Streetlife

Thanks Serena,

This proposal will affect everyone in the Magdalen Road, Trinity Rd, Garratt Lane, Burntwood Lane and Beechroft Road areas due to displacement of traffic at peak rush hour times.

It is the most shocking example of incompetence that anyone could dream up. Who on earth at Wandsworth council drafted this? Whoever it is should be moved out of the highways department as they have demonstrated their inability to comprehend the impact of the proposals.

Look at the petition on www.Magdalenestates.co.uk - this shows the impact it will have on us all.

I've just been reading it - doesn't it say that it was the residents who wanted this in the first place - so how is this the council's fault if it's the residents who petitioned for it?

Hi, sorry good question, I did not make it clear that the residents of Ellerton asked for width restrictions only apparently. The council highways department came up with 7 options in addition to that and hey presto, one mammoth mess!

I'd like to write to our local councillors to complain about this proposal. Does anyone have their email addresses? Someone put a letter through our door with them on but unfortunately it got thrown away.

We looked at each other in horror when we read the proposal - 2 primary schools, one very large secondary school and one playground would become the centre of a road rage vortex if this were to go through. Road closure displacement would send traffic through side roads smaller and more densely populated than Ellerton and cause chaos around the schools. Burntwood Lane is an F1 challenge to some drivers as it is, and it only takes a butterfly to hiccup in China and Magdalen goes bonkers at both ends.
Ellerton is a rat run, maybe 2 hours a day, and the idea of restricted width would slow folks down, but holy cow this is sledgehammer to crack a peanut!
Will be at BP meeting to see what's what - but remember the OTT parking restrictions went through, even tho residents request started as one hour restrictive parking. Ended up fully metered restrictions, parking permit revenue and jolly parking wardens everywhere. And don't get me started on the camera focused on the parking bay outside Sainsburys. Will be calling and emailing WBC. All details on their website. Will post link/numbers later.

You can look on the Wandsworth Council website but relevant councillors are: Mrs Clare Clay cclay@wandsworth.gov.uk, Maurice Heaster: mheaster@wandsworth.gov.uk and Mrs Kathy Tracey ktracey@wandsworth.gov.uk The planning committee, chair and dept chair are: Nick Cuff ncuff@wandsworth.gov.uk and Vanessa Graham vgraham@wandsworth.gov.uk. 

Hi We received a very nice letter from Wandsworth Conservatives stating they were not in favour of it and had expressed their views to Cllr Russell King rking@wandsworth.gov.uk. Their emails are:
Cllr Angela Graham agraham@wandsworth.gov.uk
Cllr Matthew Maxwell Scot mmaxwell@wandsworth.gov.uk
Cllr Charles McNaught-Davis cmcnaughtdavis@wandsworth.gov.uk

Note that Clare Clay has been very good at responding to us all. Matthew Maxwell Scott represents the adjoining Earlsfield Ward and is also very supportive and has volunteered his services to present the petition at the next council meeting on 17.10.12.
We have a strong nucleus of support and have organised volunteers in individual roads to collect signatures to our petition. We have all 3 estates- Magdalen, Openview and Fieldview, covered but due to the number of maisonettes in Fieldview, they could do with some more support.
The petition is also available to sign at Earlsfield Primary school if you feel strongly about this.
What really worries me is that somebody within Wandsworth Council Highways department actually sat down and thought about this proposal before putting it forward as an option to accompany the width restriction. With staff like that the future looks very gloomy for our roads.

Does anyone have the WBC reference number, as www.Magdalenestates.co.uk wont open for me....typical Apple !

It is worth pointing out that these proposals (and they are only proposals at this stage) do not involve any road closures whatsoever, contrary to the impression being given by some of the postings here.

The council has been asked by residents in Ellerton Road to do something to discourage motorists - including lorry drivers - from rat running in their street. Traffic surveys have shown that Ellerton Road is used as a busy rush hour cut-through and so the council is sympathetic to their plight.

