Month: Feb 2020

Some Turney Road residents attended the first consultation on 8 February on Southwark Council’s Healthy Streets responses to community, London Mayor & Government pressure to do something about our heavy traffic load and the poor air quality we are enduring.

The 3-hour discussion has given us an understanding of the background to the initiative and the issues we face.

There are two more consultations.  Try to attend one of them:

Saturday 29^th February, 9am to 12.30pm at Herne Hill Baptist Church, Half Moon Lane at the corner with Winterbrook Road

Wednesday 4^th March, 6.30pm to 9pm at JAGS (James Allen Girls School)

Following the consultations we are thinking of having a meeting for residents either separately or with Burbage to discuss and look at the pros and cons of possible options so we can present to Southwark our thinking and views. We will also run an online survey about the options as not everyone will be able to make a meeting.

Turney Committee members have met with our two Councillors and they have written to us expressing the Council’s keenness to consider all options.  This is reiterated in the contents of an email ( see below) from Margy Newens one of our Councillors and has also been expressed by Richard Leeming our other Councillor and also by Clement who is the manager of the project in Southwark.

“Dear Michael, [Michael Wilkins the Chair of Turney Residents Association]

This is absolutely an open process.

The background is that TfL [Transport for London – under the Mayor of London’s jurisdiction] came up with some money and a pre-designated area that it wanted to investigate (Area B on the map, plus an equivalent area on the other side of Lordship Lane, i.e. outside Dulwich Village Ward). Our initial response was that it would not work, because it was too limited. However, as the funding could not be extended we had no option but to begin, at least, focussed on that area. 

During Phase 1 we asked people to identify problems in that area – of which there are a multitude. In Phase 2, we reported back those problems and gave people a “toolkit” to deal with them. This toolkit consisted of a range of interventions from doing nothing to closing roads and several options in between. The hundreds of responses received did err towards the radical end of the spectrum. 

At this stage, those responses have been digested and the current Area B proposals put together. In doing so, the merits of our original argument against simply focussing on Area B are clearer than ever. It is precisely for this reason that at this stage we are extending the consultation to cover the lower Dulwich Village/Turney/Burbage area (and Melbourne Grove to the north east, again outside this ward). You are absolutely right that the proposals for Area B have strong implications there and this is why we are asking residents their views on what interventions, if any, they feel are necessary in this wider area. Officers have offered suggestions that will mitigate the effects of the proposals for Area B. 

I emphasise again, this is absolutely open for discussion, just like the proposals for Area B that you see before you today. However, at the same time it must be understood that the proposals for Area B have already received strong support from earlier consultation responses, although they are not set in stone by any means.

I think it is fair to say that no solution is perfect, however, the least perfect solution is to do nothing. Proposals will be modelled properly to highlight any unexpected consequences – there are sophisticated tools for doing this. Nothing is set in stone and things can be tweaked. But we do need to start somewhere. Both Lambeth and Lewisham are developing extensive low-traffic neighbourhood proposals covering a much wider area than the Dulwich proposals and there is a danger of becoming a smokey corridor between the two. The reason they are doing this is that, just as in Dulwich Village, there is an effective public health emergency in terms of the air we are breathing. This has to be addressed.”

Turney residents need to be thinking of what we want to achieve for the future of our road. What type of road do we want to be living in for the future: as it is now, with more traffic and parking issues, less non-residential traffic, more clean air, more or less parking of non-residents etc. How can we achieve what we want whilst continuing to allow reasonable access for ourselves, the services we use, the sports grounds etc.

At present the main themes, coming from Turney residents, include a) having a permeable closure in the road to stop through traffic but allowing cyclists and pedestrians through; and b) having timed closures both ways or one way at different times, not doing anything.  Whatever options we take forward it will mean some changes either through having more traffic in the road, fewer ways out of the road and therefore slightly longer journeys at times. Whilst we do not know whether the suggested scheme for the Village will definitely go ahead we need to be prepared with solutions for Turney and Burbage.  Across London and other cities there is an growing move to reduce motor use and pollution and we need to be sure we are not the last road still being a rat run and car park.

There are further pressures on us to think about the future.  1) On 24 February parking charges in Dulwich Park commence.  2) The extension of the CPZ (Controlled Parking Zone) in Croxted Road from the petrol station to the junction with Turney will be going ahead soon.  3) Parking in Rosendale Road will be reduced should the implementation of the Healthy Routes (Quietway) in Lambeth go ahead, which is being consulted upon at the moment.  We need to consider the pressure on parking that is likely to increase following these three sets of parking controls.  Turney Road is free of any parking controls and therefore is free for anyone to park.  Therefore the idea of a CPZ is back on the table. The Survey we ran on parking back at the end of 2018 suggested that there was a fairly equal split at that time in both Burbage and Turney about having a CPZ.

