Traffic Calming.
Ivydale Road
A good local example of successful traffic-calming measures is Ivydale Road, where width restrictions with alternating traffic priority, stepped-out bus stops, and platform humps, along with a variety of differing road surfaces and paving, were all recently added - with significant impact on traffic speed. Our proposed scheme adopts many of these measures. The idea is that the physical layout of roads should prevent vehicles being able to reach the excessive levels of speeds that in particular are recorded on Jerningham Road on a daily basis.
Proposed Traffic Calming Scheme
Q: Why Pepys and Jerningham Roads in particular?
A: Pepys and Jerningham Roads suffer most as the combination of wide roads and a steep hill means traffic tends to excess speed. Jerningham Road has the Haberdasher’s school sites at both ends, while Pepys Road shares a Haberdasher’s school site and also runs beside the lower park and play facilities. As a result, there is a constant stream of children on both these roads.
Q: What about the existing traffic calming measures?
The current small speed cushions are wholly ineffective otherwise cars wouldn’t be travelling at over 60 miles per hour! We are proposing full width speed platforms and road narrowings - which are still able to be safely passed by buses.
Q: What about Vesta Road?
A: Vesta Road already has full width speed humps, but problems with speeding remain. If residents on Vesta Road would like further traffic calming we are keen to incorporate this. Please contact us with any design ideas.
Q: Won’t traffic calming be expensive?
A: Yes - traffic calming involves making physical changes to the road itself which is expensive. There is also no specific government funding like there is for LTNs currently available for these sorts of traffic calming measures. It is accordingly less clear that even if popular these measures would actually be implemented.
Traffic Calming Already in Place
Clearly Lewisham Highways believe that traffic calming is required in Telegraph Hill as they installed the existing speed humps and other measures across the area: unfortunately, these are simply not working. Our scheme uses the locations of the current ineffective speed humps but replaces these with new measures that are proven to work. That said, our scheme is only one of a range of options and if this is what Telegraph Hill residents want we will work with Lewisham Highways to refine these plans.
“Officers consider that the “bus-friendly” option of introducing sets of speed cushions would not reduce traffic speeds sufficiently on these roads.”
“Officers have developed alternative ideas for reducing traffic speeds in these streets, featuring a combination of kerb extensions, bus boarders and angled parking to create a ‘chicane’ effect. Residents in Waller Road already park in this fashion and the practice is widely perceived to have a traffic calming effect there.”
Lewisham Highways Dept 2004