Tag Archives: A205

20 MPH Limits are so Tedious and Unnecessary

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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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South Circular to be Improved?

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Lewisham Council have plans to improve the South Circular Road (A205) in London by removing the gyratory system. They may get funding from TfL to do the work. Proposals to do this have been planned for several years so as to relieve the traffic congestion, reduce air pollution and improve road safety. But money has always been the problem.

An artists impression of how Catford Road might look in future is above.

Anyone who use this road should respond to the public consultation which you can do here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/catford-town-centre

Some bus routes will be affected and bus stop bypasses will be implemented which many people dislike. In order to achieve the Councils “vision” they are proposing changes to the road layout of the South Circular Road, moving Catford Road to the south side of Laurence House and removing the one-way system around Plassy Island. They claim this will make it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport in and around the town centre. It will also enable the Council to provide new pedestrian public space and help create a green, largely car-free town centre, with new trees and planting. But some parking provision will be removed.

The proposals include some “shared space” ideas to which many people object.

There is very little information provided on the likely improvement (if any) in local air quality and no information on the changes in traffic flows. It’s a useless document to obtain informed responses.

Comment: This looks like another scheme similar to that imposed on Lewisham town centre which has made traffic congestion worse. Certainly Catford town centre was well overdue for improvement but it is unclear whether this proposal will help.

But do submit your own comments.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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