Fury at plans to move pedestrian crossing 50 yards down the road - as cost of £650,000
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A row has broken out over plans to move a pedestrian crossing 50 yards down the road - which council leaders say will cost an eye-watering £650,000. Transport for London (TfL) wants to relocate a pedestrian crossing on Streatham High Road in south London in a bid to improve public safety. It plans to move the crossing from its current spot near Woodbourne Avenue down to by the next road, Gracefield Gardens.
Bosses insist the change will reduce danger on the roads - as the junction has seen 21 collisions in three years. However, opponents claim the crossing's new location will not improve safety - as its 'staggered' form will lead locals away from bus stops and force them to "take chances" while crossing the road to reach their bus.
They also argue the money could be spent on other improvements for the local area - such as cycle infrastructure. Local Cllr Donna Harris, leader of the opposition Lib Dem group on Lambeth Council, said: "TfL told us back in 2022 that this scheme would cost £650,000, and inflation has probably seen that cost rise since. The way the new crossing is to be configured is in a 'staggered' form that will take pedestrians in the opposite direction to the bus stops - so people will continue to take chances to get across for their bus.
"They will also see a crossing removed at a wider, faster part of the High Road, without regard to those risks. In addition, TfL has effectively ignored the concerns of the GP surgery located at Gracefield Gardens about access and those of residents about displaced traffic in other roads.
