Residents of a South London neighbourhood have raised concerns about cyclists narrowly avoiding being killed at a “dangerous” mini-roundabout, and have signed a petition asking the council to implement measures that will slow down traffic and not just avoid crashes for cyclists but also for pedestrians.
The roundabout in question is located on the junction of Garratt Lane and Summerstown, between Earlsfield and Tooting in Wandsworth. Locals from the area are also concerned about the rising road rage incidents due to motorists’ behaviour.
William Lausi, who’s worked at a restaurant facing the mini-roundabout for eight years, and has lived in the area for 22 years, said that the junction is “dangerous” as motorists “cut through” by driving over, instead of around, the mini-roundabout. He said: “Every day people nearly die on bikes because drivers cut inside. They don’t go all the way round.”
Lausi suggested the mini-roundabout should be raised, or even have a flowerpot placed at its centre, to prevent accidents by forcing drivers to go around it, reports MyLondon.
He added: “I always dream that one day I’m going to have a bus or big lorry straight through here because they’re crazy.”
> Hundreds sign petition opposing cycle lane to protect trees… and parking space
The petition said that drivers often speed down Summerstown, while a “blind bend” where it meets Riverside Road means residents “do not feel safe”.
Although it adds a collision has not been reported in the road, it warns residents “strongly believe that waiting for a collision to happen is not the right way to approach this issue”.
The petition also mentioned that the number of people walking in the area has “increased dramatically” since AFC Wimbledon’s Cherry Red Records Stadium opened nearby on Plough Lane in the Merton borough, surrounded by more than 600 new homes. Wandsworth Council objected to the development, over concerns about its impact on the area, but it was approved by the Merton Council in 2015.
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of some concerns about this junction having recently met with local residents and we are undertaking a traffic study in the immediate area that will seek to further investigate and review the concerns expressed to us. This is in addition to an ongoing study in Garratt Lane which could also lead to further measures to improve road safety in this part of the borough.”
7 thoughts on “Locals sign petition asking council to slow down traffic at “dangerous” roundabout where “cyclists nearly die every day””
This is an absolutely
This is an absolutely standard infrastructure problem.
Here is one local to me.
A large roundabout, the centre of which is bounded by a solid white line, (Highway code Rule 129 “You must not Cross or straddle..”).
The centre is also like an upturned saucer, which means an adverse camber, therefore cyclists tend ro ride around the solid white line. Many drivers of motorised vehicles look over to their right as they enter the roundabout then drive straight across, putting them on a collision course with cyclists (and motorcyclists).
The reason for this dangerous design is that the junction is on a designated large load route which passes through the village. (About once a month). This represents a failure of infrastructure design at kindergarten level.
Apologies for the amateur graphics.
Good presentation! (Sadly
Good presentation! (Sadly too many of those who’re funding and specifying this stuff eed to see it…)
Fast traffic? Lots of it? Large vehicles?
Fixed?
… or – if the motor
… or – if the motor vehicles aren’t that many, or aren’t travelling that fast, fixed for cheaper?
…or if most of the traffic
…or if most of the traffic is across the junction, with one or two minor arms, fixed (and apparently UK street legal)?
It’s a pathological problem
It’s a pathological problem of Highways England and local highway engineering who so strongly believe they know best, that they continue to implement dangerous road layouts for everyone but drivers. Apparently ‘war on motorists’ that created Plan For Drivers’. Never ‘carnage from drivers’….. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-65310167
polainm wrote:
They also are happy with road layouts that are dangerous for drivers too. In the village of Littledean, a farm owner wants to construct a new entrance, on a blind bend and steep hill on a major road used by artics: Gloucestershire Highways have no objection. Vehicles, horse boxes, tractors and trailers will have to stop to turn right into the entrance, facing downhill, just where the national speed limit becomes 30mph, to give way to traffic coming up. Almost all vehicles are doing more than 30mph (85th percentile speed 200m farther into the village is 35mph) as they enter the 30mph zone.
As said at the planning meeting, just because it meets the criteria for sight lines doesn’t mean it’s safe. When it was pointed out that an artic would have difficulty stopping from 45-50mph down a steep hill as it came around a bend farther up, one councillor considered that to be a attack on HGV drivers, and made not one but two speeches decrying the fact that HGV drivers had been insulted.
Despite opposition from the Parish Council and the local district councillor and the chair of the planning committee, it was only narrowly not given permission, and deferred for speed measurements at the site of the proposed entrance.
After all we know about road safety and designing out risk, I’m appalled that this application wasn’t refused out of hand, and completely baffled by the people supporting it and the Highways department not objecting.
BAU. Duckwhittery at every
BAU. Duckwhittery at every level. Next we’ll have a dollar billionaire PM telling us to use helicopters instead of cycling, as part of a Plan for Drivers.