No through route at Loughborough Junction

[Gubodge]

We received a penalty charge notice at the weekend after having unknowingly driven through the 'pedestrian' zone on 29th August. Amount to pay was zero. We haven't driven that way since but I pity anyone who regularly commutes that way. A warning period of three weeks doesn't count for much when the warnings take 4 weeks to come through.

[JMK]

See link to brixtonbuzz website summarizing the chaos

http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2015/09/coldharbour-lane-gridlock-as-the-loughborough-junction-closure-experiment-goes-pear-shaped/

[first mate]

Yes, residents are outraged at what is being forced onto them by some bright eyed bushy tailed planner in cahoots with an anti car, pro cycling organisation. The Council is also making as much money as they can by fining people who are getting caught out by the chaos.

[bil]

davidk Wrote:

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

> Good news. There have already been some trial

> closures that worked well. Really no good reason

> that there should be traffic along there.

>

> Should hopefully open up another safe corridor for

> cycling into the City from South and South East.

I'm surprised by this statement. It's a road and that's enough reason for traffic to go along there. People want to get from A to B....

Unfortunately ED has dreadful transport links which are not going to improve anytime soon (or ever). The useless Southern Railway from ED via peckham to london bridge has ghost trains which disappear from the screen when they are due to arrive and the service mostly unreliable. It takes 1 hour to get into Victoria by bus from ED (the Plough) and you can spend all day getting down walworth road on a bus to Elephant & Castle!

Before this recent road closure and the oval cycle highway works, it would take me 20 minutes or possibly 30 during rush hour to get to Victoria. Cycling isn't always practical for some of us (although hopefully improvements are making it safer)

Wish TFL would take over Southern railway franchise to bring London overground to ED.

I'm disappointed that they have closed off such a large section of Loughborough junction and Myatts Fields to traffic without providing some information on alternative routes. It's chaos now; people keep turning in the road. I'm sure there will be an accident soon.

[HelBel65]

Has anyone actually found a half reliable driving route to and from Vauxhall since this closure? Thought I was onto a winner yesterday, left from Akerman into Lilford towards Coldharbour only to find Lilford closed to cars towards the end! Everyone was ignoring the sign, so I did too but would prefer not to take that risk every day....

[Rockets]

If anyone wants to send a note direct to those responsible for this mess then, according to the Brixtonbuzz website, these are the folks:

George Wright [email protected]

Barbara Poulter [email protected]

Write to Steve Griffen at The Stockwell Partnership [email protected]

I did a few days ago....haven't heard from them yet.....

[wulfhound]

Before this recent road closure and the oval cycle highway works, it would take me 20 minutes or possibly 30 during rush hour to get to Victoria. Cycling isn't always practical for some of us (although hopefully improvements are making it safer)

This is why they need to focus more on *local* cycle links (and cycle parking at stations) rather than long distance. In to London and back is a lot to ask of some people - but from ED you've got masses of good stations within a couple of miles - too far to walk, but an easy, relaxed cycle. West Dulwich & Herne Hill for fast trains to Victoria; Tulse Hill & Herne Hill for City and Wimbledon; ED itself for London Bridge; Peckham Rye & Honor Oak for the East End, Docklands & Croydon; Brixton for the Tube. All reachable in 20 minutes on a bike taking it very easy -- wearing normal clothes, not breaking a sweat, lugging a pannier bag or two of work stuff, stopping for red lights etc.

[Zebedee Tring]

Wulfhound, what about the people who are too old, infirm or disabled to cycle? Don't you care about them?

[wulfhound]

What on earth makes you think that?

Never mind that many of those same people also can't drive, for the same reasons.

There are all manner of lightweight, electric-assisted vehicles which can use most cycle facilities - and which can still be used by people whose eyesight, reaction time etc. rules driving out. Albeit there's a lot of room for improvement in terms of how accessible public transport is for people who use them - and the same, or worse, issues around secure parking at stations as cyclists face.

I do know one local cyclist who's still riding at the grand old age of 89 - age, in itself, is no obstacle. And another who rides miles on his Brompton - despite having one of his legs amputated above the knee. And there's this inspiring lady:

Besides - would your accusation not be better leveled at those able bodied folk who could reasonably use alternatives, but routinely drive short distances regardless? Causing pointless congestion and delays to those who genuinely have no choice.

A little light reading:

https://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/independent-mobility/

https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/who-else-benefits-from-the-dutch-cycling-infrastructure/

Two miles is really not a lot. Same as walking half, three quarters of a mile. Not everyone can manage that, true, but the vast majority can.

[Zebedee Tring]

"Grand old age of 89". How patronising can you get?

What about the people who can't manage it?

I'm not defending the people who drive for short distances. My comments were directed at cyclists who seem to be saying that everyone should cycle regardless. This is a bit like the attitude of the Southwark Council ruling party.

[bil]

Agreed.... driving is not the best solution, parking is limited and restricted to 4 hours and it isn't that flexible.

What would also be ideal is to have a cycle hire scheme locally which provides flexibility and the options to use all the local stations. Demand would be high ...

Anyway for now we have no hope for any public transport improvements

[wulfhound]

What about the people who can't manage it?

I'm not defending the people who drive for short distances. My comments were directed at cyclists who seem to be saying that everyone should cycle regardless.

