Help us combat COVID-19 by suggesting healthier streets

Southwark Streetspace update - delivery of transport measures from April to October 2020

We have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic according to the government’s Gear Change document, TfL’s Streetspace Plan, and people’s comments on our Commonplace website. At the start of the pandemic, the government provided six months funding to TfL and hence councils from April to October 2020. Due to this shorter timeframe, the government instructed that all measures be installed experimentally and that we consult upon them later. These experimental measures are set out in the table below.

These measures improve walking and cycling along key routes to and from important local destinations, whilst allowing more space for social distancing. Due to their quick, experimental nature these measures have used basic materials, such as planters, bollards, plastic barriers, traffic signs and road markings. After six to 18 months councils can consult people on these measures to decide whether to make them permanent or not.

Of particular concern is that social distancing has greatly reduced capacity on public transport, which is encouraging much more driving, congestion and pollution. We are thus trying to protect residents from this excessive traffic by providing quieter streets to enable more walking and cycling for the majority of residents who do not own a vehicle and to encourage vehicle owners to drive less.

Southwark’s Commonplace website and requests

Our Commonplace website allows people to suggest measures for any public street in the borough. Thus Commonplace has allowed us to hear more suggestions from more people and in more places about what measures we can provide to make it safer and easier to walk and cycle, and to reduce driving.

Since we launched our Commonplace website in the spring, it has had 9,156 total visitors, providing 2,255 comments/suggestions and 12,859 ‘likes’ (17 November 2020).

The most popular requests for 'How could we make it (streets) better' were:

  • 927 - slow down traffic
  • 724 - close street to drivers
  • 658 - more space for cycling
  • 538 - widen pavements
  • 310 - safer junction
  • 304 - reduce speed limit
  • 235  - add crossings
  • 169 - remove pavement clutter

Southwark’s Streetspace Programme from April to October 2020

We used our Commonplace website to guide our Streetspace programme to deliver many of the measures suggested by people in the following ways:

  • 42% of the total 2,238 comments/contributions
  • 47% of the 538 contributions suggested the need to ‘Widen pavements’
  • 38% of the 724 suggestions to ‘Close streets to drivers’
  • 19% of the 927 suggestions to ‘Slow down traffic’

The table below contains the measures, and a short description, that we delivered from our Streetspace programme between April and October 2020. They are separated into the four batches in which they were funded, approved and installed:

Funding November 2020 until the end of March 2021

The government announced in mid November that it's providing four months funding to TfL and hence councils till the end of March 2021. We will use this funding to listen to people’s requests on Commonplace to deliver further measures.

Batch 1
Location Proposal Location Proposal
Amelia Street Modal filter next to park and near schools Dulwich Village - phase 1 Filtered closure of Calton Avenue enhancing Cycleway 17 (formally Quietway 7).  
Braganza Street Modal filter into Braganza St to widen pavement outside tube station and benefit cycling Goodrich Primary School Modal filter
Camelot Primary School Modal filter Melbourne Grove South Permeable road closure
Carter Street “no motor vehicles” except buses and permitted vehicles entry Merrow Street Modal filter
Champion Hill Extension of Experimental Order to prevent access by motor vehicles Pasley Park Modal filter beside park 
Comber Grove Primary School Modal filter Rye Lane contraflows Cycle contraflow lanes on existing one way side streets.
Consort road Raised zebra crossing. Rye Oak Primary School Modal filter
Cooks Road “no motor vehicles” except permitted vehicles entry Southwark Bridge Road Upgrade Cycle Superhighway 7 along Southwark Bridge Road
Batch 2
Location Proposal Location Proposal
Amelia Street Modification of permeable road closure Larcom Street Re-locate proposed permeable road closure 
Bellenden Road Footway widening around school gate Manor Place Modification of permeable road closure
Braganza Street Modify cycle contraflow Marmont Road Footway widening around school gate
Chapter Road Reverse one-way traffic management working  Melbourne Grove (north) Permeable road closure
Cobourg Road Footway widening around school gate Penton Place Modification of permeable road closure
Crampton Street Modification of permeable road closure Picton Street School street timed closure
Derwent Grove Permeable road closure Pilkington Road School street timed closure
Elsie Road Permeable road closure Southwark Bridge Road Additional cycle segregation
Etherow Street Footway widening around school gate Tabard Street Footway widening around school gate
Galleywall Road Footway widening around school gate Tintagel Crescent Permeable road closure
Gladstone Street Footway widening around school gate Toulmin Street School street timed closure
Goodrich Road / Upland Road / Dunstans Road School street timed closure and footway widening around school gate Toulon Street School street timed closure
Harper Road Footway widening around school gate Varcoe Road Footway widening around school gate
Heber Road / Jennings Road Footway widening around school gate  West Square Footway widening around school gate
Illife Street Permeable road closure Woods Road Footway widening around school gate
John Ruskin Street Footway widening around school gate    
Batch 3
Location Proposal Location Proposal
Lytham Street One-way system southbound Merrow Street Modification of permeable road closure
Burbage Road Timed northbound bus and cycle gate Phelp Street Permeable road closure
Court Lane Disabled bay Sondes Street Reverse one-way system from Westbound to Eastbound
Dulwich Village – phase 2 Timed northbound bus and cycle gate Townley Road Timed northbound bus and cycle gate
Gilkes Crescent Disabled bay Turney Road Timed eastbound bus and cycle gate
Batch 4
Location Proposal Location Proposal
Bermondsey Street Modal filter, cycling improvements and declutter Lower Road Cycleway 4 installation in temporary materials
Burbage Road Buses, cycles and taxis only north bound Peckham Rye Bus gate and cycling improvements
Great Suffolk Street Various traffic management changes    

Page last updated: 01 November 2022

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