Yesterday I drove into central London from my home in Bromley to attend an appointment at Guys Hospital. I regularly drive in as I wish to avoid public transport mainly because I now use a wheelchair and wish to avoid the risk of a Covid infection to which I am vulnerable. So I took the A20 and A2 through Lewisham, New Cross and Deptford.
The whole route now has a 20 mph speed limit once you are in Lewisham. This makes it extremely tedious and is totally unjustified on road safety grounds. The A2 is of course the historic road from London to Dover. It should be a four-lane motorway with a 70 limit but is now reduced to a crawl from the GLA boundary.
It’s a typical example of how Transport for London (TfL) have destroyed the London road network under the chairmanship of Sadiq Khan in the last few years.
I may have a ULEZ compliant vehicle, exemption from the Congestion Charge as a Blue Badge holder, and free parking at Guys Hospital but when TfL create road congestion through stupid restrictions I end up taking hours on simple journeys.
Many years ago I used to commute into central London via car. Now that is totally impractical due to TfL induced congestion.
Since the 1960s there has been no comprehensive plan to improve London’s road network. That’s why we have horrible air pollution on roads such as the South Circular. Improvement plans are regularly defeated by anti-vehicle lobbyists and by individual councils such as Lewisham and Greenwich by nimby factions.
The UK Government has said it will back motorists who keep our country moving and its plans would include: a review of guidance on 20mph speed limits in England to prevent use in “areas where not appropriate”. Well the whole of London’s A roads should be excluded for a start.
Roger Lawson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London
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Last November, dark and wet left the A4 at Hammersmith to join Fulham Palacwe Road. TFL’s still suggst on their website that the Fulham Palace Road is 30mph. The signage is so pathertic that my onboard cameras looking at speed limit signs was still showing 30mph. You know what’s coming… £100 fine and insurance increased by £150 for “speeding” at 25 mph. I’d just been overttaken by two illegal electric skooters that when approaching short central restrictions passed them on the right hand side. Just the sort of driving you get in Mr. Khan’s home country.
Dear friend.
The goal of the Mayor of London is money, money and more money. For him, Every (jorney) money matert if he collects it.
It’s about time we stopped him and sent him back to his failed law career.