Category Archives: Road Network

Lambeth Shows What’s Wrong with Local Democracy

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A petition on Change.org spells out how London Boroughs such as Lambeth can undermine local democracy by becoming an increasingly authoritarian regime – see https://chng.it/6TQgf76kW5 . It spells out how some Labour dominated councils can destroy democracy. It’s definitely worth signing the petition.

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/Drivers_London )

You can obtain notifications of new posts in future by following me on Twitter (now “X”) – see https://x.com/Drivers_London where new posts are usually mentioned.

10 Mph Speed Limits and Lack of Motorway Construction

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If you thought blanket 20 mph speed limits (now prevalent in Wales and London) were silly then you’ll be astonished to hear that the charity Road Safety Foundation are calling for 10 mph speed limits in urban areas where pedestrians and cyclists are commonly seen. This is part of their Vision Zero policy to cut road deaths to zero.

Vision Zero was adopted as a policy in London in 2018 but has been an abysmal failure in reducing road casualties – see this previous blog post for an analysis: https://freedomfordrivers.blog/2021/11/20/vision-zero-failing-but-the-mayor-thinks-otherwise/

Ten mph is surely even dafter and impossible to comply with – just try driving at 10 mph and wait for the reaction from drivers behind you!

The Spectator have published a good article on this subject which you can read here: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-blanket-city-10mph-speed-limit-is-preposterous/ . They rightly call it preposterous. Such a policy is only being pushed by those cyclists and pedestrians who would like to get rid of all cars and vans from our streets which would cause major problems for the elderly and disabled who rely on them. It would also slow down our roads to walking pace. Car users need to fight such policies whenever and wherever they are proposed.

No Motorway Building

The FT have published an article that shows how pathetic the UK has been in building more road capacity, particularly motorways in the last few years. This is some of what they said:

“Britain has added just 65 miles of new motorway in the past decade, with a large proportion of this figure the result of a statistical quirk rather than actual construction, according to data from the Department for Transport. Some other European countries have built thousands of miles of new highways during the same period. Only three new stretches of motorway were opened in that period, on the A1(M) to Newcastle, the M8 near Glasgow and the M90/Queensferry Crossing”.

Why is the UK so bad at building new roads? Because of lack of forward planning, national government policies that inhibit spending money on roads while railways get largesse that cannot be justified on any rational cost/benefit analysis, and because of opposition from nimbys. Lack of sound political leadership is the essence of the problem.

But the UK has suffered from the same leadership failure over excessive immigration. Labour, Conservative and LibDems have been the problem in failing to act wisely and decisively. Let us hope the Reform Party will get a chance to do things differently.

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/Drivers_London )

You can obtain notifications of new posts in future by following me on Twitter (now “X”) – see https://x.com/Drivers_London where new posts are usually mentioned.

Lower Thames Crossing – An Example of UK Planning Ineptitude

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The Lower Thames Crossing tunnel has been under consideration, but not actual construction, for many years. It would relieve traffic congestion on the A2 and M25 by allowing traffic to avoid the Dartford Crossing. Many people, including me, would benefit, but this is what the FT had to say recently on the planning impediments to getting the project moving forward:

“Lower Thames Crossing has cost £1.2bn even before construction starts. The scheme to build a 14-mile road and tunnel to connect Kent and Essex has become a totem of Britain’s snarled-up planning system, in which ventures are tied up with years of delays and mountains of expensive compliance documents.

The planning document for the project — the first wholly-new Thames river crossing east of London in 60 years — runs to 359,070 pages, while around 150 staff are employed on the project, as well as an eight-strong management team.”

Comment: This is a typical example of UK management incompetence with overpaid consultants creaming off enormous fees and delaying projects while environmental concerns are exaggerated by pressure groups.

See FT article here for more information: https://www.ft.com/content/917d4b7f-318e-46fe-ba44-664551ebcf13

Will I see it completed in my lifetime? It seems doubtful.

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/Drivers_London )

You can obtain notifications of new posts in future by following me on Twitter (now “X”) – see https://x.com/Drivers_London where new posts are usually mentioned.

Heathrow Expansion, Lower Thames Crossing and Just Stop Oil Sentences

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The Chancellor is backing the expansion of London Heathrow Airport with a third runway. This has of course been proposed in the past but plans have always been thwarted by political and legal opposition. Rachel Reeves believes it would assist her plans to grow the economy, and it should be pushed through. Even if she manages to overcome all the hurdles it could be many years before we see the new runway.

Is it necessary and a good thing? The issue to my mind has always been the increased noise and pollution from expanding this airport in a London suburb. A much better plan has always been to build a new airport to the east of London on Maplin Sands or elsewhere in Essex/Kent. 

Other alternatives are expansion of Stansted, Luton or Gatwick airports, or even better, expand regional airports. Is it really necessary to have people travelling from all over the UK to Heathrow just to catch a plane to their ultimate destination? It is not and the financial cost of expanding Heathrow is enormous – for example it requires major alterations to the M25/M4 which will add months of disruption to key roads.

