Car Crash Lawrie Park Road 11/12 March - WE NEED SPEED BUMPS

[JAKES ANGEL]

ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER CAR ACCIDENT ON LAWRIE PARK ROAD THIS WEEKEND WHERE UNFORTUNATELY ONE OF THE OCCUPANTS LOST THEIR LIVES. NOW AS TERRIBLE AS THAT IT, IF THEY ARE GOING TO DRIVE, UNDERAGE UN-INSURED AT 98 MPH (POLICE ESTIMATE) THEN RATHER THEY LOSE THEIR LIVE THAN ANY UNFORTUNATE INNOCENT VICTIM. I LIVE BY THE CRASH SITE AND THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ME OR MY FAMILY THEY COLLIDED WITH BUT AS IT HAPPENS IT WAS A FRIENDS CAR THEY CRASHED INTO SO THERE ISNT TOO MUCH SYMPATHY FROM THE RESIDENTS. HOW ABOUT A CAMPAIGN FOR SPEED BUMPS ON LAWRIE PARK ROAD AS FAR TO MANY PEOPLE TREAT THIS ROAD AS A RACE TRACK AND HOPEFULLY SOMETHING LIKE THIS CAN BE AVOIDED IN THE FUTURE

[Paddy Pantsdown]

Please don't SHOUT!

I would oppose speed bumps - if only that they have jeapordised my life on several occasions as I mentioned here: http://forum.sydenham.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=154. Not to mention the damage they do to cars within the speed limit, the damage to global warming and the distraction they cause for responsible drivers who should be looking for other hazards on foot & wheels.

There must be better ways of stopping the guilty without further punishing the innocent.

[teddybear]

They would have had to be driving at a very high speed to have inflicted the amount of damage that car had, ok so no sympathy for the driver himself but I feel for the two friends that were in the car with him, who are apparently, one on life support and one who might lose his leg!!!! all for what, getting somewhere a few minutes later....

something needs to happen, not sure speed bumps are the answer, as then everyone drives down the middle of the road and that leads to more accidents, but maybe speed cameras, or the speed alert signs might be a start, especially for the buses.

I certainly do not want to spend another night attending to an RTA.....which could have easily been avoided, as you quite rightly said it could be a friend or family member that gets in the way next time.....

[stuart]

I have put a brief report based on what has been posted here at:
http://www.sydenham.org.uk/news_accident_lpr.html

If TeddyBear or Jake would like to add any information about the incident please post, email or give me a ring (020 8659 6688) during office hours. I'm only round the corner from LPR.... Amazing it didn't wake me up!

[stuart]

I have put a brief report based on what has been posted here at:
http://www.sydenham.org.uk/news_accident_lpr.html

I have just updated the story with the police statement which includes an appeal for anybody attending a nearby party in Lawrie Park Road.

[thebackster]

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. I was walking home, along Lawrie Park road at around 11.45pm Saturday (19th March) and a black golf came wizzing down the road. At a rough guess I would say it was not far off 100mph. If I had been crossing that road, there is no way the driver would have seen me before I was hit.

This is a problem that need sorting ASAP

[teddybear]

It appears no matter what time of day there is constantly cars, buses and lorries speeding, even this morning at approx 8.00 am there was a van going at least 60 whizzed past me.....

I sit by my window whilst working on my pc etc and it amazes me the amount of cars which pay absolutely no attention to the speed limit.

I followed a bus down from the penge end the other day, I was doing 30 and the bus pulled away and by the time I got to the place near the crash site the bus was nowhere in site!!!!!!

not sure how we can influence change here, any ideas. I can report it to the transport division of the council but apart from that ideas appreciated

[MichelleS]

I am a resident of Lawrie Park Road, and also a new member of the Sydenham Town Forum from today.....this happened by fluke, as I was searching the internet for information on the recent accident that occurred in Lawrie Park Road on 12/13 March.
This is not meant to sound callous, but I am glad that the accident occurred....ONLY from the point of view that WE (The residence of Lawrie Park Road) now have ammunition for appealing for road calming measure to be put in place ASAP. It is a shame, but it seems that all local authorities will only act if there has been a fatality.
Since moving here just over 3 years ago, I have become increasingly disgusted by the speeds at which people drive down Lawrie Park Road, including buses. I actually wrote a complaint letter to the bus company, as I had made the point of standing by the driver once he entered Lawrie Park Road, to take note of the speed he/she was doing....and without exception it was consistantly over 30mph...more like 40 to 45mph!!! Only got a standard reply from the bus compsny, stating that all their drivers are highly trained....blah, blah, blah!!! I am particularly affected by the bus speeds as where my house is located very close to 2 bus stops ..... and when a bus ISN'T stopping at either stop, they go careering down the road at high speed my house actually SHAKES, but when the buses are slowing down to stop/pulling away from the stop the house does NOT shake. Some may comment that we may have subsidence issues but we had a structural survey done before we moved in 3 years ago and no problems were detected......ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS????? It is worrying!
Sorry.....I am going on a bit now.......but I do want to end my rant by saying that I whole-heartedly support any campaign for traffic calming measures to be imposed on Lawrie Park Road. I have often been tempted to go to the local police station and tell them if they want to make some money they should sit on my road for half an hour, and they would meet their monthly quota in that time alone!
I feel very passionate about this subject, so please if we could get this campaign off the ground somehow....

