The experimental one-way system in Pottery Street and Wilson Grove is to be made permanent.
Category Archives: Transport
‘Brunel Bridge’ Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf crossing plans to be revived by Sustrans
Mayor of London Boris Johnson says he ‘might well’ consider supporting the construction of a bridge across the Thames for pedestrians and cyclists linking Rotherhithe with Canary Wharf.
At Mayor’s Question Time on Wednesday, Lib Dem London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon revealed that transport charity Sustrans is to launch a competition for designs for a new bridge.
Ms Pidgeon said that a new bridge could help relieve overcrowding on the Jubilee line.
The Mayor replied: “Please tell [Sustrans] to come in as soon as possible and we’ll have a look at it … I do agree there should be a crossing in that area. Let’s see what they’re proposing.”
Tbe Mayor joked that a catapult across the Thames could be one option.
Council considers controlled parking zone for Rotherhithe & Surrey Quays
Southwark Council is to allocate £82,750 towards a feasibility study and consultation on setting up a controlled parking zone (CPZ) for Rotherhithe and Surrey Quays.
A controlled parking zone is an area where all parking is restricted to people who hold permits, vouchers or pay and display tickets. Around half of the borough of Southwark currently falls within a CPZ.
The funding for a CPZ study in Rotherhithe is part of a £1 million package of projects funded by section 106 contributions from developments in the area set to be approved by the council’s planning committee on Tuesday night.
Read the full council report here (PDF).
The council has a guide to how controlled parking zones work on its website.
Mayor lukewarm about bringing cycle hire to SE16
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has indicated that his priority for the cycle hire scheme is adding more docking stations to the existing area before further expansions of the scheme into new parts of London are considered.
Labour London Assembly member Val Shawcross asked the Mayor:
What plans do you have for increasing the coverage of the cycle hire scheme south of the river? Ideally the scheme should come to Surrey Docks, Rotherhithe, go south to Camberwell and Brixton and also take in Clapham. What discussions are TfL having with Southwark and Lambeth Council respectively?
Boris Johnson replied:
The main focus for the cycle hire scheme at present is to identify locations for more ‘intensification’ sites with our borough partners within the footprint of the current scheme. By increasing the density of docking points, particularly in central London, users will have greater opportunity to hire and dock bikes and the redistribution operation will be more efficient.
The most recent expansion of the scheme includes Clapham Junction with nine docking stations at and around the station. There has also recently been three new sites built near Clapham Common Southside.
That said, I view the scheme as an expanding programme and TfL is more than happy to look at suggested sites and areas subject to a range of criteria that must be met for docking station installation. These include topography, operational considerations and available funding.
TfL remains engaged with both Lambeth and Southwark boroughs regarding intensification and any possible future expansion.
Councillor’s ‘serious concern’ over street drinking, begging and littering at Bermondsey Tube Station
From the blog of Riverside Lib Dem councillor Anood Al-Samerai:
I also went along to our ward Safer Neighbourhood police meeting to raise serious concern about the area around Bermondsey tube station. It seems to have become a location for street drinking, begging and littering instead of the proud entrance to our area it should be. The police team agreed this as their priority for the next six weeks, our panel chair (another marvellous local resident) is writing to the Borough Commander and I am also raising the matter with the council.
C10 bus: 6 per cent of trips bypassed Rotherhithe peninsula
London Assembly member Val Shawcross recently tabled this question to Mayor of London Boris Johnson:
I understand that the C10 has a problem due to traffic in the Rotherhithe area and are working with the operator to resolve it. Can you provide details of what the problem is and what is being done to resolve it?
Boris Johnson replied:
Approximately 6 per cent of trips did not serve the Rotherhithe peninsula in the 12 weeks from 24 May to 15 August 2014 as a result of congestion along Jamaica Road and the Rotherhithe Tunnel area.
To address this, and overall reliability issues, the operator of route C10 (Abellio) and TfL are planning a more robust schedule that is expected to be introduced by the end of the year.
In the meantime, TfL has stressed the importance to the operator of managing the route effectively.
Mayor declines to re-zone Bermondsey Station
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has rejected the suggestion that Bermondsey Station should be in zone 1 as well as zone 2.
London Assembly member Caroline Pidgeon had asked the Mayor to consider, in the light of a re-zoning at Stratford, making Bermondsey Station a zone 1/2 station.
In a written answer, the Mayor said: “While we recognise re-zoning Bermondsey could give a positive boost to the regeneration of the area, it would similarly result in significant costs.” He said that the Stratford change is expected to cost £7m a year in lost revenue.
Should Bermondsey Tube become a zone 1 station?
Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Transport for London commissioner Sir Peter Hendy will next week be asked to consider making Bermondsey Tube Station on the Jubilee line a zone 1/2 boundary station.
Since it opened 15 years ago, Bermondsey Station has been in zone 2.
Next week Boris Johnson and Peter Hendy will appear before the London Assembly to field questions on transport topics. Among the written questions submitted by assembly members is one from Liberal Democrat AM (and former Southwark councillor) Caroline Pidgeon:
Given you have authorised the rezoning of Stratford station to Zone 2/3, will you consider rezoning Bermondsey and Kennington to become Zone 1/2 stations?
In fact, plans are already in hand to rezone Kennington in connection with the proposed Battersea extension of the Northern line. Which just leaves the Bermondsey question unresolved.
Watch this space for the response from Johnson and Hendy when it is published later this month.
Crowding expected at Canada Water and Surrey Quays during London Bridge shutdown
Passengers using London Overground trains at Canada Water and Surrey Quays have been warned to expect crowds and queues during next week’s nine-day part-closure of London Bridge station.
From Transport for London:
Passengers who travel via London Bridge mainline rail station, which is being rebuilt by Network Rail while remaining open, are being urged to plan ahead for the last nine days of August. This is because no First Capital Connect or Southern services will call at London Bridge mainline rail station and there will be no direct trains to Gatwick or Luton Airport stations.
London Bridge Underground station will remain open.
London Overground services will not operate to and from New Cross from Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 August. A replacement bus service will run between New Cross, Surrey Quays and Canada Water. There will be four buses per hour all day during the closure. An enhanced London Overground service will operate between Crystal Palace and Canada Water during the peaks. There will be an additional 4 trains per hour at peak times, meaning that the average waiting time between trains is 5 minutes instead of 7- 8 minutes. An enhanced service will operate between Crystal Palace and Dalston Junction at all other times.
From Network Rail:
Crowding and queuing on platforms is expected at Sydenham, Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park, Brockley, New Cross Gate and Surrey Quays. Canada Water station is likely to be busier than usual on the southbound platform throughout peak periods.
Cycle superhighway along Jamaica Road delayed till 2016
Changes to the road layout on Jamaica Road are still a couple of years away.
Cllr Hamish McCallum (Lib Dem, Riverside Ward) What discussions have been had between Southwark council and Transport for London relating to congestion issues on Jamaica Road and, in particular, relating to the provision of a ‘box junction’ at the junction with Bevington Street?
Cllr Mark Williams (Labour cabinet member for transport) We have been working closely with Transport for London (TfL) in order to identify and promote improvements to Jamaica Road. Cycle Superhighway Route 4 (CS4) will run along this route and presents an opportunity to address a number of concerns as well as to provide a safer environment for cyclists. CS4 will result in a complete redesign of the Bevington Street junction. Changes at the Rotherhithe roundabout are also covered by CS4 and this is key to reducing congestion on Jamaica Road and adjacent local streets. We are disappointed that TfL have recently deferred delivery of CS4 until 2016 and will continue to press for these improvements to be brought forwards as soon as possible.