Consultation on ?improving? the junction of East Dulwich Grove, Townley Road and Green Dale

[James Barber]

But first mate,

Village ward councillors have agreed new double yellow lines - and I tried to persuade them to agree much less dramatic lengths - for all the junction corners in the North Dulwich triangle. This was agreed at the June Dulwich Community Council. These will happen whether the CPZ being consulted on proceeds or does not proceed.

[first mate]

James, hear you about "no new parking restrictions" but can we also say no reduction in areas on which to park? Two slightly different things.

Still confused about how and why Chesterfield came to be singled out for special increased lengths of double yellows in the 2014 Order that appears in the consolidation doc . Did you approve this measure when you were informed or was your approval not necessary to that process?

[James Barber]

Hi first mate,

I have to be honest - I don't know or recall. I wouldn't knowingly agree to increase parking restrictions.

Could you please email me directly the issue and I'll try and get reversed or stopped.

[mockingbird]

Development at Townley progresses... slowly. Two weeks and school are back?

Go and take a look at the much reduced left turn out of Townley onto ED Grove now that is is visible in the roadworks.

It is easy to see how problematic this will be for all vehicles, particularly coaches.

[Bicknell]

It will probably follow the traditional Southwark roadworks pattern - do it wrong, rip it up, and try again...

[dulwichquine]

I just can't see how any bus/coach/lorry will be able to turn left from Townley road onto EDG given the size of the build out that is now taking shape. Has the plan changed?

[Zebedee Tring]

Southwark have been warned about this potential problem several times this year, including by at least one very experienced engineer. But those arrogant four letter fellows at the Council knew best.

[Abe_froeman]

Presumably once a few lorries and coaches have caused severe delays or kncocked into something doing a three point turn they'll make it a 'no left turn' which is nearly as good as the no right turn they originally wanted.

[Zebedee Tring]

If they were surprised by the opposition to the no right turn proposal, imagine the storm if they tried to ban the arguably much more popular no left turns.

[James Barber]

Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to ask officers about when the junction will reopen.

He stated is will be safe to open for 2 September new school year but wont be totally finished. So presumably finishing pavements in places.

[skylorikeet]

I'm not surprised it won't be finished for 2 September, there's hardly ever anyone working on it. If there were people working there 9-5 each day I bet it would have been finished in half the time, even allowing for cement to dry etc.

[James Barber]

Hi skylorikeet,

Sadly as an opposition councillor I'm limited in being able to help solve that. It is immensely frustrating. But this is what I'm doing to try and solve this generic problem:

I have submitted an FOI asking for information of when works are due to start, when they, when they are due to finish and when they actually finish for the last three years road works Southwark undertakes. I suspect this information will highlight a systemic issue and I can then ask formal questions about when and what will be done to solve this. It does appear FMConways don't have sufficient resources to undertake the works Southwark request of them.

[@Woodwarde]

Latest update. Not running to schedule and it seems from this that the cycling components have yet to receive legislative approval?

From: Hill, Matthew [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: 28 August 2015 16:14

To: ?????????

Cc: Merrill, Darren

Subject: Townley Road junction improvements - update

Dear all

Please find attached an update letter regarding the construction works at Townley Road/East Dulwich Grove junction.

Apologies to anyone who feels too remote but I wanted to ensure as many as possible who may be affected are aware. Please feel free to cascade this information via your networks as you see fit particularly for the directly affected schools.

Kind regards

Matt.

Public Realm Projects Direct Dial ? 0330 337 1001 28th August 2015

To whom it may concern

Dear Sir / Madam Notification of changes to delivery dates at the Townley Road /East Dulwich Grove junction improvement scheme Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances we are unfortunately unable to fully complete the works at this junction before the school term starts on Thursday 3rd September.

However please be assured that the junction will be operating safely and our staff and supervisors will be paying particularly close attention to site safety once the school term commences.

All areas of the upgraded footways around the junction will be open in full with the exception of the footway located on the south-west (ie Dulwich Village) side of Townley Road. However we will maintain sufficient safe access along this route to allow students and others to pass in a safe and secure manner.

We will continue with the footway works on Townley Road between 08:00 hours and 17:00 hours (Monday to Saturday), weather permitting. The footway works will be completed in full by 30th September 2015. During this period pedestrian access will be available continuously and the works area will be segregated with barriers. The carriageway of Townley Road will be re-opened to all traffic by Wednesday 2nd September with permanent traffic signals and street lighting operational.

Unfortunately, due to some technical and legislative complications, the full cycle facilities are not able to be implemented at this time. I anticipate the full cycle facilities being completed later in the autumn but this is subject to TfL, the authority responsible for traffic signals, completing trials at a different location and DfT authorisation being agreed.

We are very conscious that these works may cause some disruption to you and your students; however we will endeavour to keep this to a minimum during the remainder of the works. Should you have any queries regarding the execution of the works, or you have any specific access requirements, please do not hesitate to contact Mick Hurley, contracts supervisor at Conway Aecom call centre on 0330 337 1001 where we will do our best to assist you.