The danger of taking action in one just street however runs the risk of shifting the problem to neighbouring streets, which is why we have taken a more holistic view and looked at the wider area, in order to make sure that residents in other roads do not suddenly find themselves inundated with rush hour traffic.

Our proposals therefore are these:

• To ban vehicles turning right from Burntwood Lane into Ellerton Road, Tilehurst Road, Fieldview and Openview. This measure would be in force from 7am to 10am Monday to Friday, so that motorists would cease using these roads during the morning rush hour, but  would mean that local residents are not inconvenienced at other times of the day.

• A similar peak time ban on motorists turning left from Magdalen Road into Multon Road, Titchwell Road, Ellerton Road, Tilehurst Road, Fieldview and Openview. This would operate in the evening rush hour between 4pm and 8pm Monday to Friday. This would be complemented by a peak time “No Entry” on Lyford Road at the junction of Magdalen Road. Outside these peak time hours local residents would not have to observe these rules.

• A width restriction would be built on Ellerton Road between the junction of Burntwood Grange Road and Herondale Road. This would prevent any large vehicle more than two metres in width (ie six feet six inches) from travelling along this road.

• A No Entry traffic restriction would operate into Burntwood Close from Collamore Avenue. This would operate at all times and prevent traffic and large vehicles using Marham Gardens and Lyminge Gardens from avoiding the measures on Burntwood Lane and the road narrowing on Ellerton Road.

At this stage these are just proposals and the council is keen to hear the views of local people. If the idea proves unpopular then it is unlikely that the council will proceed, so people who have a view on these ideas are being actively encouraged to have their say.

The results of this public consultation will be considered by councillors in January. No decision will be taken before then.

A map showing the proposals is published below  

Many thanks for the Update WC. Alas being on Swaby Road I can see the traffic simply moving to Swaby and Tranmere - although given that Tranmere is narrower than Swaby I think we will bear the brunt of this. 
We will be saying No to this I am afraid

When we asked for help with the rat run on Franche Court Road we were always told there was not enough traffic.  It is hideous during the morning and evening rush hour.  There is a ban on public service vehicle trucks going down the street but this never ever stops the early morning skip trucks hauling arse down the road at high speed.  One day......

Awful idea and Swaby and Tranmere will suffer greatly.  I will see you all at the meeting at Beatrix Potter on the 2nd at 7.30pm.

The council reference is 12-431.
In answer to the response from anonymous at the council, please see the effects that it will have below:-
The scheme has a number of critical flaws that residents in Ellerton Road have probably not considered as, quite understandably, they would welcome any measures taken to reduce traffic levels.

1.      The proposals will divert traffic into already congested and narrower streets to the west of the area (that do not benefit from partial off street parking as Ellerton does), namely Dawnay Road, Swaby Road, Tranmere Road and the seven other streets adjacent.

2.      The impact of the displacement of this traffic will increase the likelihood of serious road traffic accidents particularly where children from three local schools, Earlsfield Primary, Beatrix Potter Primary and Burntwood Secondary School, are dropped off and collected and will increase the potential for RTA’s involving children.

3.      The proposed controls will, in the evening rush hour period, necessitate local residents in a total of 19 streets on the Magdalen Estate turning right off Trinity Road (a Red Route) into Routh Road instead of the wider junction of Magdalen Road in order to access their homes. “Rat Runners” will soon realise that they also can take this route in the evening to access Ellerton Road in order to reach Burntwood Lane. So residents in the lower ¾ of Ellerton will not see any decrease in traffic at the busiest time. In fact the volume of traffic using Routh Road and Loxley Road in the evening could as a result, be higher than that currently experienced by residents in Ellerton Road as they will have local residents as well as “rat runners” using Routh Road to get home. This fundamentally undermines the scheme.

4.      Traffic, queues and delays on the red route will increase, with motorcycles overtaking the additional queue of vehicles waiting in Trinity Road to turn right into Routh Road increasing the risk of RTA’s.

