Action needed on Amersham Road

Local residents have started a petition calling on TfL and Lewisham Council to commit to an action plan to make safe the “notorious” junction of the A2 gyratory and A20 at the intersection of Parkfield Road and Amersham Road in New Cross.

The online petition, initiated by the Amersham Action Group, has already passed 120 signatures, and has received support from local businesses and groups such as the Amersham Arms, the New Cross Dental Practice and the St John’s Society.

“Everyone seems to have a story about almost getting hit crossing this road, and one woman even shared a story about her parents’ dangerous experience cycling this junction 20 years ago,” Tomilyn Rupert, co-founder of the group told The Lewisham Ledger

“Many people pass the junction and it is deadly, both from a road design that makes deadly collisions more likely, and the staggering amount of air pollution there.

“A white painted marking on the street creates a sense in drivers that they can overtake and speed with no problems as they leave the A2 gyratory, and a lack of official crossing means pedestrians dodge cars and sprint to cross.

“We’ve been really pleased with the positive reaction to the petition so far. We’re asking TfL – who own the road – and Lewisham Council to cooperate and commit to an action plan with a timescale on this intersection.

“We think there are myriad ways to improve it, from small to large: what’s missing is the political will.”

Tomilyn pointed out there has already been a fatality on the junction – a pedestrian in her 50s was killed in August 2019 after a car and motorcycle collided prior to the motorcycle then hitting her and another pedestrian.

However, no changes have been made to the junction in the time since, despite the promises of Lewisham Council’s corporate strategy for 2022-26 to make the borough “cleaner and greener” and to ensure that it is “easier and more pleasant to get around Lewisham by foot or bike”.

A consultation document proposing improvements to New Cross that was published in 2018 mentioned a “longterm” proposal to remove the gyratory completely, but nothing has happened since.

In the face of such inertia, Tomilyn said urgent action is needed to make the area one “that parents aren’t afraid to walk through when dropping off their children at nursery, and cyclists don’t dread going through”.

Among the suggestions put forward by the Amersham Action Group are widening the pavement and implementing a timed crossing with traffic lights.

“Studies have shown that wide roads and shoulders encourage speeding,” Tomilyn explained.

“Simply removing this excess space by widening the pavement would have a traffic calming effect.

“Low-cost planters maintained by the community, bike parking and a couple of trees to block off this space could be all that’s needed to change how drivers approach the intersection, encouraging them to slow down and be more aware of their surroundings.

“These measures would also have the bonus of creating a more environmentally friendly and improved pedestrian experience.”

In the longer term, the group is urging TfL and the council to consider removing the gyratory entirely and instead turning New Cross Road into a two-way road. However, such a proposal would probably have to wait until the much mooted – and delayed – Bakerloo Line extension project finally becomes a reality.

View the petition at change.org/p/ make-the-amersham-gyratory-safer

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