Burbage RA Secretary Louise Woods has set out the challenges for Turney and Burbage Road residents in this remarkably clear piece.  Residents must make a decision – and the decision is very much one for residents – about the immediate future nature of our neighbourhood.  Currently plagued by heavy traffic and fumes with air quality levels regularly breaching recommended levels and with increasing evidence about the effect on our health, we have the opportunity to make things better.  What are the options which would do this?  Read on…………………………..

Background

The Healthy Streets initiative is driven by well established resident and schools groups and builds upon much of the consultation work which has taken place in recent years in Dulwich Village. This has been backed up with new data analysis which demonstrates high traffic flows leading to poor air quality, particularly –  but not only –  restricted to school and rush hour times (weekdays 7-10am and 3-7pm).

The opportunity now arises to use funding from TfL, together with that from Southwark, to implement structural changes to improve our environment. Other parts of London, including Lambeth, Croydon, Lewisham, Camberwell and Peckham are also implementing measures designed to enable more active travel.

You can see the proposals, including supporting traffic data and maps on this link:

But for a fuller briefing I urge you to attend one of two upcoming consultation sessions:
Saturday 29^th February, 9am to 12.30pm at Herne Hill Baptist Church, Half Moon Lane at the corner with Winterbrook

Wednesday 4^th March, 6.30pm to 9pm at JAGS Your views can be sent to Southwark via the attached questionnaire:

The consultation process for this phase ends on the 29th of March.

Implications of Areas A, B and C ( See map) 

In essence the proposals amount to creating an area within Dulwich where vehicle access is relatively open to residents (and other permit holders) but limited to others on a (to be agreed) timed basis. By doing this cycle and pedestrian travel within this area should be safer and healthier, through-traffic and commuter traffic would be discouraged.

The aim is that, though there would be some traffic displacement to neighbouring areas, there would also be an overall reduction in traffic, as has been experienced elsewhere (Waltham Forest, for example).

The proposals for Area B on the attached map have arisen directly from previous consultations and received considerable support.

Councillors and other groups have argued strongly however that these plans should not be implemented without consideration for the surrounding areas:Area A in East Dulwich but also Area C which includes us and neighbouring Stradella & Winterbrook, Turney and Dulwich Village.  

Without inclusion, Burbage and other roads in Areas A and C are all likely to become significantly worse as traffic rat runs, commuter car parks, effectively very unhealthy ‘smokey corridors’. Measures already planned for Lambeth will inevitably exacerbate the traffic pressures on Burbage, Stradella, Winterbrook and Turney.

Residents calling for measures in Area B may not necessarily be depended upon to support mitigating measures in Area A and C. But the current opinion from our neighbouring RAs in Area C is that these knock- on factors are likely to lead to strong support for the proposed scheme to operate Village-wide, ie Areas A, B and C.

The conclusion from the above is that Burbage is highly likely to be affected by changes not only to Area B but also to Areas A and C, whatever the opinion of our own residents.

Burbage Road

The feedback from Burbage residents in response to all previous consultations (including our own parking survey last year and our AGM) is that traffic issues have become significantly worse in recent years. You have also consistently told us that you want a Village-wide and co-ordinated approach to traffic and associated environmental problems.

The current proposals for Burbage Road are deliberately not precisely defined, but are potentially major (see map)

• Restrictions on Burbage Road – either a northbound no-entry to all cars (south of the junction with Stradella Road) or a permeable road closure ( meaning no access to motor vehicles, only bikes and pedestrians) south of Stradella Road.
• No entry restrictions eastbound on Turney Road, between Burbage Road and Dulwich Village.
• Timed access restrictions northbound on Burbage Road and Dulwich Village (at the junction with College Road), to reduce the volume of traffic taking short-cuts through Dulwich Village.
• The introduction of parking controls to prevent commuters taking advantage of Burbage as a gateway to the Village.

These raise concerns about more speeding associated with a one-way road and potential access problems for services, health and sports facilities and businesses. Also they may affect the integrity and feel of our road. Turney have flagged that permeable closure nearer Croxted Road may be preferable to controls at the junction with Burbage. Close cooperation with Turney, Stradella and Dulwich Village would clearly be needed for any solution.

We would like to know your views

Given that Zone B is likely to go ahead:

• Do we want Burbage to be part the proposed changes for Dulwich wide Healthy Streets ? (Are we prepared to accept permits and consider parking restrictions as a consequence of this? )

• If not, what are the likely consequences for us?

• If we do participate, what is the preferable configuration? (What would be our non-negotiable conditions for such a scheme?)

In any eventuality, the RA will advocate fully evaluating any outcomes before setting them in stone, weighing equally the opinions of our businesses, their employees, our health and sports facilities, our carers, visitors and workers and last, but not least, the less physically mobile members of our community.

In order to exert our influence the RA  will need to have a clear steer from residents on all of these.

Next steps

As a first stage our committee members are aiming to speak to as many of you as possible before the next consultation meeting. A meeting of all residents and/or a poll are also being considered. You can always contact me or any committee member directly, I hope to hear from you.