Junction of East Dulwich Road, Peckam Rye is hell!!!

[jocelyn]

Having recently got my car back I thought it would be fine to have in the area. No parking restrictions, fairly wide roads etc.. All is fine but could someone please advise me how you are supposed to turn right onto Peckam Rye when coming down East Dulwich Road by Tesco Express without having a near accident everytime. If I wait at the lights when still green for a space everyone beeps you, if you go out into the precarious hash rink and try and turn you never can because of traffic from the other way and you then get beeped too! Help I am not a rubbish driver but does anyone agree this should be a filter light or a no right turn!!! argh!

[scotslass]

I know what you mean - I have taken to turning left and then going around the little green by the Rye Hotel and coming back up. I know it is longer but it is safer;-)

[Brendan]

I was just going to suggest that.

Seems silly but it is a lot less stressful.

[dulwichbloke]

I agree! This is the most absurd and dangerous junction I have come across in London and that is saying something.

I have nearly had several accidents there (and seen many other close calls) trying to turn right onto Peckham Rye. When I am coming from the Lordship Lane direction I wonder whether the lights coming the other way are out of sequence. I know that people run red lights, but cars routinely come through well after the lights have turned red in my direction. Some fool has even seen fit to make it a box junction, which means it is nigh on impossible for more than one car for each lights change to (legally) turn right at rush hour.

For 2 years now I have been meaning to write to someone about this, but just haven't got round to it and I'm also not quite sure where to write. I would have thought that the authorities must know how dangerous/difficult it is - after all the police must drive down there and turn right many times each day.

Surely there will be a fatality there before too long?

[jocelyn]

Yeah that sounds better. Or maybe just go down Barry Road if coming from LL. Thanks!

[jocelyn]

I guess a letter could be written to Southwark council or maybe the GLA?

[PeckhamRose]

Hi

I live on Peckham Rye East Side the SE15 side, so turning right up those traffic lights is also a nightmare.

Now, when the traffic lights were first put in I tried really, really hard to get a filter light put in, and had suggested a roundabout instead, to get the council and TFL to realise how dangerous those two right turns into Peckham Rye SE22 and then Peckham Rye SE15 are.

We went to Community Council meetings, and spoke with the transport people there and still they did not listen.

May I make a suggestion: We all go to the next Community Council meeting and try again?

Whinging on this site does no good, but whinging at Community Council meetings also does little good but if all of us go to it and speak in front of councillors, they at least have to write it down and maybe get the TFL people to come to the next meeting or to answer us in the meantime.

I tried really hard on all this years ago.

Maybe time for a second attempt but not alone, this time!

[jocelyn]

Wow so it has been an issue for some time then. That is really terrible how no-one listened last time. Well I would definitely be up for supporting a roundabout/filter scheme so if anyone knows of the next meeting then I will be there! Don't think I can cope with a near miss like that again!

[seanmlow]

Hi Joc -

I agree it is a nightmare!

[Ant]

I think there have already been fatalities on that corner. There was a schoolgirl who died there last year - there were school ties and flowers by the railings for a while after. (Although to be fair I don't know whether or not this was linked to the right turn problem.)

[PeckhamRose]

13th February 7pm

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourCouncil/CommunityCouncilsSection1/howcommunitycouncilsworks.html

Follow the links to learn about the Community Councils.

Personally I think they're talking shops and very reactive when we should be pro-active.

But anyway, if we all turned up we could make a difference. But it didn't work last time!

I can't guarantee I shall be there either as I often work evenings.

But it's in my diary, if I can.

[MelbourneGr]

I have also been stuck trying to turn right at that junction, I was stuck in the box and had to reverse back as cars went around me. It is especially hard to do it when theres a bus in opposite direction trying to turn left, not to mention how dangerous it is as you can't see cars coming from behind the bus. One has to be watchful of the oncoming traffic going towards lordship lane as there is a tendancy for cars to go through the Red light, which usually cuts off people wanting to turn right.

Similar to the Camberwell Green crossroads, the filter light for people turning right towards Peckham, has made an insane junction work.

