Delivering Southwark?s Transport Plan

[MarkT]

Here's a link to the Annual Monitoring Report Dec 18 ?Delivering Southwark?s Transport Plan?

file:///C:/Users/mark/Downloads/Southwark%20Transport%20Plan%20Annual%20Monitoring%20Report%202017-18.pdf

The Report covers a wide range of transport issues, but as, just a few days ago, I arrived to observe the immediate aftermath of yet another car smash-up on what ought to be a quiet corner in East Dulwich, I will focus here on the Road Safety aspects.

I find the Report rather gloomy reading. Targets were set in 2011 and some of the graphs show the target levels.

? KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) numbers on roads had dropped steadily from 2010 until 14-15 then shot back up, doubling from 2016-17, now 50% above target. (page 19)

? Slight casualties, which the Report states shows no clear trend, seems to me to be the highest for 15 years, about 15-20% higher than a low in 2015, having never achieved the target. (page 22)

? Cyclist casualties seem to be steadily rising, doubling since 2004, now 3 times higher than the target. (page 23)

? Pedestrians KSI after falling steadily to a low in 13-15 has doubled from 16-17, returning to pre 2010 levels, above the target. (page 24) The text describes this as a downward trend, with no mention of the recent sudden rise.

? All Casualties (page 17) fell slightly below the target in 2013 but have risen sharply 2015-17 to the 2004 level 25% above target.

It seems to me that something has gone seriously wrong since about 2015. That is about the time that the borough wide 20 mph limit was introduced, but isn?t it also the time when they started to increase visibility at junctions with double yellow lines?

The Report?s conclusion, I think, is extremely complacent: ?Southwark has achieved or made significant progress towards achieving most of its targets?.

One achievement is indeed outstanding. On page 38 the budget shows that from 2012 to 2018, after paying all related costs, the surplus generated from parking charges and fines rose from ?2 million to ?6 million.

Over the same period, the item of expenditure ?Road Safety including school Crossing Patrols? has remained static at about a quarter of a million.

MarkT

[Rockets]

The link to the report is here:

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/8423/Southwark%20Transport%20Plan%20Annual%20Monitoring%20Report%202017-18.pdf

It's a great find as it shows how the council uses parking permits, pay and display as a significant source of revenue:

Parking permits made them ?3.6m last year

Pay and display another ?3.7m

Penalty Charge Notices a whopping ?6.2m

No wonder they love CPZs and the meters and charges that go with them.

As you point out in total they made a ?6.1m surplus last year from parking charges of which ?5.8m was spent on road maintenance. I would love to know what is included in road maintenance as that has risen from ?1.7m in 2011/2012 to the ?5.8m figure - yet there are no more roads than in 2011!!! ;-)

[bobbsy]

Facetiously I would offer that the increase in casualties is due to the rapid increase in Uber Eats/Deliveroo etc motorcyclists and cyclists who seem to ride generally with no appreciation of personal safety.

[MarkT]

Bobbsy,

not an unreasonable observation, though I can't see any mention of deliveries in the report, but all forms of deliveries have increased over years.

The Report states that the aim of increasing parking controls is to dissuade car ownership, but ownership has been "fluctuating" rather than falling so "There needs to be a focus on a sustained period of decreased car ownership". They state that car ownership is being replaced with Uber, rentals and car-clubs.

They note a 135% increase (ie more than double)in zip car membership over 5 years. So that's people driving unfamiliar vehicles, possibly in a rush because they are paying by the hour, but I don't know if there is any evidence of increased danger.

While car ownership has fluctuated by about 4%, "The greatest decrease (16%)has been observed in the light goods category". That would mean that they are dissuading resident tradespeople (who of course have to pay a high Commercial/Resident Parking Permit, which then only applies in their home CPZ). That gap of course would be filled by tradespeople driving in from the suburbs.

[d.b]

>I would love to know what is included in road maintenance as that has risen from ?1.7m in 2011/2012 to the ?5.8m figure - yet there are no more roads than in 2011!!!

Well they had to pay people to paint all those new yellow lines, didn't they?

[wulfhound]

Lack of enforcement seems to me to be the issue.. so much downright sloppy driving (speeding >10mph above limit, failing to indicate, mobile phone use, failing to stop for red lights or zebra crossings, failure to observe banned turns and No Entry signs etc.) which points to a bad attitude towards safe road use in general. A few traffic police would go a long way, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Lowlander]

You can't blame the 20mph limit as hardly anyone observes it...

[MarkT]

I mentioned the 20mph limit in my OP, but not to blame it. In the same sentence I mentioned the increased visibility at junctions with double yellow lines. The recent rise in accidents that can be seen in the graphs in the Report needs explanation.

I suggest that the affect of the speed reduction measures - the 20mph limit, humps and cushions - has been more than cancelled by the visual opening-up of junctions. In addition, CPZs now covering most of the borough increase passing places. This allows opportunistic and dangerous bursts of speed by the less cautious drivers.

In promoting CPZs the Council claims "improved traffic flow". I challenge that as a benefit to road safety.

The Conclusion of the Report makes no mention of the recent rise in accidents. I hope that our Councillors will look beyond the complacent flannel and look at the data presented in the graphs.

MarkT

[Rockets]

Does anyone know why this got lounged?

[TheArtfulDogger]

Whilst I disagree with it being lounged, it is possibly down to it being a borough wide issue and not an ed specific issue

Admin can you confirm ?

[MarkT]

Well,

here's a local element - a consultation on Healthy Streets, Dulwich. It includes maps showing location of accidents.

MarkT