Henslowe Road bike lane - why?

[Whoop]

Over the last 2 days new, full road width speed bumps and a cycle lane have appeared on Henslowe Road. What a complete and utter waste of tax payers money!!! We already had perfectly good speed bumps. It's a one way road that no one would want to use as a cut through. In the 4 years I have lived here I've never seen anyone speed. I've also rarely seen any cyclists use the road. Who asked for these pointless and quite frankly, useless additions???? Please step forward. I'm all ears to rational reasoning.

[JohnL]

if someone is trying to create cycle lanes that are separate to the main routes and joined up - could be okay

Not heard anything like that though :)

[James Barber]

The works are to calm speeds and also to allow cyclists to cycle both ways along Henslowe Road.

Last traffic count September 2011 average of 429 vehicles as day - busiest day 1,109 vehicles. Average speed 21.3mph but 85th percentil speed of 27.3 which means the remainder are travelling at sped great than 27.3 mph.

Removing the one way ness was felt it would recreate the original problems making it a rat run despite Friern Road closures.

[nunhead_man]

Part of proposed TFL funded quietway

[Whoop]

Thanks for the reply James. The last traffic count is irrelevant. The vast majority of those cars would be the ones turning off of Peckham Rye onto Upland/Frien and then cutting down Henslowe. The Peckham Rye/Upland/Frien juctions were closed off in Nov 2011 (after the last count). Right now, the only reason for anyone to cut down Henslowe would be to get to Underhill Rd if Barry Road was shut - otherwise you'd just stay on Barry Road.

My point about speed bumps is we already have them and given that your census shows that the average speed down Henslowe was 21.3mph, they appear to have been doing their job quite nicely. Oh and you can still go 30mph quite happily over the new ones so I have no idea how they'll change anything.

The cycle lane is not only pointless but it's actually dangerous for cyclists. It's going against the traffic, which is fine, but it's been marked up on the right handside of the road (if you're driving the right way). Being a one way road this means cars that are parked on the right will need to swing across the cycle lane to get out. Being right hand drive, you cannot actually see what's coming towards you until you're already in the cycle lane which is too late for the poor cyclist speeding down the new lane without a care in the world. As I mentioned, cyclists rarely use Henslowe anyway and surely the safest place for them to be is in the middle of the road to avoid exactly what I describe above. They can move over if they see a vehicle coming down the road. Why do they need a cycle lane - it's common sense. I'm not a cyclist, but if I was I certainly wouldn't use the new lane.

The only thing that needed to be changed was at the junction of Henslowe and Underhill where it's a nightmare pulling out because parked cars on Underhill mean you can't see anything. They have painted double yellows on the right but on the left they have done nothing meaning you still cant see a darn thing. What they have done however is painted double yellows at the end of Henslowe Road where there was no issue with visibility and have thus only succeeded in taking away valuable parking spaces.

So to summarise, new speed bumps - pointless, new cycle lane - pointless and dangerous, new double yellows on Henslowe - pointless and have now created a parking issue.

Exactly how much did these works cost???

[James Barber]

I agree. I had no idea officers were going to waste so much white paint. Completely unnecessary and contrary to the DoT guidance.

I'll take a look at the weekend and ask officers why they've over egged something that should have been simple.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I really do wish Southwark would stop with the speed bumps already.

[James Barber]

i couldnt agree more rahrahrah.

But while people speed what do you do?

[DulwichFox]

The problem is the 3 abreast 'Cushions'.

The outside ones are covered by parked cars.

The middle on allows vehicles to fly down the centre of the road at full speed.

So total waste of money..

Systems being designed by bureaucrats and not by engineers.

DulwichFox

[jonsuissy]

The speed bumps on Ashbourne Grove are completely ineffectual.

Its like having a few sheets of paper across the road.

Don't even notice them on a pushbike

Waste of money.

[PokerTime]

I agree on sinusoidal humps. Vans can speed through them without even knowing they are there and then there's the maintenaince as the corners get chipped off (as you would expect them to) by vehicles regularly drving over them. Complete waste of money.

[Whoop]

What would have been useful, rather than traffic calming based on a census carried out 'before' a major road, which made Henslowe a rat run, was blocked off and digging up road bumps that kept the speeds to an average of a quite respectable 21.3mph and replacing them with bumps that you can drive over comfortably at 30mph and creating a dangerous and pointless cycle lane and taking away parking by painting double yellows where they weren't needed instead of painting them where they are needed, would have been to repair the badly damaged and hazardous pavements on Henslowe!! Now that would have been a genius idea.

James please do confirm the cost of the works on Henslowe, I'm eager to know exactly how much was spent so I can get even more wound up.

[apbremer]

Message to James Barber.

