What *are* they doing to Dartmouth Road?

[prince]

I walk to FH Pools regularly and the footpath near the crossing was so narrow with a bulging wall on one side and the railings on the other that the children had to go single file. It was very unpleasant. Now its great.

I am upset that people resent trading a little road space to make walking to Forest Hill a much more pleasant experience. If more people did that then we wouldn't need to trade so much space to parking - which is the real problem buses have to put up with. Or am I the only one to see it that way?

Stuart

Absolutely right Stuart!

[Rachael]

But they do seem to be going on for a long time. That to me is the frustration of all this. Not sure when they started but I'm sure it was before the Summer holiday season - that's part of the issue with works. If they are done quickly they are quickly forgotten about and people live with the new design - take too long and it gives us all something to think about and ponder.

Has everyone forgotten how long the improvement works on Sydenham Road took? At least 9 months, if memory serves, and probably longer.

I 100% agree with Stuart. The pavements in some places were almost unnavigable, and are much improved already. If the new parking restrictions work, the traffic will also flow much better when the work is done.

[broken_shaman]

here is a reply from the council...

Thank you for your email.

It may be helpful if I provide some background to the project, which is a £1.5m scheme to improve the public realm and road safety in Forest Hill. The project is funded by Transport for London, but it has been prioritised and designed by the Borough following a local campaign and design workshop with the local community. The current project design has its roots in a workshop that was held in 2014 with The Forest Hill Society and SEE3. It has since been through three rounds of public consultation and has received generally positive support from the community and the local assembly. The general concept of the scheme is to improve the series of public spaces that makes up Dartmouth Road, and to link these together with a street function that reduces traffic speeds, and prioritises the pedestrian environment.

The scheme has been developed over a two-year period, and has been through public consultation at each stage of its development, at concept, preliminary and detailed design. That has involved local stakeholders such as The Forest Hill Society, SEE3, V22, Forest Hill Traders, Forest Lodge Residents, local councillors, and the general public. The scheme design has evolved over that time, not only in response to input from the local community, but in response to the design process, including the application of design standards, safety audits, and dialogue with utilities and TfL buses .

The design has to balance many conflicting priorities. It is a conscious design decision to keep buses in the flow of traffic, as this helps to improve bus journey times and acts
as a way of slowing traffic speeds to support the new 20mph limit. The narrowed carriageway also reduces speeds and allows for wider footways with easier crossing at key points. The design therefore prioritises pedestrians, bus users and road safety.

You can find information about the Dartmouth Road scheme on the web site at http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/reg ... structure-
projects.aspx.

I hope this is helpful.

regards

Imogen Payami

Casework – Transport
Regeneration and Place
London Borough of Lewisham
4th Floor | Laurence House | Catford | London SE6 4RU
Tel: 0208 314 2235 | Fax: 020 8314 3137|
http://www.lewisham.gov.uk

Even when the council provides a link. Even after I've managed to make said link actually work. I'm still presented with a page that resembles a list of files, some of which contain a few references to 'Dartmouth' after searching. But yet to find much in the way of concrete information or firm plans, let alone some visual representation of what the plans are. It could well be there, but it never ceases to amaze me just how difficult it is to find out what the council is up to, by using a computer and the internet. Even when you find it, it's usually blurb.

It's almost like they don't want you to know...