‘End the chaos now!’ - Lib Dems call on Southwark Council to find long-term solution to Lower Road traffic mayhem after cyclist hospitalised

The Southwark Liberal Democrats are demanding that the council and TfL work together to find a solution to the traffic issues on Lower Road after a cyclist was hospitalised.

Residents across the Rotherhithe Peninsula have been dealing with miles of backed up traffic every day since Summer last year and this week a cyclist was hit by a car at a junction that residents and local councillors had warned could be an issue.

The traffic issues were initially blamed on the construction of a new segregated cycle lane by Southwark Council.

However, the cycle lane was completed earlier this month but the congestion has not gone away, with traffic jams in both directions between from the junction at Plough Way through Redriff Road and up to the Rotherhithe Tunnel every day.

Local Liberal Democrat councillors say that, when speaking to members of the community, every resident raised the Lower Road traffic as a major issue.

The council now says that the issues are, in part, down to traffic light timings and abuse of parking and loading blocking traffic.

Member for Surrey Docks Cllr Adam Hood has been working with council officers to find potential solutions including changes to traffic light timings on the Plough Road junction, repainted parking bays, a ‘no U-turn’ sign on Worgan Street and monthly meetings between councillors and officers to discuss residents’ concerns.

Cllr Hood has also called for a full review of the traffic measures on the Ann Moss Way/Lower Road junction, where the collision between a car and a cyclist happened this week.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Cllr Rachel Bentley has also met with TfL and Southwark Council to discuss the issue.

Cllr Bentley said the traffic is causing issues “for all road users”, with “cyclists and pedestrians feeling unsafe while buses have no priority so bus journeys are taking too long”.

The Southwark Liberal Democrats have said that the council must increase enforcement to reduce parking and loading offences causing build of traffic.

The Liberal Democrat group is also demanding that TfL treat this issue as urgent and work with Southwark Council to implement changes on TfL roads that would help reduce traffic.

Commenting, local Liberal Democrat councillor Adam Hood said:

“The community has been dealing with this issue for far too long. The council said the traffic would improve after the cycle lane was complete but it clearly has got no better and now we’ve had a serious accident on a junction we knew was a concern. People feel ignored and let down.

TfL and Southwark Council need to come together, treat this problem with the urgency it merits and start coming up with serious, long-term solutions.”