TfL are consulting on plans for an interim proposal to “improve” safety at Camberwell Green junction.

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/camberwell-green/

Southwark Cyclists disagree that these plans will improve safety for cyclists or pedestrians, and as such we oppose them.

Unfortunately, Tfl’s proposal for improving cyclist safety consists of:

• Increasing the size of the advanced stop box
• Early release for cyclists
• Removing green paint
• A short stretch of mandatory cycle lane that leads straight into the path of vehicles turning left (a left-hook risk)
• … that’s it.

The danger

A woman named Esther Hartsilver was killed by a vehicle turning into her at Orpheus Street, just to the south of this junction. The coroner’s ‘report to prevent future deaths’ asks Southwark and TfL to implement interim measures, with the safety of cyclists as a major consideration. At the inquest, the vehicle’s professional driver stated that junctions forcing high volumes of traffic to turn across cyclists are “just an accident waiting to happen”. The designs for Camberwell Green do not remove the danger of vehicles turning left across cyclists, and actually encourage cyclists to put themselves in this dangerous position.

Advanced stop lines and early release are only beneficial if you happen to arrive at the junction at the correct time. They provide an incentive for filtering up the side of queuing motor traffic, potentially into dangerous position when it starts moving – and turning.

Southwark Cyclists’ response in summary

• We oppose this interim design as being unsafe
• We call for a new interim design as soon as possible which removes the potentially lethal cycle-vehicle interactions.
• We call for rapid progress on a permanent design which provides safe space for cycling suitability for all ages and abilities. This means no-one should be forced to cycle in lanes with large volumes of traffic, including buses.

Respond by Sunday 3rd September

Consultation closes on Sunday 3rd September. Make your views known!

If you are interested in the details of our response, watch this space; links to it and to the main LCC response will be posted shortly.