5.      Further controls of traffic entering Routh Road/Loxley Road in the evenings would not be possible as they would block off access to the area as a whole given the proposal’s design.

6.      The inability to turn left off Magdalen Road into the Magdalen Estate during rush hour periods will force local residents and other vehicles wishing to access these roads, to use Swaby and Tranmere Roads then Burntwood Lane, then Ellerton Road, adding to journey times and pollution, increasing the risk of accidents and damage to vehicles in these narrower roads and adding up to a mile to their journey.

7.      To avoid long and time consuming detours, residents and existing “rat runners” may undertake dangerous U-turns on Burntwood Lane and Magdalen Road. This undermines the scheme.

8.      All residents in Ellerton Road should have been aware of the traffic situation when moving there The Council’s traffic census conducted in 2011 showed a 7.5% reduction in the number of vehicles using Ellerton Road at peak volume in the morning and 18% reduction in the evening peak volume, compared to 2004. The need for the scheme, given its impact upon surrounding streets and the costs of implementing and policing it, is therefore questionable as it will bring little benefit to a few but massive disruption, inconvenience, loss of amenity, increased risk of accidents and additional cost to the far greater majority in 36 streets.

9.      The proposals will inevitably result in residents of Routh, Loxley, Tranmere, Swaby and Dawnay Roads, demanding that further costly traffic management measures are taken to offset the displacement impact of this scheme.  Similar measures here would then make the whole area inaccessible. The scheme is disastrous for the area as a whole.

10.   Extensive queues of vehicles that would otherwise filter through the Magdalen Estate will form at the traffic lights at junctions on Burntwood Lane/Trinity Road and Garrett Lane/Magdalen Road. Access onto these roads will take longer, be more dangerous and difficult and journey times in the area will increase, as will pollution levels, contrary to Wandsworth Council’s stated policy of reducing carbon footprints.

11.   The width restriction in Ellerton Road will force large commercial vehicles into other less suitable roads in the area, will hinder and delay emergency services response vehicles and will hinder refuse collection services.

Apologies, I have just re-read the response from the council and I note that it is stated:-

"The danger of taking action in one just street however runs the risk of shifting the problem to neighbouring streets, which is why we have taken a more holistic view and looked at the wider area, in order to make sure that residents in other roads do not suddenly find themselves inundated with rush hour traffic."

I am afraid that this is precisely what your proposals will do. They are ill considered and will in the mornings create traffic chaos in Tranmere, Dawnay and Swaby Roads and in the evenings will bring a higher level of traffic to Routh Road than experienced in Ellerton as not only will the rat runners who use Ellerton use this route to avoid the queues at the traffic lights at Trinity Road, but they will also have to take all the traffic from local residents in Lyford, Loxley Multon Burcote, Titchwell, Ellerton, Frewin, Herondale and Burntwood Close. I repeat, Routh Road will therefore experience a far greater volume of traffic than Ellerton does at present at peak evening times- and this is the time of maximumf traffic volume.

Err I think I must be missing something....imagine when I'm returning home a 9am to my home in Tilehurst rd. I'm unable to turn right into Tilehurst from Burntwood Lane (which I would do currently.

I'm forced now to turn right into Ellerton and to drive the length of Ellerton turning left onto Magdalen.

I'm then unable to turn left into Tilehurst or Fieldview from Magdalen until after 10am.

Am I expected to wait an hour or perhaps:

I continue down Magdalen and turn left into Tranmere Rd.
Drive to the end of Tranmere Rd and left onto Burntwood Lane.
Oooh joy, I can now turn left onto Tilehurst Road and home.

Am I missing the point? In order to get home, I now have to drive down 2 more residential roads and pass 3 schools at school start time?

And then, There'd be nowhere to park because we now have every other car and white van that is unable to park for free (and badly) leaving their vehicles here... For the day, week or even university term!

