Wandsworth Council accuses Transport for London of bungling & causing chaos
Bungling
transport bosses have been accused of causing roadwork chaos in one of
the borough's busiest stretches of road.
Transport for London are currently installing two bus lanes in York Road
even though in one case they have still not supplied a copy of their safety
audit and in the other failed to properly notify the public of the change.
One of the bus lanes emerges directly onto Wandsworth Bridge roundabout
which was for years one of the worst locations for traffic accidents in
the borough. The positioning of the lane means that other vehicles needing
to turn left into Trinity Road will be forced to cut across the buses.
The second bus lane, which runs eastbound towards the junction with Plough
Road, prompted a flood of complaints from local residents when it was
first introduced. This was because line markings in the centre of the
road had not been moved - making it almost impossible for two lanes of
traffic to flow in this direction.
Road space here has been further squeezed by the narrowing of the road
on its westbound side. This is now causing tailbacks for traffic approaching
Plough Road from the east. The operation of the bus lane has since been
suspended although this is not made clear to road users. Road surfacing
works have continued.
Wandsworth's cabinet member for regeneration and transport Guy Senior
said TfL had allowed almost no time for consultation before rushing ahead
with the works:
"It's as if City Hall has gone bus lane crazy. You only have to visit
York Road to see what a mess they have made. The road here is just too
narrow for a bus lane to work without clogging up the roads for everybody
else.
"We have seen no evidence to justify the need for an eastbound lane
here. Everything seems such a rush - TfL have not even bothered to publish
the statutory traffic management order.
"The bus lane leading onto the roundabout is an accident waiting
to happen. We have pressed TfL for their risk assessment which they should
carry out before going ahead with the lane. It is unthinkable that they
would want to persist with a bus lane in such a hazardous location."
The council has repeatedly urged TfL to carry out full public consultation
on bus lane proposals. It has called for the westbound lane to be set
back to reduce the risk of collisions. The council has also warned TfL
that when the traffic management order is finally published for the eastbound
lane it will oppose the scheme.
July 7, 2004
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