Quietway 2, specifically the large part running through Southwark, is the first to reach the public consultation stage.  Southwark Cyclists had a good look at the plans at the last meeting (Aug 13th) and subsequently quite a bit of discussion took place over the Yahoo e-group.  The route is being implemented by Southwark Council and the detailed drawings are at http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/3889/quietways_2_proposal_drawings.

The consultation has been split into 13 sites, each of which has its own consultation form.  We have now sent our views on the first 5 sites that cover the route from the Lewisham boundary at the Connect 2 bridge to Dunton Rd.  Copies of the submissions are available here for Consult_draft_SteAfinal, Consult_draft_SteBfinal, Consult_draft_SteCfinal, Consult_draft_SteDfinal, Consult_draft_SteEfinal.

A number of general points emerge from these first plans.  A lot of non-cycling related work is included in the proposals.  It is important to flag up that this work should not be being paid for out of the limited Quietways budget.  The trickiest feature of Quietway design is how to ensure that we have cycle-friendly junctions where busy roads are crossed.  Here the Southwark proposals are mixed.  The only busy road in the first 5 sites is Dunton Road.  Here the proposal for new light controls is excellent.  For the junctions going west, Tower Bridge Road is again excellent with a new light-controlled cycle crossing.  However, the busy junctions at Newington Causeway/Borough High St, Southwark Bridge Rd and Blackfriars Rd are not so good.  It would be helpful to hear what people think about those junctions via the Yahoo e-group.

As for the rest of Q2, the short stretch in Lambeth starting at Waterloo and the longer stretches in Lewisham and Greenwich, we do not have any detailed plans yet.  For the important new link eastwards from the Connect 2 bridge to Surrey Canal road (the “Millwall Path”) the implementation is being carried out by Sustrans.  Jimmy Hall at Sustrans tells me that there are delays with this stretch as Network Rail are doing nearby track work.  He hopes detailed plans can go to consultation in the Autumn with a view to getting work done early in 2015.