More than 100 people have signed a petition claiming that Lewisham Council failed to introduce safety measures to a road bordering Lewisham and Greenwich.
There is a growing concern among the residents of Winn Road over the safety of their street, regarding reckless driving, speeding motorists, and a lack of adequate safety measures as pressing issues.
Residents of the road have asked Lewisham and Greenwich Councils to add traffic measures to their street for years.
In the petition they claim the road is “experiencing greater volumes of traffic particularly in the rush hours, which is detrimental to our safety, and quality of life with air and noise pollution also significant issues.”
It’s plagued by excessive traffic, with motorists often ignoring speed limits and engaging in dangerous driving behaviours.
‘I am scared of crossing’
Local resident Susan Thomas, 66, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service about her family’s experience living on Winn Road: “My son’s car went up in flames. […] It’s been absolutely atrocious.
“I’m scared of crossing the road when I’ve got the grandchildren. The old boy next door, he used to go and get his newspaper. Now he’s too scared to.
The situation is only made worse by geographic hurdles, with Winn Road falling under the jurisdiction of both councils, complicating the implementation of safety measures.
Thomas said: “We’ve been to the council, we’ve been to meetings. We’ve done everything and they don’t want to know because one side is Greenwich and the other side is Lewisham.”
Labour Councillor Averial Lekau, cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport for Greenwich Council, said in response to the petition that Winn Road was on the borough’s border with Lewisham.
She said that the street was primarily the responsibility of Lewisham Council since Greenwich Council only was responsible for approximately 100 meters of Winn Road.
Lekau added : “The Royal Borough of Greenwich takes an evidence-based approach to prioritising measures to reduce through traffic within residential areas, as set out in our Transport Strategy.
“The council can’t prevent people from choosing to drive over the speed limit. The police enforce speed limits, and we would encourage residents to report speeding vehicles to the police.”
Last petition in 2019
Efforts to address these issues have been met with frustration. Despite a petition sent to Greenwich Council in 2019 calling for traffic calming measures, including speed reduction measures and improved road safety infrastructure, residents feel neglected.
The absence of pedestrian crossings and the road’s use as a ‘relief road’ for major routes further heighten safety concerns, particularly during peak traffic hours.
In response to residents’ pleas, local councils have offered assurances of engagement and ongoing efforts to address the issue.
Lewisham Council has pledged road safety improvements, including installing electronic signs to warn speeding motorists and prioritising areas most affected by safety concerns.
Lewisham Council told Eastlondonlines, “A key priority of the Council is to make Lewisham ‘cleaner and greener’, enabling more journeys to be made by walking and cycling, reducing car reliance and reducing congestion. To support this, a number of projects and programmes are being delivered by the Council across the borough to achieve these aims, including in the SE12 9 postcode area, such as the Sustainable Streets programme, School Streets, cycle hangars, walking and cycling routes, road danger reduction, and bus priority.”
“In addition, two major initiatives encompassing much of what the petition is seeking are currently under development, namely the Healthy Neighbourhoods Strategy and a HGV study, both of which have a borough-wide scope and aim to provide strategic evidence-led options to resolve many of the borough’s traffic management issues.”
However, residents remain skeptical, emphasising the urgent need for concrete action to reduce the risks posed by the hazardous conditions on Winn Road.