Why is it that there seem to be limitless funds for daft road "improvements" such as endless moving of islands, humps etc.(and often back again the next year) when the roads are in an appalling state. There are dangerous deep potholes everywhere which are ignored by the jobsworths.

[DulwichFox]

Endless no left turns, no right turns, no entries, mindless one- way systems.

Drivers are driving around Lost..

Classic example:-

Oakhurst Grove used to run into East Dulwich Road. Last 50 metres cut off.

Now it's a right into Kelmore rd, left into the Gardens, left onto Peckham Rye (heavy traffic)

then Left again onto East Dulwich Rd. and then 2 more sets of lights to get back to the end of Oakhurst.

.. whilst the 'Experts' sit at their computer screens engaged in some kind of Giant Sim City game.

and getting paid for it..

and all of them and local councillors sitting around sipping tea and patting themselves on the back

thinking what a great job they are doing.

This is not traffic easing.

DulwicFox.

[Earl Aelfheah]

I would opt for enforcement and education? Spend money on a lot more police to arrest dangerous drivers and on campaigns to change the culture around speeding (as we did successfully for drink driving).

The problem with just putting speed bumps everywhere is that councils and police feel that to some degree they've discharged their responsibility for the issue and drivers start to act as though they're OK to put their foot down if there aren't any speed bumps about.

It is one of the bluntest of tools - effecting everyone, regardless of whether they drive under the limit or not and costs a lot of money which IMO would be better spend on tackling the causes of speeding.

James Barber Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> i couldnt agree more rahrahrah.

> But while people speed what do you do?

[Earl Aelfheah]

... and actually, you don't have to look far to see (typically) a van careering over bumps at speed.

[cazzyr]

I was excited by the prospect of new road humps on Henslowe road because I live on said road, have 2 small children and have witnessed DAILY occurrences of cars driving in excess of 40 mph and occasionally much faster. The old humps were completely useless as they were driven over. I agree the new humps are utterly crap. They have made the road faster. I asked the workmen why the humps were barely humps and they said "for the cars not to get damaged" Lovely. Please can we have proper humps that stop idiots driving at ridiculous speeds up the road. It's simply used as a short cut/rat run by most people who drive speedily because they are pissed off by having had to double back from Friern Closure.

[kford]

Using red tarmac and removing all white lines has been proven as an effective way of calming traffic.

http://www.brake.org.uk/info-resources/info-research/road-safety-factsheets/15-facts-a-resources/facts/472-naked-roads

[the-e-dealer]

Henslowe never was a rat run. It was made one way the same time the Friern/ upland closure went in which was part of the TFL South Circ scheme. - which may have diverted traffic into Friern. I guess it may protect from those who might divert off Friern and onto Henslowe. Works on Henslowe are a waste. Not sure why Cyclists can't use Friern section which is pretty quiet now as it goes nowhere and is a Designated South London Cycle Route.

[worldwiser]

Hear hear apbremer. I understand motorists in Islington have successfully claimed the cost of new suspension from the council after they carpet-bombed much of that borough with them. I'd sooner see road-narrowing schemes rather than bumps. There really seems to be no standard for how these things are laid: there's so much variation between different sites. Some have a dangerously acute ramp which is barely safe to cross at 10mph let alone 20. Others are, as people have said, barely perceptible. As far as I can tell, it's entirely up to the contractor how much spoil to dump across the road before tarmaccing it. Is there actually an approved standard with a BS or ISO prefix of some kind??

[Applespider]

Road narrowing schemes don't always slow traffic down either. They just encourage drivers to speed between narrow sections and then play 'chicken' to get through the narrower gap first. They are far more dangerous for cyclists than humps - although it would be nice to have a gap at the end of the bump to save thumping up and down on the bike. They narrowed Railton Road in Brixton a year or so back and it's far more unpleasant now to drive or cycle down.

The other thing that I don't get with bumps is when it snows, it means that the road can't be ploughed properly.

[the-e-dealer]

snow plough in Southwark when was this ?

[Applespider]

Admittedly, the snow plough incident wasn't in Southwark. But the local council had to rip up lots of speed bumps the next year. But bumps don't help in any snowy weather - I remember watching cars getting stuck on Court Lane the other year because they got stuck at the bumps.

[apples]

The double yellow around the corner - in Underhill Rd to the right - is a definite improvement. There was often a transit sized van or minibus at that junction obstructing view towards Barry Rd when pulling out from Henslowe Rd. No need for yellow lines in Henslowe Road. No need for a cycle lane, the blocked Friern Rd is a much better and safer cycle route.

[the-e-dealer]

Its funny you know before the cycle contraflow was introduced I would often see some cycle twat cycling along the wrong way but now its legal I don't see him (or her) any more!