Tag: Robson

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.

Work starting soon to improve Norwood high street

A large part of the Mayor’s Outer London Fund money, which Lambeth bid for recently, will be used to improve the Norwood Road and the area around St Luke’s Church with the first phase of the works due to start this September. Norwood High Street and Knight’s Hill will be the first roads in line for improvement with new paving and widened pavements up as far as the railway line.

From January 2014, the improvement works will be extended to north of Chestnut Road. The remodelling of the dangerous junction at Robson Road and Norwood Road will be done after the other works and will complete this phase of improvements. The junction works are scheduled to start in February 2014. The following financial year Highways propose to extend these improvement works along the Norwood Road as far as Tulse Hill Station and to eventually include the Tulse Hill one way system as part of the overall scheme.