, even if your road is not selected by officers for resurfacing this time round.

Let us know on: @thurlowlabour on Twitter or via email to abirley@lambeth.gov.uk, mdeckersdowber@lambeth.gov.uk or fcowell@lambeth.gov.uk

Deronda triangle CPZ

Thurlow Park ward Labour candidates (Max, Anna and Fred) have been working with residents of the Deronda Triangle Area Residents’ Association to support their work as they call upon the Mayor and Council to reduce the controlled parking hours from 10 hours (08:30 – 18:30) to 2 hours a day. Alongside residents we have been collecting signatures and making residents aware of the petition.

Parking is one of the many traffic related issues we hear about on the doorstep as we talk to residents. Since 2010 Labour have made a unprecedented capital investment in upgrading and improving Lambeth’s highways. Over 140 roads and pavements have beneffited from almost £50m worth of works. We will go further in the next four years and have committed to tackling pot holes and cracked and uneven pavments along more than 130 miles of roads and pavements.

Space for Cycling

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.

As a keen cyclist, I’m thrilled that so many people in this ward share my passion. This is a great area to cycle but there’s always more to be done – I’m looking forward to working with you all when elected to continue making the roads here more bike friendly

Fred Cowell

Robson Road – update

Lambeth Council’s plans for this junction were halted when Transport for London decided that the remodelling would have to include banning a left-hand-turn from Norwood Road. However, following intense lobbying by Labour councillors Ann Kingsbury and Jane Pickard and a decisive intervention by our London Assembly member, Val Shawcross, TfL withdrew this condition.

The Robson Road junction will now be remodelled to have green man crossings on both arms and advanced stop line for cyclists, a big increase in safety for these two groups, and great news for resident of Thurlow Park ward and all those who cross that particular road.

Robson Road junction proposals

Cllr Ann Kingsbury wrote to the Head of Transportation at Lambeth Council to express her strong support for the views of the Norwood Forum and Norwood Action Group in response to traffic plans of the Norwood Road /Robson Road junction.

As you may well be aware, there has been extensive consultation on the junction and there seems to be widespread approval for Lambeth’s proposals – which also include a pedestrian crossing and better design for cyclists.

From the pedestrian point of view the introduction of staggered crossings is not an improvement in either safety or amenity, as its quiet possible that people will be tempted to cross the road in a straight line and will take risks in doing so.

The current Lambeth proposals should result in improved safety, but it would appear that the TfL modifications give pedestrians and cyclists safety and amenity a lower priority. It also appears that these modifications could lead to a loss of road space and force cyclists to compete for access.

In any case, banning a left turn at the junction with Robson Road will presumably force traffic to turn into Ernest Avenue or Hannen Road to join the northbound traffic on Knight’s Hill and then right into Robson Road. This will effectively create a new gyratory system and introduce the possibility of the junction being blocked by the 322 bus turning right. The plans do not seem to allow for a permitted left turn for buses, an it is difficult to see how this will improve journey times for passengers on the 322 in the Crystal Palace direction.

Furthermore, the route along Robson Road, turning left at West Norwood is the only direct route between West Norwood and West Dulwich. Although only a small proportion of West Norwood traffic takes this route, the amount is still sufficient. If redirected down other left turns off the Norwood Road an increase in traffic would be to the detriment to the centre.

£5million for improving the Tulse Hill gyratory

We want to ensure that Tulse Hill is a safe, pleasant place to live, work and cycle. Currently, the busy traffic on the gyratory makes it unsafe and there have been a number of accidents. Your Labour Action Team have been campaigning for the improvement of the junction since 2010.

In October, Val Shawcross AM presented a petition, collected by Thurlow Park ward Cllr Ann Kingsbury and local campaigners; calling for TfL to give Tulse Hill gyratory urgent priority for road safety measures, following a long standing issue with collisions and accidents.

Many of you signed that petition last summer and we are delighted that TfL have listened to us and announced a £5 million investment to redesign the junction as part of the London-wide junction improvement programme.

A response to the petition from the Mayor of London has now been received and you can read this here. Val said ‘I’m delighted to see that TfL have allocated £5million of funding for improvements in the Tulse Hill area’

Improvements include –

1. Removing the current one-way gyratory
2. A new road system which prioritises the needs of pedestrians and cyclists
3. Intermediate measurers to improve safety until major measures can be implemented

Thank you to everyone who signed our petition and joined the campaign. This investment will greatly improve the lives of residents living close to and working around the gyratory.

Repairs to railway bridges

Network Rail is to carry out repairs to railway bridges in Rosendale Road and Croxted Road early next year, to prevent trains from having to operate at reduced speed. This will cause some traffic disruption. There will be half-road closures and traffic lights in Rosendale Road between 29 April and 03 May and in Croxted Road between 07 May and the 10 May while works are carried out to the bridges. There will also be some footpath closures in Croxted Road.

Network Rail have promised that one footpath will remain open at all times and that they will arrange safe crossing points and access to premises. Some surveying work has already begun in both roads. Network Rail will be holding public information meetings on Thursday 7th November at All Saints Church, Lovelace Road 4:00 – 7:00pm and at the Montessori School on Thursday 14th November, 4:00 – 7:00pm.