Healthy Streets for All

Just before Covid struck a group of local residents held a meeting to determine how to make Norwood’s streets safer, quieter and cleaner.

It was chaired by Sustainable cities expert Tiffany Lam and speakers included Steve Reed MP, Councillor Stuart King, then Cabinet Member for Transport at Croydon Council and Laurie Johnston, founder Dulwich and Herne Hill Safe Routes to School forum. It was also attended by Councillor Nina Degrads.

The meeting held on Saturday 18 January 2020 at St John the Evangelist on Auckland Road was not a talking shop. The workshop produced an impressive range of solutions that addressed local problems and indeed suggested measures soon adopted in our local Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

The range of suggestions were assessed by difficulty and other factors:

WALKING

• Green walking routes – Signage
• Green walking routes – Crossings
• Walking routes – Improve pedestrian permeability
• Church Road – Wider Pavements
• Improve Pedestrian facilities at Junctions
• South Norwood Hill / Whitehorse – Pedestrian phase
• South Norwood Hill / Beulah – Pedestrian crossings
• South Norwood Hill / Zebras
• Wharncliffe Road – Pedestrian improvements
• Grange Road – More zebra crossings
• Safe crossings on Auckland Road
• “Diamond” pedestrian crossings at major Triangle
• Pedestrian access – Sylvan/Lakes towards Anerley
• Continuous Footway Crossings of side roads
• Brick by Brick taking away small green spaces
• Anerley Hill pedestrian improvements
• Station pedestrian improvements – filter Ledrington
• Reopen the old railway tunnels as a walk / cycle route
• Walking / cycling route Norwood Lakes to Country

PUBLIC

• Planters (On pavement – beautification only)
• Planters (On carriageway – parklets, non-filtering)
• More bike shelters on streets
• Car Free Days – Residential roads
• Car Free Days – Triangle
• Art trails – murals, public sculpture..
• Nice places to sit – benches & parklets
• Run a Healthy Streets event / consultation

MONITORING, ENFORCEMENT, PARKING, AIR QUALITY

• Width restriction on Lancaster Road at entry point
• 20mph on high streets (Triangle and Church Road)
• Enforcement of 20mph zones (and existing 30)
• Reduce or remove pavement parking
• Better air monitoring
• More Speedvisors
• Improve Air Quality
• Make Crystal Palace bus station fleet Clean
• Controlled Parking Zone
• Remove commuter parking in Crystal Palace Park
• Address network-level performance indicators

CYCLING

• Segregated bike routes
• Safe cycle route through the Triangle
• More cycle parking at Crystal Palace Station
• Cycle access on Chipstead Estate
• Toucan crossing Chipstead Estate to Station
• Develop Cycleway southwards from Crystal Palace
• Holmesdale Road – true Quietway
• Goat House Bridge
• Southern Avenue to Holmesdale

BUSES

• Bus route clearways
• Fast bus route Crystal Palace Triangle to Croydon
• Increase bus frequencies off-peak
• Extend bus route 312 to Crystal Palace
• Extend bus route 130 to Crystal Palace
• Review of PTAL and WebCAT – Close the bus gap

MODAL FILTERS

• Auckland Road area Low Traffic Neighbourhood Modal filters trial
• Modal filter on Grange Hill

LONG TERM

• Traffic Free Triangle
• Extend Tramlink to Crystal Palace
• Connecting the dots between the seriousness of the Climate Emergency (as declared by the council) and local active travel / low carbon travel schemes.