News on Lewisham Safer Streets

Our council remains committed to making LTN’s work and meanwhile I hope that these changes will help to relieve some pressure on Hither Green Lane and the South Circular.

We know that many people have benefited from safer streets and cleaner air however we are making these changes because we are committed to trying to make our LTN work for more people. This week I have met with local community groups and we have all agreed to continue to have a dialogue over the coming weeks and months as we work together to get this right. This is important as we should all recognise that even with these changes, when set against a backdrop of unpredictable driving patterns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more work is likely to be needed. But I have the belief that the answers lie in our community and together with your local Councillors we will find our way through these challenges by working together.

In the short term we are proposing the following changes to the Lewisham and Lee Green LTN:

1) On Manor Lane, the existing camera will be adjusted to allow vehicles to pass through in both directions, except heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)

2) On Manor Park, the existing camera will be adjusted to allow vehicles to travel northbound (towards Lee High Road). The camera will continue to enforce vehicles who try to travel southbound.

3) The existing cameras on Ennersdale Road and Dermody Road will be adjusted to allow vehicles to travel one-way west to east (from Hither Green towards Lee Green). The camera will continue to enforce vehicles who try to travel east to west (from Lee Green towards Hither Green)

4) On Leahurst Road, a physical barrier will be moved to allow vehicles to travel west to east (from Hither Green towards Lee Green). A new camera will enforce this. A physical barrier will remain in place that will prevent vehicles travelling east to west (from Lee Green towards Hither Green).

5) The Council will work with local schools to implement School Streets in the LTN as soon as possible, which will mean timed closures of some individual streets to coincide with drop off and pick up times.

The changes introduce more cameras, rather than relying solely on physical barriers and a benefit of this approach is that it will be easier to make changes if they’re needed in the future as well as allowing us to better manage exemptions so that Lewisham Blue Badge holders who register their vehicles can travel freely.

Longer-term changes are also being considered for the Hither Green and Catford area in early 2021.

These include a camera on Hither Green Lane to permit two-way traffic to vehicles excluding HGVs and further cameras and width restrictions on other key routes, again excluding HGVs. These ideas will be shared in our public information session that I will be hosting next week.

I would like to thank Cllr Sophie McGeevor, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, ward councillors for Lee Green, Lewisham Central, Rushey Green, Catford South and Whitefoot for all their input into discussions about the changes being made to the scheme alongside Transport for London (TfL).

We will of course continue to monitor air pollution and traffic levels, and review the scheme and make further changes if needed. Once again I would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding in what has been a challenging period of time.

For residents who would like to hear more about these changes please register to attend an online residents’ information session 22nd October 7pm-8.30pm.

https://consultation.lewisham.gov.uk/highways-and-transport/lewisham-and-lee-green-ltn