Forgive the slightly whimsical heading but I’m trying to cheer myself up. Us Lewisham Cyclists have been asking TfL quite a few questions lately and the answers we’ve been getting have been a wee bit depressing. One answer keeps on cropping up again and again. In answer to a query about why all the pedestrian crossings on the Old and New Kent Rd seem to have greatly increased their waiting times after pedestrian activation- “TfL is seeking to improve traffic flow on this busy, important route”.
In answer to a query about why a dedicated green light for a road at a very dangerous junction(Deal’s Gateway/A2) has been removed,
increasing the chances of collisions at that junction-
Tfl does not want to impede traffic flow on this very important London route, apparently. And TfL’s objection to retaining a 20 mph limit on Blackfriars Bridge. No prizes for guessing that a 20 mph limit will not be conducive to “smoothing the traffic flow” on this crossing. And now, this has turned up in my inbox, a link to the SE1 website,
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/5337
which tells us that the plan to redevelop this whole area, has been blocked by TfL. No prizes again. “It would interfere with the traffic flow” Well, TfL, you seem to have a very narrow definition of traffic. (As well as a disturbingly one track mind and limited imagination). How does it improve the flow of the journeys of the thousands of cyclists who use Blackfriars Bridge every day, if you turn it into a race track that they have to cross to make a northbound right turn?
How does it improve the flow of pedestrians who have to travel up, down and across the Old Kent Rd every day, including thousands of children from the schools in this area if they just have to spend even longer waiting in the drizzle and freezing cold, getting drenched by fast moving vehicles churning through the rainfilled potholes?
How is the flow of cycle traffic wanting to get to Greenwich via Deal’s Gateway improved if you force them to compete with a fastmoving train of motorised vehicles turning right across their right of way?
And now TfL is trying to ensure that the Elephant and Castle gets redeveloped only as long as homage is paid to this one sided image of traffic flow.
Change the record, TfL. Start looking at all kinds of traffic when you construct your traffic flow models. You ain’t fooling us anymore and you’re getting boring.