I saw a straw man try to cycle once. His foot got caught up in the derailleur and.. the rest doesn't bear thinking about :o)

This is a bit like the attitude of the Southwark Council ruling party.

Perhaps - although in any case this particular (& so far rather messy) scheme is a Lambeth initiative.

Was over there this morning - still enough traffic either confused or ignoring the CCTV that it's not remotely functioning as a Pedestrian Zone. On the plus side, the air along Loughborough Rd itself felt a lot cleaner than usual - although Coldharbour Lane & Camberwell New Road may have been worse, mind you.

One disappointment - was hoping it'd make Milkwood Road a bit quieter, that being the southern leg of the same route, no such luck there. Busy as ever.

If this scheme really is about getting more people to cycle, they need to get some cycle exemptions in to the crazy one way system north of Myatts Fields asap. Getting between there & Burgess Park is remarkably fiddly. Lothian Road / Akerman Road is plenty wide enough for a contra flow bike lane.

[Rockets]

Drove around this morning and someone has decided to spray paint a lot of the road signs....looks someone is making their feelings know about this!

[James Barber]

I read earlier that we've reached a stage with global warming of a 5m predicted ocean rise. We must all change our habits severely to try and mitigate this and from making it worse.

I'm trying to be a near vegetarian, cycling most commutes, 100% renewable electricity. I still need to do much more to reach 90% reduction in CO2 produced to sustain my lifestyle.

Closing this road hasn't been with great consultation, isn't well signed to warn people, probably shouldn't apply to residents.

But the principle of helping people change lifestyles is good. We just need much better execution of such ideas.

[Nigello]

There was a huge tailback all the way from Oval to Camberwell Green and up Denmark Hill yesterday. I really think that those ivolved in making the mess should have worked on Sundays and also suspended the bus-only route this weekend. It was bad to see hundreds of vehicles puthering out smoke and noxious particles, knowing that some of them would have been sent on this route because of the blocking off of Loughborough Junction.

[@Woodwarde]

Lambeth Road SCheme Risking Lives - see attached

Evening Standard p24 Monday 5th Oct

Calls for a dangerous new road scheme to be scrapped were mounting today as the London Ambulance Service claimed the congestion it causes was putting patients at risk.....

In a written statement to the meeting MP Kate Hoey has written to Lambeth demanding closure of the sceme by 5pm today.

etc

[Jeremy]

"Helping people change lifestyles" would involve public transport improvements and cycle infrastructure. Not pointless road closures that just funnel all traffic into choke points. Net result is probably an increase in pollution!

[holymoly]

Kate Hoey ‏@KateHoeyMP Oct 1

Inundated with e mails re closure of Wandsworth road north bound for 5 weeks @LambethSE @TfLTrafficNews Developers first residents last Why?

7 retweets 8 favorites

Reply Retweet 7 Favorite 8

More

Also much resent at:

##http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2015/09/coldharbour-lane-gridlock-as-the-loughborough-junction-closure-experiment-goes-pear-shaped/

[mikeb]

Minutes from recent meeting of Loughborough Junction Action Group

http://www.loughboroughjunction.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/NeighbourhoodPlanningForumMinutes16.09.2015.docx

[edited to include the file of the minutes as well as the link]

[Rockets]

Those minutes are laughable and I cannot believe that George Wright really said:

"GW said emergency services have been told about the road closures and if they need to access road they will need to pull out the road blocks." Someone needs to send that to the Evening Standard as a follow-up to their article last night....

So if you're having a heart-attack the ambulance will be with you after they have moved the temporary road blocks....honestly....

And not sure who suggested the following but really....

? Should close Herne Hill Road, Hinton Road and/or Milkwood Road.

[lozc]

What / who do you consider a resident James?

One of the major problems of this sort of 'localism' in London is that with boroughs so close together, decisions made supposedly for the benefit of one groups of residents can have serious consequences on residents of another borough who get no say in the matter.

Even if Lambeth really believe it is appropriate, setting this up when there are major roadworks at Oval, Vauxhall and Elephant, not to mention significant public transport problems on national rail thanks to the London Bridge / Thameslink works, smacks of gross incompetence at best.

[robbin]

At best!

[HelBel65]

lozc Wrote:

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

> What / who do you consider a resident James?

>

> One of the major problems of this sort of

> 'localism' in London is that with boroughs so

> close together, decisions made supposedly for the

> benefit of one groups of residents can have

> serious consequences on residents of another

> borough who get no say in the matter.

>

> Even if Lambeth really believe it is appropriate,

> setting this up when there are major roadworks at

> Oval, Vauxhall and Elephant, not to mention

> significant public transport problems on national

> rail thanks to the London Bridge / Thameslink

> works, smacks of gross incompetence at best.

Exactly.

[Hooch]

Google maps has now grayed out the no through route section of road. Clearly someone is going to great lengths to make this nonsense appear permanent ...

[catma]

Oh Heck, wish I'd read this before I went out last night. Due to huge confusion with signs and no advance warning until it was too late to stop I stupidly must have gone though here last night - it was just so unclear what was what, with some signs painted over and blocks pulled to one side I thought it was something that was over, until I read the signs above me as I drove under them...suspect I'll just have to wait for some fine then!

There is no warning that the road is closed, no "no right turn" at Loughborough, no closed road ahead or similar coming along from the other end of the road that would warn you - it's completely confusing.

Bah!