Please quote the borough and site location on calling, or contact us via email, [email protected]. If you have any questions relating to the future implementation of the cycle facilities, please contact the client team directly at [email protected]. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We hope you appreciate that the short term inconvenience will be worthwhile given the long term benefits to the community of the planned improvements.

Yours faithfully, CONWAY AECOM

[Penguin68]

So, basically, the whole point of these terrible works were to make things better for cyclists, the one element of the work that will not now (may not ever) be completed or even effectively started. And how much has this cost us (directly, council expenditure or TfL, indirectly through disruption and lost time)?

And I am sure that not a single official or elected representative will come out of this smelling of anything other than roses - as usual.

[BrandNewGuy]

Yes, that's what I thought when I looked at the junction earlier. Apart from the build-outs and, I suspect, changes in the traffic light phasing, none of the nonsense with cycle gates etc have appeared, and despite what Matt Hill wrote above, I doubt whether these will fully materialise. So I wonder how this squares up with the ?200K lavished on the whole project? Maybe Boris and TFL should do a full audit, but of course there's an embarrassing underspend in the pro-cycling budget, so I doubt they give a monkey's. Absolute disgrace.

Oh, and there will be chaos when the schools are back.

[mockingbird]

BNG

How will cyclists use the road? Do they have to now use the narrowed highway merged with the cars?

[BrandNewGuy]

mockingbird Wrote:

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

> BNG

> How will cyclists use the road? Do they have to

> now use the narrowed highway merged with the cars?

Looks like it, but they have a larger box in front of cars at the lights and I think there's supposed to be an early start green light for cyclists, but the latter might be part of TFL's current concerns.

[Zebedee Tring]

"... due to some technical and legislative complications, the full cycle facilities are not able to be implemented at this time. I anticipate the full cycle facilities being completed later in the autumn but this is subject to TfL, the authority responsible for traffic signals, completing trials at a different location and DfT authorisation being agreed."

So what has happened here? TfL miffed at the changes to the cycling proposals (i.e. the reason that they are supposed to be funding the scheme in the first place) and threatening to withhold funding? The Townley/EDG junction changes having a serious knock on effect at other junctions in the area, e.g. at EDG/Redpost junction? And why is DfT authorisation still needed - or more to the point, why hasn't it been sought already?

The words "brewery", "piss-up", "organise" and "couldn't" spring to mind!

Earlier this afternoon I walked past the site. I don't see that there is any way that the carriageway of Townley Road could be re-opened to all traffic by Wednesday 2nd September given its state at the moment - Monday is a Bank Holiday and therefore they have only one working day to achieve this, assuming that they are not working on Monday.

The left turn from Townley into EDG is now so much tighter than before that it will be very difficult for coaches to negotiate the turn without causing chaos and creating serious hold ups at the junction - not to mention the greater possibility of accidents leading to injuries and vehicle damage.

[BrandNewGuy]

Here's what the Townley Rd carriageway looked like at midday...

 

[fazer71]

Lol.

The result is exactly what I said it would be.

Ie

?200,000 wasted to make it worst and it wouldn't be finished in time.

Welcome to the UK where everything is a f?@k up. Mostly f?&ked up by council staff and others spending tax payer money.

Lol

[mockingbird]

Good photo of Aecom working away hard, in their 8-5 Mon-Sat committed schedule, as noted in Matt Hill's communication. Oh it was a day ago, so probably out of touch with reality.....

[intexasatthe moment]

Off topic I know but BrandNewGuy's photo almost identical to the scene in Hanover Park in Peckham where the road closure with it's diverted buses is causing chaos .

Removal ( goodness knows why ) of some of the road closed signs saw buses doing 3 point turns the other day .

Haven't seen a workman ( apart from a Conways van removing signs ) all week .

[fazer71]

Conway Aecom etc etc all useless pi?? taking ?unts.

Every job they carry out is a joke ...

New roads recently tarmac'd and water leaks so dug up again and again an then new surface is worst than old surface.

Incompetence over seen by council staff all on backhanders in one shape or another (ie job offer in the future or other)

Crooked useless and overpriced.

My concern has always been the risk to life from these morons.

ref Peckham Rye and the junction with East Dulwich road a few years back where their slow never ending road works resulted in the death of a young girl at the unnecessary temporary traffic lights.

These contractors and incompetent council people are a danger to us all.

[Bicknell]

I can't help wondering whether the whole Townley Road junction scheme was about providing a diagonal crossing between JAGS and Alleyns. Nothing to do with cycling at all. If anything, the new layout looks more dangerous for cyclists than before. Is this what TfL wanted - to spend a quarter of a million on a slightly quicker crossing?

[Scootingover]

Could be. Is this why TFL are trialling somewhere else. The diagonal crossing has been spoken about in the press by JAGS from the very start.

If you are a cyclist, what do you make of the junction layout now and how you feel using it?