I have always opposed Heathrow expansion and will continue to do so because of opposition to the noise that it causes that affects a very wide area of London. Heathrow Airport is also one to avoid in my opinion by any sensible traveller.

Lower Thames Crossing

Apparently the Chancellor is looking at a private finance deal to get the Lower Thames Crossing built. This is a tunnel near Tilbury to divert traffic from the Channel ports to avoid them using the M25 and Dartford Crossing. This is a very worthwhile project that makes a lot more sense than expanding Heathrow Airport.

Just Stop Oil Appeals

Yesterday appeals were heard in the Court of Appeal over the sentences on Just Stop Oil protestors who blocked the M25 for 4 days. That included 5 years for Roger Hallam who helped to organise the protest. Were the sentences justified? Well the cost imposed on the millions of road users who use the M25, and the general inconvenience caused do justify stiff sentences in my opinion. That is particularly so after Hallam in April 2024 was given a suspended two-year sentence for attempting to block Heathrow Airport with drones. Basically he and his supporters are persistently attempting to disrupt normal life. These are not “peaceful” protests – they aim to cause the maximum disruption they can just in the cause of bringing their views into public attention.

I hope the Appeal Court will not be sympathetic.

Roger Lawson (Twitter: https://x.com/Drivers_London )

You can obtain notifications of new posts in future by following me on Twitter (now “X”) – see https://x.com/Drivers_London where new posts are usually mentioned.

South-East London Frustrates Drivers 

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Drivers in South-East London will be hit by high charges to drive through both the Blackwall Tunnel and the new Silvertown Tunnel when it opens

Silvertown and Blackwall User Charges – 06:00 to 22:00  
   Charges paid via Auto Pay      Charges paid via other channels   
   Standard off-peak charges     Peak charges      Mon-Fri only     Northbound 06:00 – 10:00   Southbound 16:00 -19:00     At all times      
Motorcycle, moped, motor tricycle   £1.50  £2.50  £2.50  
Car and small van   £1.50  £4.00  £4.00  
Large van  £2.50  £6.50  £6.50  
Heavy Goods Vehicles   £5.00  £10.00  £10.00  
Penalty Charge Notice for non-payment – £180 (Reduced to £90 if paid within two weeks)  

Charges will apply from 06:00 to 22:00 seven days a week. For drivers registered for Auto Pay, the off-peak rate of £1.50 for cars, motorcycles and small vans would apply the majority of the time. To manage traffic congestion during the busiest times, there will be a peak charge for four hours northbound in the morning (from 06:00 to 10:00) and three hours southbound in the evening (from 16:00 to 19:00), Monday to Friday. People using the tunnels at night (22:00-06:00) won’t pay anything.  

To help residents, small businesses and charities, and to support people to use new public transport connections, a wide range of concessions and discounts is being provided, including a 50% discount available for low-income residents in 12 east and southeast London boroughs and the City of London. Those boroughs are Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, City of London Corporation, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. Blue Badge holders should also get a 100% discount.

Comment: the new Silvertown Tunnel had to be paid for somehow and the charges are not unreasonable. But they will deter people from commuting through the Tunnels and make life expensive for some people. The charges are unlikely to stay at the proposed levels for long though.

Another attack on drivers comes from Greenwich Council who are putting in an LTN in east/west Greenwich. There is a petition against the proposals here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-new-west-and-east-greenwich-road-closures-and-ltn? Please sign it.

It has been reported that Sadiq Khan will receive a knighthood in the New Years Honours List. A person less worthy of receiving an honour I cannot imagine. A person who has destroyed the London road network and raised taxes to meet his own vanity projects. There is a petition you can sign against this on Change.org – see https://chng.it/RNcYPm78Qh

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

A21 Delays Proposed by TfL

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TfL are proposing to introduce an additional set of traffic lights and a reduction in the speed limit on the A21 where the right turn to Knockholt has been removed. This to my mind will create unnecessary delays when asking the few people who need to travel up to the roundabout is only a minor inconvenience and is safer.

For more details and to respond to the consultation go here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/a21-sevenoaks-road? . But you need to do so quickly!

Roger Lawson

London Roads Now the Slowest

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TomTom has reported that London is now the slowest place to drive in the world, and it’s getting worse. Average speed is now only 10mph. See https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12946127/worlds-slowest-city-revealed-ulez-london-worst-offender.html

What are the causes of this? The introduction of 20 mph speed limits on many roads does not help but it’s the general mismanagement of the road network by TfL, which causes traffic congestion, and which is the main cause.

Who is ultimately responsible? It’s Sadiq Khan of course who heads the TfL board and determines London’s Transport Strategy. That is simply an attack on private vehicles and there won’t be any change unless Sadiq is kicked out in May.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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Petition Against More Traffic Congestion on Embankment

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Greg Hands M.P. has launched a petition against a new bus lane on Chelsea Embankment. It is worth signing as this is totally unnecessary and will make traffic congestion worse.

