Darren Johnson, Green Party Member of the London Assembly, has discovered that Transport for London (TfL) and Westminster council shelved plans for a safer, Dutch-style roundabout at Millbank/Lambeth Bridge due to the potential impact on vehicle traffic. Local authorities have a statutory duty under section 39 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents”
Moira Gemmill, a 55 year old female cyclist, died following a collision with a tipper truck at the junction in April.
Darren’s exchange with the Mayor of London is as follows:
Death of cyclist at Lambeth Bridge roundabout
Question No: 2015/1506
Darren Johnson
A 55 year old cyclist was recently killed in a collision with a tipper truck at Lambeth Bridge roundabout. Three years ago proposals for a safe, continental-style roundabout at Millbank/Lambeth Bridge were discussed at a TfL Better Junctions Design Review Group meeting. The design proposed would not have had any impact on traffic flows as the existing roundabout already has zebra crossings across all arms and all the roads into it have only moderate single stream traffic. Why have the proposals not been implemented?
Written response from the Mayor
A continental-style roundabout option was discussed at a Design Review Group meeting. However, it was acknowledged that the design would have significant traffic impacts, blocking other important junctions and also creating further road safety concerns.
Work is now underway to produce new designs for this location.
Darren has criticised the Mayor for failing to overhaul London’s dangerous junctions quickly enough. The Mayor ordered a high level review of 500 junctions with safety concerns across the capital in 2011 then scaled back the scope of the Better Junctions programme to just 100 junctions with a target to complete 50 junctions by 2013. The most recent TfL operational performance report states that just 10 junctions will now have been made safer by 2016, the year Boris Johnson leaves office.
“It is shameful that plans for a Dutch-style roundabout at Lambeth Bridge had been drawn up but then shelved because TfL, the Mayor and borough leaders are more concerned with keeping traffic speeds up than keeping cyclists safe.”
“A roundabout layout at this dangerous collision blackspot could have prevented the terrible death of another London cyclist but dither and delay by LB Westminster and the Mayor has probably contributed to another cycling tragedy on our roads.”
“Again and again, plans are being discussed, safety improvements proposed but good schemes left to gather dust. Dangerous junctions stay dangerous and needless deaths and serious injuries occur. Local authorities in London are failing in their statutory duty if they constantly delay taking steps to reduce casualties.”
“London’s next Mayor should waste no time in getting the city’s treacherous junctions in order and shouldn’t ditch safety schemes because they may have a negligible effect on the speed at which people drive around the city.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Darren Johnson AM is available for comment.