Our streets are political - Part 1 - Labour perspective

Whilst for many management of our streets should be about improving them based on evidence, the reality is that any changes are very political. The consultation currently on-going for the proposed trial is really highlighting the differences in approach between the local parties.

Let's look at the Labour position.

Cllr Ben Johnson has put his views across on Streetlife:

On the proposals: when similar (but permanent) measures were proposed a couple of years ago, the response from residents was overwhelmingly against the changes. The feedback I've received so far suggests that the view on this proposed trial scheme is similarly negative.

I do think it's right that every now and again residents are consulted on proposals to mitigate frequently reported problems such as traffic on residential streets, so that councillors and officers at the Town Hall can be clear that we're acting in accordance with the will of residents. I don't live on one of the streets affected, so I won't try to tell those who do how to respond; but along with James and Sheila, I'll be absolutely clear that once the results are in, the views of residents who live in the streets affected take precedence over all else - and of course no changes should ever be forced on residents by those who don't live in the area. (Streetlife link here)

I'd like to make a few comments with regards to his position. The people who are against doing anything are very fervent in their position. Those who are more open to the possibility that it could work, aren't screaming and shouting about it.

He also says that he thinks it's right that people should be consulted every now and then on frequently reported problems. Why doesn't he think that instead of consulting to throw a bone to those concerned local residents, we actually try something different on our local streets? Frequently reported problems won't go away by consulting every now and then, unless I'm mistaken.

Our Sadiq Khan MP has had this to say:

Whilst I welcome efforts to improve safety in our area; I also understand that these plans would have a big impact on local residents. Some residents feel the trial could lead to an overall reduction in traffic and rat-running on roads such as Broadwater and Fishponds, but I also know that other residents disagree and feel the trial could prove more inconvenient for them and others, and create further traffic problems, as others have highlighted.

Therefore it is really important that all local residents affected by these proposals don’t miss out on the chance to have your say – and that no changes should be introduced without the views of the local community’s being heard. (Streetlife conversation here)

Here he recognises that there are two differing views, and therefore a possibility that the scheme could result in an overall reduction in traffic and rat-running. Yet instead of welcoming the prospect of a trial and encouraging people to support it so that we can see if it works here or not, he is not taking a position on this other than to encourage people to respond.

I've been campaigning on this well before I was campaigning as a Lib Dem candidate for council. I'd love this scheme to go ahead as a trial, so that we can test in the real world if what I've suggested works here or not. From the people I've been speaking with on the doorstep I'm quietly optimistic that we might just get enough people supporting it for the trial to take place.

From the way Labour are presenting themselves on this, I really think if you want things to happen to improve your streets locally in Tooting Labour are all talk and no action.

Do we trust experts?

The local consultation for the Fishponds road trial is now out, and it's fair to say has generated a bit of controversy locally.

Expert view:
The officers who are highways engineers, are of the view that the scheme should reduce overall traffic congestion in the wider area.

Residents views:
All in all there is generally a widespread desire to see safer streets. The challenge is how do we best achieve that. Some people hold very firm views that the proposals will cause chaos, and significant disruption to how they get about locally.

With the current proposals it is about trying an approach which has worked elsewhere to see if it works locally. There are also fears that the proposed trial, is a trial in name only, and not a genuine trial which seeks to see if we can improve our streets.

My view:
I think the scheme will work if it is allowed to go ahead. I hope, if it does happen and work, that those who currently oppose it come round to see the benefits. That said, I'm also equally comfortable with the possibility of the scheme not working. It would allow me and other local campaigners the opportunity to scratch off this potential solution to the list of options in trying to improve our streets.

If more people respond against trying it than in favour of it, the option that it could work still remains. I'm prepared to be proved wrong by the evidence. I'm not convinced that those who are opposed to trying are as prepared to accept that there is a possibility that they too could be wrong in how they think it would work.

As a commenter 'Platinum' put at the bottom of this blogpost: http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/the-mayors-vision-for-cycling/#comments

"Time we took road safety decisions away from politicians. If I’ve got cancer, I go to a doctor for a treatment plan, not the mayor."

Granted, I'll be standing as a prospective candidate for councillor in the coming local elections. That said, if the Highways Engineers think it would work, shouldn't we trust them?

PS if you haven't seen the proposals already you can download them from this previous post.

Fishponds Road #SaferStreets consultation out!

