· Transport for London presentation
· Councillor Mark Williams, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and
Transport
· Discussion
Minutes:
David McKenna, Transport for London (TfL), presented. He explained that he worked in the road space management directorate in connection with modifications to the road network. David made the following points:
- Several schemes on Tower Bridge Road were due to start within a month. One was safety improvements at the junction with Abbey Street, where a cyclist had died some time ago. Another was an upgrade to the footways. A diagonal crossing was planned for pedestrians at Bermondsey Square.
- Consultation was currently taking place on the Southwark Quietways cycle
route in the area of Tower Bridge Road, Webb Street and Rothesay Street.
- TfL colleagues were working on Cycle Superhighway 4 in the area of Jamaica
Road. There would be public consultation in due course.
In response to questions, David made the following points:
- An enhancement in the frequency of the 381 and 21 bus services routes had recently taken place. Usage would be monitored.
- Curtailments of the service can be frustrating and sometimes they happen due to road works or incidents. Some time curtailments happen when operators try to avoid bus bunching and followed by a long gap in the service.
- Driver training programmes dealt with handling of incidents of bad behaviour on buses. David said he would find out more specifics and report back.
- The work on the Abbey Street junction would take about eight weeks starting in February 2015.
- Jamaica Road presented challenges: Tower Bridge Road had the inner ring road and competing demands for green time at the signals, whilst at the other end the width restriction at the Rotherhithe roundabout was necessary to protect the structure of the tunnel but resulted in traffic queues.
- The Old Kent Road junction with East Street at the corner of the library was noted as an accident heavy area.
- A resident’s concerns about buses with disability ramps that were faulty and so denied access to wheelchair users was noted. It would be fed back to TfL.
- David was aware of the proposed programme of works related to the Thames
tunnel. Detailed discussions were taking place between TfL and Thames Water. TfL would be pushing Thames Water construction lorries to have the latest safety equipment including bleepers and signage as well as driver training. He agreed with the general safety concerns about the construction.
Councillor Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration, planning and transport explained that transport policy was about the council serving existing and future needs. He made the following points:
- A lot of work was done with TfL who controlled about 5% of the roads in Southwark as well as the overground and underground trains.
- Problems with certain buses including the C10, 381 and 415 in the area had
been highlighted. Ward councillors and the assembly member had been lobbying TfL to improve the routes.
- The council had been lobbying the Government with other boroughs to push for
TfL to run all train services coming into London. Unfortunately the Government turned the latest request down.
- Walking and cycling were being promoted by the council. They were sustainable and healthy methods of transport as well as often being the quickest way of getting around. The target was to double the number of cyclists whilst making it as safe and direct as possible.
- The Old Kent Road was not the best environment for pedestrians. The council had lobbied TfL for improvement works on the Old Kent Road.
- Future pressures on the transport system would flow from developments on the Rotherhithe peninsula at Surrey Quays. The council was looking at taking out the Lower Road gyratory and paid for by developments as a condition in the planning process. In Canada Water, the council wanted to improve the green links and cycle links.
- There was also pressure being put on TfL to get the tube extended from the Elephant & Castle down to Lewisham and Hayes. The council’s position was for both routes through Southwark via Camberwell and Peckham and via the Old Kent Road.
- The council also supported the Brunel bridge project to link Rotherhithe peninsula to Canary Wharf but were not keen on the tolling of Silvertown tunnel and Blackwall tunnel, as that could lead to increased use of the Rotherhithe tunnel.
In response to questions, Councillor Williams made the following points:
- The removal of the gyratory on Lower Road was a key issue. Through the planning process there would be a lot of section 106 money from the Surrey Quays development which would be put towards that end.
- There was a council commitment to extend the cycle hire scheme and TfL had been lobbied about that. The council had offered to match fund expansion on capital costs but as yet TfL have not agreed. As each new large development comes forward in Southwark we are trying to get the developer to pay for cycle hire docking stations as part of those.
- Working with Lewisham to push on with development on their side of the border so that the Surrey Canal Road station can be built.
- The multi-modal study was a useful piece of work but things have moved on. It will feed in to the work being done by British Land with our transport planners and there will be new piece of work to take into account increased numbers of homes in the peninsula.
- The council are trying to push down the number of car spaces for new developments on the peninsula so dwellers use public transport and walking/cycling instead of cars.
- Re the neighbourhood forum, no decision has been made on the boundaries. The feedback from residents is that tenants groups on the western side of the peninsula were not supportive of a neighbourhood forum. However, those on the eastern side were more supportive. The council was meeting regularly with the proposed neighbourhood forum ahead of any formal decision on the boundary.
- The decision on the extension of the Bakerloo line was in the hands of the Mayor of London and TfL. The sooner the better so that funding mechanisms can be agreed and commitments made with central government and TfL.