Green MP calls for 'emergency summit' over rail chaos

Caroline Lucas has called for an 'Emergency Summit' between key stakeholders including Government, Southern Rail/ Govia Thameslink and Network Rail.

It follows another day of rail chaos effecting Streatham stations.

The Green Party MP is demanding an 'emergency response' to the train crises gripping Streatham and covering much of Southern England.

Yesterday there was serious overcrowding and people were stuck on trains for long periods in the baking heat.  

The MP wants the Government to step in and call an urgent summit immediately. 

Caroline Lucas MP said: “This is an emergency situation which requires an urgent response. I'm seriously worried that someone could be injured or worse. The Government must immediately call an emergency summit between all key stakeholders including Network Rail, the train company and Ministers”

“I’ve heard reports of passengers fainting and being stuck on sweltering trains on an extremely hot day. The failures yesterday were caused by a combination of problems with Network Rail, some of which were unavoidable, plus the usual delays on the service. 

“I’m doing all I can to meet with the Minister responsible for trains later today to demand action to repair this failing service. Passengers have suffered for many months now and, with a new Government in place, it’s time for real action to address the multiple problems with this service. As a start the Minister should signal his intent by taking the service into public hands so Government can truly get a grip on it.”

You can sign the petition to strip Southern Rail of its franchise here

New park plans for Streatham Vale

These are the exciting new plans for Streatham Vale Park, the management of which is being taken over by Streatham Youth and Community Trust.

They include ideas such as new playgrounds for younger and older children, an adventure playground, better lighting, a running track, outdoor gym, seven-a-side football pitch, senses walk, cafe and toilets.

SYCT are looking for feedback from as many local people as possible. Full plans can be viewed at The Hut, Streatham Vale Park, off Abercairn Road, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 12pm-3pm until 23 July or Monday-Friday 8am – 5pm from 24 July-31 July. 

Or you can request by email from angie@syct.org.uk. Comments can be emailed or posted to SYCT, 16-16 Wellfield Road, Streatham, London, SW16 2BP.

Campaign success! Fatal Ambleside Avenue/Mitcham Lane junction to be modernised

Some great news!  The junction of Ambleside Avenue and Mitcham Lane is finally to get its much needed overhaul!

Since 2012, Streatham Green Party has been campaigning with local people to make the junction of Ambleside Avenue and Mitcham Lane safe, after a series of collisions and fatalities.

We initially launched a campaign which included a demo with parents and children from St Leonard's Primary School who use the crossing, after a number of other near misses on the crossing at the junction. It received some press coverage which you can read here.

We have since continued to record and highlight the collisions there and met with Transport for London to press for action and highlight the urgency.

We eventually won a review of the junction in 2013.

However, it then seemed that the Mayor of London was backtracking on his plans to make changes to dangerous junctions, as he scaled down his 'Better Junctions Programme'. So we continued to push TfL until they made some promises to make changes.

We had been told that there would have to be another fatality of serious injury before action was taken, and sadly that happened in late 2014.

850 local people then signed a petition online and on paper.  We collected signatures at Streatham Green market when we ran our Christmas street stall. Local shops also helped out as well as Tenderlinks Day Nursery.  And in January 2015, we presented the petition to City Hall.

A year ago, TfL finally came forward with their plans to make the junction safer.  And these will now be implemented with work starting later this month.

The plans include modernising the street lighting to improve visibility, installing advanced stop lines for cyclists, introducing a new 1.5 metre-wide cycle lane on Ambleside Avenue,  modernising the traffic signals to include pedestrian countdown technology, installing cycle safety mirrors on traffic signals at the junction to increase visibility of cyclists, renewing footways for pedestrians, realigning and widening pedestrian crossings and resurfacing the carriageway at the junction.

The work is planned to begin on 25th July. 

Thanks to everyone who helped with the campaign!

For more on this junction and the history of the campaign see the following:

http://streathamnews.blogspot.co.uk/p/campaign-to-make-junction-at-mitcham.html
http://streathamnews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/kids-demo-at-junction-of-ambleside.html
http://streathamnews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/children-have-near-misses-at-junction.html
http://www.streathamguardian.co.uk/news/9977414.Parents_call_for_junction_to_be_made_safe/?ref=mr
http://streathamnews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/another-collision-at-junction-of.html
http://streathamnews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/review-won-at-junction-of-mitcham-lane.html
http://streathamnews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/countdown-crossing-at-ambleside-avenue.html
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/make-the-junction-of-mitcham-lane-and-ambleside-avenue.html