Exciting times in Tooting. Finally, almost 2 years after I presented my #saferstreets petition for Fishponds road, the consultation pack has been sent out!

Still we need to get around 40% of households to respond to this. If you live in or around Fishponds Road, or know people that do, please encourage them to respond. It has to be worth trying something different.


The question posed to local residents is:

Are you in favour of the introduction of road closures as a trial measure?

Yes / No / Undecided

The pack goes onto explain:

The council is aware that unnecessary through traffic uses the residential roads in the Fishponds Road area to avoid the traffic queues on the main A24 route. In response to a petition from local residents, the council is consulting on a scheme to limit this unnecessary through traffic.

The proposal is to implement a series of road closures in the area by placing physical barriers across the roads. All traffic would be prevented from driving through the roads. Cycle lanes would be provided to allow cyclists to bypass the road closures.

The scheme would be introduced for a trial six month period after which it would be reviewed with local people to see if the measures should remain or be removed.

These proposals aim to make it difficult for traffic to pass through the area by blocking access to existing cut-through routes. Although some through routes will remain, it is considered that these will be indirect and therefore not attractive to ‘rat-running’ traffic. However it is recognised that local residents will also be affected.

Responses need to be sent to the council by Friday 21 March 2014.

You can view the pdf pack here. Only people who receive this pack in the post are able to respond to the consultation.

Street vandalism - who pays?

This morning, riding along Moyser Road I noticed this damaged bollard. It's unlikely to have been placed at that angle by 'bored youths'. Those foundations are pretty good. My bet is that someone in a car or a van has driven into it.

What get's my goat about this, is as follows.

To the best of my knowledge, we all pay for fixing broken street furniture through our council taxes. So far, so good, but only a certain type of local individual has the ability to damage street furniture like this. That is, people who are driving cars, vans, lorries or buses around locally.

With 45% of local households not owning a car, seems to me a bit unfair that we all pay for the damage that a subsection of our community causes.

Then I wondered, if our council ever makes a claim against the drivers insurance when there is clear evidence that they have driven into, and damaged street furniture. FOI request has been sent off to the council. Questions posed are:

1) Has Wandsworth Council made any claims against the insurers of drivers who have damaged street furniture as a result of a crash or collision that the driver has been involved in? (Please look at the past 3 financial years)

2) What is the cost of replacing or repairing damaged street furniture (as a result of crashes/collisions) each year? For ease, could you please supply the figures for the past 3 financial years.

3) If no claims have been made against the insurers of drivers who have damaged street furniture, could you confirm that the cost of replacing or repairing the damaged furniture has been met from the general public purse.

I choose not to drive around locally, as do many other residents in Wandsworth. Why should we, and those drivers who aren't incompetent have to pay to pick up the pieces from drivers who damage our streets? 

If no individual driver can be identified, why can't a claim be made in the same way that happens when an 'accident' happens involving an uninsured vehicle? 

Damaged street furniture is all over our borough. Take a look the next time you are out and about. 

Zebra crossings - do they make the streets safer?

Abbey Road zebra crossing - pic from BBC News
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/50547000/jpg/_50547048_010892401-1.jpg

Above the famous Abbey Road zebra crossing.  Due to concerns about road safety, parents of the Fircroft Primary School are calling for a zebra crossing to be installed on Glenburnie Road.  Near the school there are the results of previous 'road safety' interventions, including a raised table and speed humps.

But, do they work?

On crossings, our Labour MP asked a question in parliament recently which highlighted that of the 70 people killed whilst walking in London last year (from someone driving into them in a vehicle) 26% were killed whilst on a crossing.  The other interventions around Fircroft Primary School clearly haven't been enough. The road danger is still clearly felt by those who send their children to school there.

For the families of those killed last year on crossings, and those seriously injured, the crossing provided no protection at all.

In case there is any doubt, I'm totally in favour of creating safer streets. I'm fully supportive of the parents calling on the council to take action to reduce road danger.

However, for me this is the key question that needs to be asked and answered:

What is the principle source of danger on our roads? 

Until we agree on the source of danger, and agree that action needs to be taken to reduce that danger, danger will remain.

For me, the source of danger is people driving irresponsibly, both too fast for the conditions, and without due care for those around them. I feel that we should reduce the opportunities people have to drive irresponsibly, creating safer streets to the benefit of everyone.

