New Southbound Bus and Cycle Lane on Battersea Bridge Road – Have Your Say by Friday 10th July (From Surrey Comet)

New Southbound Bus and Cycle Lane on Battersea Bridge Road – Have Your Say by Friday 10th July

8:54pm Wednesday 1st July 2009

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By Community Correspondent Sarah Husselmann

Transport for London (TFL) is proposing changes to Battersea Bridge Road, specifically the introduction of a 24hr southbound bus and cycle lane. The lane will mean buses and cycles coming from Battersea Bridge, and wanting to head west on Battersea Park Road (towards Clapham Junction \ Wandsworth Town), will no longer follow the one-way system along Prince of Wales Drive and Albert Bridge Road, but be able to go straight ahead and turn right into Battersea Park Road.

Suggested benefits include reduced journey times for buses and cycles and improved safety for cyclists turning right from Prince of Wales Drive into Cambridge Road. TFL says the changes will incorporate the addition of several parking spaces, cycle stands and wider pavements. They do not expect the changes to have a negative impact on general traffic journey times.

To facilitate the changes, it is proposed that the bus stand currently located northbound on Battersea Bridge Road be moved to Cambridge Road. TFL say that the bus stand is rarely used and will hold two buses.

What looks good on paper may work in practice, but the list of concerns from local residents is growing.

Until now, Cambridge Road has been markedly free of buses and residents have raised concerns that the proposed bus stand, even if rarely used, will have a negative impact on parking.

To accommodate southbound buses turning right onto Battersea Park Road, the traffic signal sequence will be reviewed and lengthened. Residents on Latchmere Road wonder what impact this will have on the flow of traffic in front of their homes. Rush hour tail backs from Lavender Hill towards Battersea Park Road can already be significant.

TFL proposals describe the widening of pavements to make space for trees and cycle parking. Someone who wasn’t consulted when these plans were drawn up is Steve Morgan, who has run the flower stall at the Colestown Street intersection with Battersea Bridge Road for more than twenty years. He explains that if the plans go ahead as initially laid out, Colestown Street will no longer be wide enough for his stall. Losing such a long standing and well loved local trader, is not likely to be accepted by Mr Morgan or his customers.

On their website news pages, The Battersea Society suggests that TFL look at more pressing problems, such as the northbound traffic flow across Battersea Bridge towards Chelsea, and states that they intend to object to the proposals.

On a positive note, Mary Ann Tarver, a member of Wandsworth Cycling Campaign, has expressed her general approval of the changes. She explains that this area has for some time been difficult and potentially dangerous for cyclists, and the plans are an excellent start in improving safety.

Whether you live at the intersection, on the roads surrounding it or regularly travel through, have your say by Friday 10th July.

A surprising number of local residents and businesses did not receive TFL leaflets announcing the proposals, and missed the 11th June consultation meeting. All comments left via the website will help TFL decide whether to go ahead with the scheme and if necessary, how to modify designs. A summary of responses will be available in September. If the plans go ahead they are due to be delivered during the financial year 2010 \ 2011.

[See Related Links]

Proposal Details: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/corporate/have-your-say-about-battersea-bridge-road-leaflet.pdf

Have your say: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/corporate/projectsandschemes/batterseabridgeroad/default.aspx

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