New promise over Streatham Hill speed camera

Cllr Scott Ainslie and A23 campaigner Chris Holt

It has been revealed that a vital speed camera on Streatham Hill has been out of action for three and a half years - during which time there has been a significant number of serious accidents on this stretch of the A23.

In response to a Freedom of Informtion request by local Green Party member Chris Holt, it has been confirmed by the Metropolitan Police that the speed camera between Downton Avenue and Wyatt Park Road has not been operational since 15 March 2012.

Following pressure from Ms Holt - and other members of the Safer A23 in Streatham campaign - TFL, which is responsible for speed cameras on Red Routes, has promised the camera will now be replaced with a new, functioning digital camera by November 2015.


Data published by the Green Party in 2014 showed that nearly half of all vehicles on the A23 north of Streatham Hill station - the area covered by the out-of-action speed camera - were travelling at AVERAGE speeds that broke the speed limit.

And recent figures released by TfL revealed that there have been 6 deaths and 35 serious injuries on the A23 through Streatham in the five years 2010-2014. There have been more serious accidents - including at least two deaths - so far in 2015.

Mother-of-two Chris Holt, who is helping to run the Safer A23 in Streatham Campaign, said: "Our whole community is suffering from the high speeds of traffic on Streatham Hill and High Road. Crossing the road is a perilous activity - every time my children leave the house, part of me stays alert listening out for the wail of an ambulance siren."

Streatham Green Councillor Scott Ainslie said: "It's a tragedy that this speed camera has been out of action all this time. Instead of helping to reduce excessive speeds through this busy residential part of our community, it has been sending motorists the signal they can break the speed limit here with impunity.

"The lay-out of this stretch of the A23 - with six lanes separated by a central reservation - looks like a motorway, encouraging drivers to speed up in an area where they need to be slowing down. It's sending confusing signals, which is unfair to both motorists and pedestrians, contributing to accidents down the whole length of Streatham Hill and the High Road.

"The Green Party will continue to work in the community to keep up pressure on TfL, Lambeth Council and the Police to ensure Streatham becomes

a safer and more pleasant place for the people who live and work here."
 
The full response from the Metropolitan Police to Ms Holt's Freedom of Inforamtion request is:

"This camera last recorded footage on 15 March 2012.  Although the camera
has not been working for the last three years until the date of your
request, please be aware that this does not mean that the camera is still
out of action.  The camera equipment is due to be upgraded to digital as
part of the ongoing Safety Camera Replacement Programme before the end of
this calendar year."

Streatham Common Co-op to debate council's huge cuts to parks budget

The Streatham Common Co-operative / SCCoop will be debating the huge council cuts coming to parks budgets next year on Thursday 8th October.  

Residents are being invited to hear about the options from 2016 when SCCoop takes on Streatham Common, and highlight the services matter most.

The event will also be SCCoop's AGM and takes place from 7.30pm – 9.30pm at The Hideaway, 2 Empire Mews, Streatham, SW16 2BF

There will also be an update on how feedback from the last AGM was used.

Elections will take place on the night. If you are interested in standing for election to the Board, and application pack can be found here. You need to send your completed nomination form by Wednesday 30th September. here

You can book your free tickets for the AGM here

The proposed agenda is available here

A death or serious injury every six weeks on A23 in Streatham

Latest A23 collision, 9.15pm on Sept 3rd 2015

One person was killed or seriously injured in a collision on the A23 through Streatham every six weeks in the last five years.

A Green Party Freedom of Information Request to TfL has revealed that six people were killed and 35 received life-changing injuries between 2010 and 2014.

Twenty of these collisions involved pedestrians and five involved cyclists. Three of the people killed were pedestrians, two were car-drivers and one was a motorcyclist. All the crashes happened on the A23 between the South Circular and Streatham Common.

There have been at least two more fatal collisions on the road so far in 2015. And last night, emergency services were in action again as a taxi crashed into Xalwo shopfront next to Sports Direct.

"Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill feel like they are becoming the most deadly stretch of road in London," said Green Party councillor Scott Ainslie, who is campaigning to end the exceptionally high death and injury rate in Streatham.

"These latest figures show how urgent it is that TfL and Lambeth Council do everything in their power to make the A23 a safer road for local people. It is time to give our local high street back to the community."

The Green Party is helping to co-ordinate a cross-party "Safer A23 in Streatham" campaign. Local shops and businesses are being asked to display posters supporting the campaign and calling on TfL to include its Red Routes in Lambeth's proposed borough-wide 20mph speed limit.

TfL figures published in 2014 revealed that nearly half of traffic north of Streatham Hill station was breaking the speed limit.

"In places the A23 feels like a six-lane motorway," said Cllr Ainslie, "and this has a knock-on effect as cars speed up, thinking they are entering a fast, arterial road - rather than the busy community high street that Streatham High Road is for local people."

The campaign is calling for reclassification of the road as a high street, along with other measures such as traffic calming, segregated cycle lanes, removal of the central reservation and re-landscaping north of Streatham Hill station, and longer crossing times at pedestrian crossings.

In June it was revealed that plans to remove the central reservation from the remaining stretch of the the A23 between Streatham Hill station and the South Circular have been delayed by TfL until 2019.

Cllr Ainslie said: "Consultation for this should have commenced already and the delay is unacceptable. Children going to school and nursery, and older and disabled people are a large part of the community using the High Road - and until something is done to prioritise people's safety, we are all taking our lives in our hands every time we try to cross the road.

"We in the Green Party will do everything we can to create a safer, greener, cleaner Streatham High Road."

For more see:
July 2015 20mph speed limit gets go ahead
June 2015 five-year wait for next phase of Streatham road improvements
April 2015 serious collision Streatham High Road
December 2014 fatality near Streatham Hill
May 2014 Fatality at St Leonard's Junction
May 2014 Fatality st Streatham Hill
Feb 2014: Speeding on Streatham High Road
Feb 2014 Response from TfL about St Leonard's Junction
Dec 2013 Increased crossing times for Streatham High Road
April 2013 Another collision at St Leonard's junction
April 2013 Bus 'beached' at St Leonard's Junction
March 2013 - No dedicated cycle lanes or 20mph for High Road
Feb 2013 - We need more from Mayor on dangerous junctions
Feb 2013 - What could be done about the St Leonard's junction?
Jan 2013 - Safety review brought forward for St Leonard's junction
Dec 2012 - Another collision at St Leonard's junction
Nov 2012 - New signal strategy for St Leonard's junction
Nov 2012 - Review of St Leonard's junction announced
June 2012 - Crunching the collisions on Streatham High Road
June 2012 - What Streatham High Road could be like
May 2012 - Three collisions in Streatham
May 2012 - What could be done about Streatham High Road