[thebackster]

we need speed camera's....they're a pain in the backside but they do work

[Paddy Pantsdown]

...but I do want to end my rant by saying that I whole-heartedly support any campaign for traffic calming measures to be imposed on Lawrie Park Road.

Welcome here. I hope you will enjoy it!

You are not the only one to have seen bus drivers doing stupid things down Lawrie Park Road. The bus company response to you is a disgrace. I think you should take it further and you will have my support and a signed statement if you need it.

Just think if it had been a bus that had gone amok that night instead of a small family car.

But I strongly resist speed humps, extra islands, wobbly bits etc. As a motorcyclist they are more dangerous than speeding motorists and we are very exposed when something goes wrong.

[soup]

My husband and I are hoping to move to Lawrie Park road shortly, and to put it mildly, this thread is worrying both of us. I can't believe anyone would not want to put some traffic calming measures on this road. I would welcome any measures that would help to prevent traffic speeding down the road as if it was a motorway, however inconvienient it may be to local residents. Surely the safety of adults and children alike is more important that the annoyance at having to drive a bit more carefully to park outside your own front door. If there is a campaign, I'd would love to add my support to it.

[nasaroc]

After a tragic accident like this it's understandable that many locals demand speed bumps. But is this really a solution? The speeding that occurs is Lawrie Park Road is repeated every minute of the day in practically every street in Sydenham and beyond. Unless we speed bump every road in the country, we are not going to prevent the inevitable accidents.

What is wrong is our attitude to driving a car. Try driving around this area within the speed limit. Within a few hundred yards you will have a car close on your tail clearly irritated that you are "only" travelling at 30mph and urging you to go faster. Stand by the side of Sydenham Road. I guarantee that with a minute you will spot a driver using a hand-held mobile phone or a car with young kids without seat belts or seat restraints.

What we need are working (and hidden) speed cameras and a police force who enforce road rules. And a massive change in attitude by drivers to speed and road safety. At the moment, any attempt to enforce rules (speed cameras, for example) are met with a barrage of newspaper articles supporting the motorists' rights to break the law. We've got a long way to go.

[teddybear]

Totally agree, the bumps are a problem. I think the way to go is speed cameras, as someone has already said but a mobile camera down here and they would get their monthly quota in one day!!!!

I also agree that it is the attitude of other drivers who think it is their right to rule the road and pay no regard to what the law is, and it especially infuriates me when children are unrestrained, although on a plus point I saw a policeman pull a woman over the other day and fined her for not having her child restrained on the back seat. He also gave the child a good talking too......but this is probably in the minority

[The Clown]

I think what may be required is better enforcement of the law. Speeding offences should be treated entirely separately from dangerous driving and speed limits need to be carefully set to allow the system to be fair (or it will be flouted).

More belt up in the back campaigns too and certainly enforcement for child safety. A lot of this is education. People just don't realise the risks. Also drivers must take responsibility and insist that people behave accordingly. It is not as if there is a "passenger test" to pass on road safety but the driver's should know their Highway code.

CAmeras would work on the more mature driver, but not on a teenage joyrider. They after all, have no responsibility for the vehicle.

[ziggystardust]

I have stumbled on this site quite by chance and am very glad that I did.I also live in Lawrie Park Road near to the fatal crash site by the 2 bus stops and my place shakes also when a bus goes past.This road is not wide enough for these buses to safely pass through especially as there are few yellow lines and there is understandably a lot of resident parking.I am not a fan of speed bumps and or camersa as most of them are just another form of taxation so how about rerouting the buses.In reality I suppose there is about as much chance of that as there is Millwall getting to another FA Cup Final!

[Crazy_Catz]

There had been some near accidents to myself because I'm profoundly deaf. This means I can't hear when the vehicles approach.

They have centre refuges in Lawrie Park Road. While I was crossing the road through centre refuge there's always vehicles travelling at high speed - some had been almost hit me but luckily they missed me.This is because I could not see any vehicles approach from looking to the right as there was vehicles parked on the road and blocking the view. This is why I don't know whether the vehicles are approaching or not. I would like the council to sort this problem out cos it could risk resident's lives included mine. I don't feel safe using the centre refuge and once a bus almost hit my friend few years back and the bus was going at high speed without slowing down while it passed the centre refuge. Lucky I pulled my deaf friend away the second I saw the bus coming.

I advise the council to sort this out as soon as possible plus put up speed cameras or bump roads to slow down the vehicles. Residents wont be safe until they sort it out.