[ladywotlunches]

Hi

Luckily I don't normally have to turn right at this junction. But have seen many similar junctions and when they brought the yellow box rule in I checked to see how it worked when you are turning right.

You are ALLOWED to enter the yellow box, and wait to turn right, provided that the ONLY thing stopping you is oncoming traffic (ie if there is a queue along Peckham rye stopping you getting onto that part of the road you should not enter the box)

So, this should help more people turn right - of course they still have to do so in the time between the red light jumpers coming from the Nunhead direction and the ones coming from Peckham who think they are in a F1 race and accelerate as soon as their lights are on 'get ready' red and amber!

[Zo?]

Thank goodness - I thought it was just me. I have only ever tried to turn right here once & found the whole experience so traumatic I now go up to the next junction & do it there instead, where there seems to be more room to wait. Ugh, shuddering at the memory.

[seanmlow]

The problem with that junction is that people get SO impatient. You sit in that bloody filter not knowing what to do - and to add insult to injury have angry people shouting and beeping you. They should just follow the SE22 tradiiton and make it a no right turn.

I avoid it like the plague - would rather go round the island bit by Rye Hotel.

That girl that was killed was hit by a number 12 bus - they bomb it down that road..

[PeckhamRose]

Just gonna whinge on here and not all turn up to the Community Council?

[tiddles]

That junction is tricky - til you know it! I often turn right with no problem (sorry) but you do have to sit in that box which you are allowed to do if turning right HOWEVER I completely agree with earlier mentions of blatant red light jumping at high speed - usually peak times. I am amazed that nothing serious has happenened at that junction esp as there are quite a few nervous newcomers. A filter would be a very good idea as there are alot of people who turn right!

[Dodo1]

Hi

You need to e-mail your Cllrs about this. I can understand your sceptisism however from a personal experience I know e-mailing them and attending Community Councils meetings does make a difference. 18 months ago there was a serious accident at the mini roundabout between Melford & Underhill Rds. As a result of residents creating a racket the Council as we speak are now putting in new traffic calming measures.

I contacted Cllr Barber (i think about this junction) so he does know about it. you need to do the same and attend the CC meeting; as they do have money to spend. If you don't then that money will be spent elsewhere- it's upto you.

PS Pls avoid Melford Rd for the next 3 weeks as you will not get through!

[dulwichbloke]

Cheers. I shall do that and if poss attend the meeting next week.

[PeckhamRose]

Sorry but I hate traffic angering measures (I mean "calming" measures. They punish us all for the sake of a few idiots whilst making it dangerous for everyone in a different way. Biker friendly lumps in the road (I mean "cushions") mean that drivers do the most dangerous thing to avoid them. When learning to drive and especialy for advanced drivers one is taught to look ahead and plan as far ahead as possible. You can't do that with bumps because you are looking at the road immediately in front of you to try and ride your sets of car wheels over them which usually means driving / serving into the middle of the road and not seeing the other traffic coming towards you, which is nasty when you're a biker or a cyclist.

And you think this is better?

[cdonline]

Sorry if I get on my little high horse and winge for a moment, one of the reasons the junction is a problem for the right hand lane, is that when the lights change, cars coming the other way speed up to try and get over, even after they have turned red.

A few cameras wouldn't go a miss.

Huffy fit over.

[seanmlow]

Cameras would do nothing. They just need to make a better system there.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I agree they could implement a better system at that junction - but the system that is there should work. It kind of disproves PeckhamRose's theory that it's just "a few idiots" which force the authorities hands

That said I agree with you PR, on the specific issue of speed bumps. There must be a better way of implementing speed measures

And then again (you keeping up with all of this Alan Dale?) if someone showed you a list of children that speed bumps have saved, would you think more kindly of 'em?

[Asset]

it's difficult to provide statistics on things that haven't happened though.

[telboy]

On the subject of statistics, for what they are worth, why not try and get some stats for accidents at the junction over say the last two years. You might be able to get these from the local police, Southwark Council or TFL. Its one thing going to these public forums with anecdotal evidence. Much better if you can throw some figures at them.