Obviously these proposals are nonsense - but what about?
- cameras to enforce the 20 mph speed limit in our area
- parking on the road in Ellerton road so that it is more troublesome to drive down it  (of course the unintended consequence of the parking restrictions in our area is that there are less parked cars and some of the roads are easier to race down)
-  a bus down Trinity road and over the Wandsworth bridge and into Fulham - this might help to reduce traffic on Trinity road

Hi AnnaGoAnna

To get into Tilehurst from a return down Burntwood Lane at 9am, you wouldn't be able to turn right into Ellerton as an alternative (or Marham, Lyminge or Sandgate either because of the proposed block at the bottom of Collamore).  You would have to turn into Swaby/Tranmere then right up Magdalen Rd, then right into Tilehurst.
The proposed no left turns from Magdalen Road are 4-8pm.
The only possible benefit worth a trial maybe?, is the proposed large vehicle width restriction for Ellerton & then only whilst the nearby Springfield estate is being developed when there will be alot of heavy duty vehicles vying for access.
Looking at what seems a set of crazy proposals is worrying enough ...... we should also look at the wider context.  The huge Springfield development is going ahead with all the disturbance and traffic that will bring both for build & occupancy.
The proposal to develop nearby Trinity Fields is also up for consultation (comments deadline 2/10) which will also affect extra turning traffic onto Burntwood Lane.
I would like to know if the council are looking at a broader picture of all the possible extra local traffic concerns please?

Thank you for the email addresses Serena and Denise. I have written to them all.

I really hope we can prevent this. Given that Tranmere ad Swaby are both narrow and have cars lining the sides of the street night and day this would quickly result in gridlock. 

What really frustrates me is that the proposals will result in traffic moving from a wide road with relatively few residents (there are roughly 80 residences on Ellerton) to narrow roads with far more residences (roughly 180 on Swaby and 260 on Tranmere). The proposal is therefore suggesting taking a limited existing nuisance and moving it to where it will be a far greater nuisance to far more people.

Well said Andy.  I couldn't agree more.  There's also the school in Tranmere to consider and surely these retrictions will make it more dangerous for those kids and parents?  I look forward to hearing the council's side of things at the meeting at Beatrix Potter school as, at the moment, I can see no sense in the proposal.

This is a ridiculous proposal and unfortunately everyone except the proposers can see how flawed it is. I am amazed that someone OK'ed it to even go forward to consultation. The idea that WBC has taken a 'holistic view and looked at the wider area, in order to make sure that residents in other roads do not suddenly find themselves inundated with rush hour traffic' is a joke. What additionally frustrates me is the amount of valuable time local residents have now got to waste organising petitions, holding meetings in order to prevent it happening.

The proposal is for discussion,it is not law. Surely it is up to users/ those inconvenienced to make their views known at the meeting. I think WBC are being proactive.

Hi Dee J
I fail to see how proactive Wandsworth Council have been - although Local councillors have been great. so I have no complaints there. I do feel that if it weren't for strong local feeling this would have been "slipped through" like so many other things.

  I have just signed the door step petition and even managed to drag OH from the Ryder Cup to put his name on it too - would have got the dog to do it if I thought it would help! -

Those Inconvenienced will be all the local residents who will have a dreadful time trying to get to their own homes in the area.  AND those of us who are excluded from the proposals who will then get the new traffic down our roads on Swaby, Dawnay and Tranmere

Denise W

Ryder Cup is depressing me, we are doing SO badly.

OK, so WBC havn't been proactive yet local councillors have, thats a + surely.
Re petitions; I have always been told they have far more effect if individuals write/email individually rather than putting name to a petitiion which can { ? } count as 1. 

My road is a rat run, used mainly by private cars AND there are restriction posts halfway down the road which doesn't prevent lorries driving up to them and causing chaos as they reverse. Not sure there is a perfect answer .

Is there a councillor living on Ellerton Road?