Sign petition to stop rat-running traffic

A petition has been set up to stop rat-running traffic down Franche Court, Aldren and Burmester Roads which is trying to avoid the traffic lights at the junction of Garrett Lane and Burntwood Lane.

Campaigners have been in touch to say:

"We are asking for support to stop this for the following 3 reasons:

1. Safety: there is excessive traffic of all types with a high proportion of commercial vehicles and lorries. Speed restrictions are not adhered to and the road is not safe for the increasing numbers of young children living on the roads.

2. Noise - due the significant volume of traffic and the increasing use by heavy lorry (particularly local skip companies) traffic. Vehicles also use their horns and shout at each other when there is congestion on the road.

3. Parking - residents struggle to park cars as cars and lorries are quite frequently driven so fast that this does not allow time to park cars safely.

We are close to gaining enough signatures - the deadline is the 22nd September."

Sign the petition on the council's website.

Council consults on 20mph zone across Wandsworth

Following the recent introduction of 20mph zones in Earlsfield and elsewhere, the council is now proposing to roll these out across the borough.

The zone would exclude A and B roads, red routes, and private roads. The map below shows Earlsfield (yellow areas are already 20 zones).

The council says:

"This consultation is whether to introduce a 20mph limit across the borough on those residential roads that are currently 30mph, but excludes main traffic routes.
No additional speed reducing features, such as road humps, are proposed.
In some roads, where the existing mean traffic speed is above 24mph, and to comply with Department for Transport regulations, white road markings in the shape of a speed cushion (ghost cushion) may be required. The idea is to give the impression to drivers that traffic calming is a feature and they should moderate their speed accordingly. Whilst this may not have the same speed-reducing effect as a physical measure it has been used in other areas with some success."

You can respond to the consultation here.

Earlsfield residents object to Quietways proposals

A group of Earlsfield residents have shared their response to the proposed Quietways changes covered here on the blog in November. They write:

"The proposed changes to the junction of Garratt Lane / Waynflete Street / Trewint Street (where Mel's / Bean & Hop / Ben's Canteen are)  are part of Quietway for cyclists to get safely to the River Wandle towpath by diverting the junction by Earlsfield Station.

The plan is to make this a signalised junction for all 4 approaches, move the current pedestrian crossing outside Dumlers and the bus stop, make Waynflete Street a no right turn and remove a number of parking bays. 

As local residents we are strongly against these changes as traffic will be backed up on all approaches, causing havoc on Garratt Lane - already backed up at peak times. 

Local businesses around the junction will be affected due to loss of parking, no right turn into Waynflete and stationary traffic at the junction, deterring valuable trade especially at weekends. 

Additional pollution, noise and congestion will be unsafe for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists alike and certainly not a “quietway”.

There is a drop in session with the Council and TfL at Earlsfield Library on Saturday 13th February 11am - 1pm."

The group have set up a petition against the changes which you can find here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/earlsfield-against-quietway-q4.

Have your say on London buses and local transport

The views of Go Earlsfield readers are being sought through two transport consultations.

Bus survey

The London Assembly wants to hear from bus users about their experiences of using buses now, and what they think could be done in future. They ask: "How do you feel about overcrowding on your morning commute? Have you experienced changes to your bus service? What would improve your journey? How do you think bus services should be run in future?"

Make sure your experiences of the 44, 77, 270 and G1 are represented by filling in the short survey.

Wandsworth transport consultation

Earlsfield Station by Jon Curnow on Flickr

Wandsworth Council is asking residents for feedback on their transport plans. The plans, which cover streets, cycling, rail, tube, buses, riverboat, walking and motorists, can be found at the council's Travel Choices web page. Earlsfield gets two mentions, one about the council supporting station improvements, and one about improving road layouts at "Earlsfield town centre". Is this enough? Are you happy with the council's plans or are there other changes you'd like to see?

Russell King, Wandsworth Council's transport spokesman, said:

"It could be a local change you're after like more cycle parking or a major upgrade like a new rail connection. We will look at every suggestion to see whether it's something we can take forward with you.

"The progress we've made in bringing the Northern Line extension to Battersea shows what can be achieved when a council works with the local community. We want to repeat that success in other parts of the borough."

Let the council know by emailing strongerwandsworth@wandsworth.gov.uk.

Earlsfield is one of London's best connected areas

A tip of the hat to fellow Earlsfield afficionado @iloveEarlsfield for the link to this new travel map.

Screenshot of the Find Properly map

The Find Properly blog has used data from Transport for London (TfL) to map out how well connected each London post code is. They used the data to find out how long it takes to get from, say, SW18 to any other place in London.

Depending on which part of Earlsfield you live in, it should take you between 60 and 90 minutes at most to travel to any other post code in the city. That puts Earlsfield in the top 2-3 areas in London (at least, on the days when South West Trains are running).

Check out the Find Properly blog post for a larger version.

Bridge and road closures this Sunday

Earlsfield residents looking to cross the river this weekend are advised to check their route before travelling.

Due to road closures for the Prudential RideLondon cycling events, a number of bridge closures are in place on Sunday 4 August. These include: Tower Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Chiswick Bridge, Hampton Court Bridge, Chelsea Bridge, Albert Bridge, Kingston Bridge and Putney Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Lambeth Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge. Southwark and Westminster bridges will also be closed on Saturday 3 August.

Some roads in Wimbledon will also be closed in the afternoon and evening.

Many bus routes will also be on diversion.

Check TfL's dedicated website page for more information and to download a Wandsworth travel update.

Decision on traffic regulations in Earlsfield

The Wandsworth Guardian reports that, following a consultation with residents Wandsworth Council has decided against implementing proposed traffic-calming measures in Earlsfield. The measures would have included restrictions on vehicles turning right from Burntwood Lane and left from Magdalen Road to try and reduce the use of through roads as 'cut throughs'.

The council and Transport for London will continue to look at other measures for Ellerton Road and easing traffic on Trinity Road and Burntwood Lane.

Read the full Wandsworth Guardian article.