Sorry for the flag etc! …
I’d have to agree , I have witnessed two scary but relatively minor accidents in the last year at this crossing , one on the way to school and the other on the school run home , so I am grateful that the barriers are there.
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ASLs should be a static offence just like yellow boxes. Don’t go in unless you can get out. No brainer really.
Station junction is absolute rubbish, desperately needs a straight across phase for pedestrians on the northern arm.
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Acrually that’s not quite the case. This is the rule for box junctions:
Rule 174
Box junctions. These have criss-cross yellow lines painted on the road (see ‘Road markings’). You MUST NOT enter the box until your exit road or lane is clear. However, you may enter the box and wait when you want to turn right, and are only stopped from doing so by oncoming traffic, or by other vehicles waiting to turn right. At signalled roundabouts you MUST NOT enter the box unless you can cross over it completely without stopping.
That’s why some very careful motorists can get stuck in box junctions if oncoming traffic isn’t so careful and stops and blocks the junction.
I agree we need a straight across phase. @ForestHull @FashionClearance i completely get your point about safety. Maybe with a straight across timing the barriers could be less of a slalom and more sensibly designed to protect yet not hinder pedestrians. The current design sees us too often squeezed out.
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and is happening everywhere else in London
I think they should take some of the station car park and move the road a bit in order to widen the pedestrian refuge in the middle of the road.
I think it is unlikely that we will get a pedestrian only phase because it would negate the usefulness of the left filter arrow. Priority is always given to traffic and not to pedestrians. I usually go up to Forest Hill on the bus to avoid difficult road crossings.
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Not everywhere. It doesn’t have to be this way.
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It seems to me that the adversarial nature of our politics is so divisive that everything gets polarised. Local Councillors/council officers and London Mayor/TFL think of walkers and cyclists as on one side and motorists as the other side. So it’s all out for one side or the other. It gets photo opps, career boosts and bonuses but whatever they do is extreme, because the small tweaks that could often make junctions easier and safer don’t grab headlines and do nothing for political ambition.
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Hi all, I spoke with Ellie Reeves’ team about this and she agreed to write to TFL to put some pressure on them. She’s made the letter public on twitter here:
I know @SophieDavis has been liaising with staff at TFL about this matter and they have said a lack of funding has prevented the necessary upgrade works on the pedestrian island. They are currently investigating whether the phasing of crossing lights could be amended to give pedestrians more time to cross.
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Really great to see/hear this @LeoGibbons, thank you, @SophieDavis and Ellie too.
Hopefully re-timing the lights can be done easily enough with current traffic volumes while budget and plans are made for a more permanent (and overdue) improvement.
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Could we not use some of those funds for blocking Bishopsthorpe to block the Road? Much safer and quieter - plus many more residents would appreciate it!
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If you are suggesting that Lewisham may wish to share some of it’s Covid-19 emergency funds with TfL in order to more urgently and better address the issue of the A205 crossing, I think you may have a point.
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The current pavement refurbishment of Devonshire Road is a bit of a puzzle in this context. The work will continue over several months (expensive). The pavement is not being widened to improve pedestrian safety. Although the pavement is in poor condition, just refurbishing without considering changes seems … strange.
Pavements are being replaced across the borough, aren’t they? I assume there was a separate pot of funding for that project. Not sure, but if anyone has a link to any detailed info it might be an interesting thing to share.
Why not just get rid of all those ugly grey barriers that box you in and make you feel claustrophobic, and have the same open crossing that Oxford Circus has?
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because lorries come wide around that 90 degree corner. With no barrier they are gpoing to splatt a few locals
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I think @Poppet21 is suggesting not having an island at all and having an entire stoppage of traffic in every light sequence that would allow people to cross the road in one go (diagonally from station towards the Capitol as well as straight across). So no need to worry about lorries making the turn.
I’m slightly dubious as to whether the railing that is currently there would do much against 15 tonnes of artic… not having one that people could lead backwards from might be safer!
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@applespider You are probably right - not a bad idea if we can keep the Oxford Street God bothers with loudspeakers away
The lorries go round the three 90 degree corners with no care for anyone, hand on horn; they only stop if something is going to damage them. I’ve seen them happily drive over the bollards on devonshire road because they are plastic - a body wouldn’t do them much damage
Can’t believe how many cars I’ve seen recently that have used the wrong side of the road to go round into London Road. Yesterday a cyclist nearly got hit as another car just drove on the right hand side of the road.