See: https://www.greghands.com/campaigns/lets-keep-chelsea-moving

PLEASE SIGN IT.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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Rishi Sunak Speech and 20 mph Limits in London

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Rishi Sunak’s speech at the close of the Conservative Party Conference is surely to be welcomed by all those who use our roads and want rational economic decisions to be taken. It included this statement on HS2: “I am ending this long running saga. I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project. And in its place we will reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands, and across the country. This means £36 billion of investment in the projects that will make a real difference across our country. We’ll help Andy Street extend the West Midlands Metro… Build the Leeds tram, electrify the North Wales main line…Upgrade the A1, the A2, the A5, the M6 and we’ll connect our Union with the A75 boosting links between Scotland and Northern Ireland. We’ll fund the Shipley bypass, the Blyth relief road and deliver 70 other road schemes. We’ll resurface roads across the country”.

So we should be getting some improvements to congested major roads even if money is to be wasted on tram systems which are rarely justified on a cost/benefit ratio.

Meanwhile in London Sadiq Khan is putting up two fingers to the Government’s commitment to halt irrational 20 mph speed limits. Transport for London (TfL) will introduce 65km of new 20mph speed limits within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Lewisham, Southwark, Wandsworth, Merton, Bromley and Lambeth. The new speed limits will be introduced in stages over the last four months of the year.

TfL is also working with the Met Police to increase their capacity to take enforcement action against drivers and riders who speed. They are currently on track to be able to take action on a million speeding offences by 2024/5, to provide a more effective deterrent to speeding.

A 20mph limit will be introduced on sections of the following roads:

A232: West Wickham High Street (scheme to go live in September)

A205: St John Wilson Street, Well Hall Road (scheme to go live in October)

A4: Cromwell Road, Brompton Road (scheme to go live in October)

A3220: Pembroke Road, Holland Road, Warwick Road, Redcliffe Gardens (scheme to go live in October)

A20: Eltham Road, Lee High Road, Lewisham Way (scheme to go live in November)

A202: Queens Road, Peckham High Street, Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell New Road (scheme to go live in December)

A2: New Cross Road, Old Kent Road (scheme to go live in December)

A201: New Kent Road (scheme to go live in December)

A100: Tower Bridge Road (scheme to go live in December)

A200: Jamaica Road (scheme to go live in December)

A3: Clapham Road, Kennington Park Road (scheme to go live in December)

A3204: Kennington Lane (scheme to go live in December)

A203: Stockwell Road (scheme to go live in December)

A23: Camberwell New Road, Streatham Hill, Streatham High Road (scheme to go live in December)

A214: Tooting Bec Road (Scheme to go live in December)

A24: Clapham Common South Side, Balham High Road, Upper Tooting Road, High Street Colliers Wood (scheme to go live in December)

A205: Woolwich Common, South Circular Road, Catford Road, Stanstead Road, London Road, Thurlow Road, Christchurch Road, Poynders Road, Dulwich Common (scheme to go live in December)

Comment: This is an irrational and unjustified attack on drivers. Speed of traffic has already been considerably reduced in recent years in London with no obvious impact on road casualties.

Rishi Sunak speech in full: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/rishi-sunaks-full-speech-conservative-27843617

TfL Press Release: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2023/september/tfl-to-launch-65km-of-new-lower-speed-limit-schemes-to-cut-road-danger-across-the-capital-and-save-lives

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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Park Lane Changes to be Made Permanent. Another Hatchet Job on the Road Network.

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Transport for London (TfL) have published a note saying that after reviewing the public consultation responses they have decided to make the changes permanent.
To remind you, Park Lane has always been a major thoroughfare in London. The recent introduction of wide bus and cycle lanes has reduced the road space for all other vehicles and caused congestion as a result (see photo above). What used to be a three-lane highway is now only one.

Park Lane is a key part of the road transport network in central London and has now effectively been downgraded. A few cyclists might have benefited but vehicle users have been seriously disadvantaged. This shows how prejudiced TfL is against vehicle users.

The results of the consultation showed that there was no overall support for the scheme but a lot of opposition. Only 31 per cent of respondents stated general support for the Park Lane scheme and vision while 30 per cent raised concern that the scheme has a negative impact on traffic congestion, including displacement of traffic to other nearby areas; and 22 per cent suggested that it is preferable to cycle in Hyde Park than on Park Lane while 22 per cent suggested to remove the cycle lane and the scheme altogether.

What is the point of doing public consultations when the feedback is simply ignored? This is yet another example of TfL ignoring the views of the majority of road users and implementing proposals that favour the small minority who are cyclists. This scheme should never have been proposed when there were much better alternatives.

For the TfL Consultation Report see https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/park-lane/widgets/33040/documents

Roger Lawson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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