I've been petitioning around Tooting to pilot measures, such as those shown below. They have been implemented across Hackney over many years to great success.

Thanks to Rachel Aldred for this picture - Glyn Road in Hackney

There are local examples of similar things which have been done in Wandsworth.

On Welham Road (SW16) it's not the easiest to cycle through, it works better when people haven't parked their cars right up next to it.

View Larger Map 

 Or a better example where Elmfield Road meets Bedford Hill.

View Larger Map

Just off St John's Hill, where Nantes Close motorised through access has been cut to Harbut Road.

View Larger Map

By piloting such schemes, we can see how local people will react to them in terms of how they travel through and around Tooting. They've been done before locally, and people adapted. I think few people who live on those streets today would like them to become rat-runs. A number of people are of the opinion that piloting further schemes will cause more congestion. The evidence from other parts of London suggests that this will not be the case. In fact believe it or not, in Wandsworth the amount of distance driven over the past decade has actually decreased.

One thing is clear though, if we don't try it on other streets, we'll never know how it might work in these other locations.

Compulsion is not the answer!

Yesterday I saw an open letter written by the Putney Labour party, regarding the redevelopment of the Putney Hospital site which you can see here.

This was the comment which really hit me:

"Make parents sign a “green transport plan”. Once a school is up and running, all parents should be asked to sign an agreement not to bring their children by car."

For me this highlights a number of things.

For one, campaigning and lobbying efforts from local groups tend to be directed towards the people that hold the power.  So if a party that isn't in power doesn't have full access to information, or hasn't been educated on the issues, they could be excused in part for having half-baked solutions.  But, with walking and cycling, there really isn't any excuse.

The comment above just highlights how for decades our streets have been mismanaged by politicians of every persuasion.

What we really need locally is to design out road danger, that is, people driving irresponsibly. At the same time we design in attractive options for people to walk and cycle. People will then choose to cycle or walk short trips as they will have become the most attractive choice, no compulsion or signing of agreements needed.

Whilst the Conservatives locally choose to suggest that collisions that happen on our roads are all 'accidents'.  Labour's PPC for Putney and the chair of Putney Labour suggest that we can compel parents not to drive their children to school.  The Tories policies mean officers tell residents that, "no-one has been killed there yet" is a reason not to act if a concerned resident writes to the council.  If compulsion is the 'big idea' from Labour, well, that's just not going to work.

Out of the major parties locally, it seems like it's only the Lib Dems, who have been really listening to groups like Wandsworth Living Streets, and the Wandsworth Cycling Campaign who have been pushing forward viable solutions for years now.

Design safer street environments where walking and cycling are properly recognised as a means of travel, and a lot of our congestion issues will evaporate. If the Tories and Labour aren't going to take meaningful action on this, then perhaps it's time for some Lib Dems to be on the council.

Shared frustration at inaction

As regular readers will know, I've been petitioning quite a bit around Tooting of late. The support that I've been getting for my petitions has been fantastic, but not altogether surprising.

The support for my local #saferstreets petitions tallies with a similar support level shown for 20s Plenty across the country. I'm delighted that it seems some of the local Conservatives, and Labour councillors and candidates are now successfully campaigning on 20mph limits.

What frustrates me, is that it seems it takes the approach of a local election to elicit this kind of movement from our current batch of councillors. Over the past few years, I've seen various approaches by local residents asking for our council to take action to make our streets safer fobbed off by officers.

Responses to these calls for action to make local streets safer include:

"No-one has been killed there yet."
"If we made changes there, then we would need to make changes across the borough."

A number of years ago, I would have directed my frustration towards the officers. It's easily done, they are the people writing these letters out to concerned residents, or responding on behalf of the council at committee meetings.  Through my campaigning with groups such as Wandsworth Cycling Campaign, Wandsworth Living Streets and the Wandsworth Environment Forum, I've learnt that whilst errors may be made by the officers, all too often the real issue is the political direction they are given to work under. I also know that the key figures on the relevant committees are aware of both the problems and viable solutions. They are the gatekeepers to allowing or inhibiting any changes to our streets.

The Conservative policies, seemingly approved by Labour councillors, mean that without change more people writing to our council asking for safer streets might be asked to wait for someone to be killed before meaningful action will be taken.

I'm campaigning locally now with the Lib Dems, as I believe that we need a fresh approach to local politics in Tooting and in Wandsworth. Do get in touch if you'd like to help.