Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to right sidebar Skip to footer

Tag: Pedestrian improvements

New Sydenham Road improvement scheme starts in January

Ring-fenced capital means that the long-awaited improvements to Sydenham Road between the roundabout and Mayow Road can still go ahead. Designs are currently being finalised and work on the scheme will begin in the New Year. Fourteen trees 3m tall, with a maintenance contract, will be planted along the high street and in the planned pocket squares at Venner and Queensthorpe Roads and the ridiculed wobbly roundabout will be re-profiled to minimise its slope (and greened, we’ve been promised). The areas of the pocket squares, outside the Naborhood/Sydenham Centre and Station Approach (also in the pedestrian improvement plan) will be paved in York stone, whilst the rest of the high street will have reinforced concrete pavoirs. The area around the Post Office and the Naborhood/Sydenham Centre will also be re-modelled to sort out the changes in the various levels.
Lamp columns have been chosen and these will carry the road signs, traffic signals and other street furniture where possible and dis-used phone boxes will be removed. The large circular advertising column will go but other Deceaux advertising panels will, in some cases, be relocated but, because of a long-term contract, cannot be permanently removed.
Puffin (Pedestrian User Friendly Intelligent) crossings will be installed at the Greyhound, Venner and Queensthorpe Roads. These can detect both waiting and crossing pedestrians and adjust the timing of the lights accordingly. Traffic light controlled crossings will be in operation at Newlands Park and Mayow Road, allowing a pedestrian phase on all roads. Detailed modelling of before and after traffic movements indicate, by using an adjustable linked system of traffic control, journey times on the main road will be 15% faster than currently.
Network Rail has given permission to demolish the low wall next to the estate agents office on the bridge and the toilet block will also be removed. Approaches will be made to Transport for London to see if a toilet facility can be made available within the station building. There will be an undercover bin store built for residents of the flats in Station Approach thereby removing one of the most unattractive aspects of the area greeting visitors to Sydenham.

Lewisham has made a bid to TfL for funding for Phase Two of the Sydenham Road improvements for that part of the road between Mayow Road and Bell Green. The outcome of this bid is awaited.

Pedestrian improvements to Sydenham Road

By the time this newsletter is distributed the long overdue plans for improving Sydenham Road will have been reviewed by the Mayor and Cabinet. If they are approved and the funding is secured, work should begin in January 2010. The plans are designed to enhance the general environment and to make the road more pedestrian friendly.

Proposals for improvements to Station Approach when Lewisham Council adopts this road, will include improved design, paving and parking improvements as part of creating a heart for Sydenham. Lewisham has allocated funds to Station Approach and the consultation process is likely to start at the end of 2009. There will be some parking, but this will not, as now, be dominated by all day parking. The aim is to have half hour short-term parking as in the rest of the high street, together with a station drop off area.

However before any of these road improvements can be started work on renewing the gas mains, taking approximately 14 months, is due to begin throughout the length of Sydenham Road. The first phases involve laying smaller diameter pipes under the pavements (this work has started) and Southern Gas Networks (SGN) promise that access to homes and businesses will be maintained at all times.
From April SGN say they will be working in the carriageway to replace sections of the old metal mains where possible using a process called ‘insertion’ which involves pushing the new pipe into the old one. This method greatly reduces the amount of digging and this, in turn, reduces disruption.

Also to add to the pleasure of travelling through Sydenham in the next twelve months comes the news that at the same time as the gas mains work is in progress Thames Water will be replacing their mains west of the railway bridge at Cobbs Corner. Oh joy!