We want better, healthier and safer streets for everyone in the borough.
Traffic taking a shortcut through neighbourhood streets, or “rat running”, has many negative effects on residents. It creates noise, danger and pollution, and puts people off walking, cycling or socialising on the street. A low traffic neighbourhood is a whole residential area that is access-only by car. Point closures (like the bollards in the picture above) prevent rat running, but allow people to walk and cycle through. Every street can still be accessed by car.
In low traffic neighbourhoods:
- Children can play and neighbours socialise
- Any age can walk or cycle through the area
- Driving very short journeys is less convenient
- Traffic within the area reduces by 50% or more, and overall by 15% or more
- Air pollution, noise and danger drop dramatically.
Sutton Council are starting to introduce Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in:
- South Sutton & Carshalton
- North Sutton
- Wallington (around Butter Hill)
- North Cheam
- Worcester Park
The full list of all the Streetspace funding bids the Council has made to Transport for London can be seen here (LB of Sutton).
The changes start to come into force from Monday 7 September, but we shouldn’t expect the infrastructure to be complete on day one.
There are bound to be teething problems. Motorists have had very little warning and sat navs will take time to learn the changes (you can help with this – see below).
A friendly word with any confused motorists will help too. We get some very large vehicles through the neighbourhood who may struggle if they need to turn back.
This will all improve as the scheme beds in, but please expect some confusion and disruption for at least the first week.
A guide to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (2019) is available to download here (pdf). ‘Evaporating traffic? Impact of low-traffic neighbourhoods on main roads‘ (London Living Streets, July 2019) examine concerns that low-traffic neighbourhoods may divert traffic onto main roads leading to increased congestion and air pollution.
A ‘community right’ to low traffic neighbourhoods is exactly what has been missing for decades of car-centric street design. Children, for instance, have lost the right to play outside, just so that drivers can cut a few corners on their commute.
Clare Rogers (LCC) https://www.lcc.org.uk/articles/gearing-up-to-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-and-school-streets
To show support for your Low Traffic Neighbourhood directly with ward councillors right now use the links below to contact them through writetothem.com. Maybe take ideas from other campaigns such as Gravney Tooting, Tower Hamlets or Enfield for what to include in your message.
- South Sutton & Carshalton (also affecting The Wrythe)
- A filter in Kings Lane due 7th September 2020
- Busgate with Mill Lane due 21st September 2020
- WriteToThem SM1 4PG
- Jake Short (Liberal Democrat)
- Jill Whitehead (Liberal Democrat)
- Chris Williams (Liberal Democrat)
- WriteToThem SM5 2RE
- Colin Stears (Liberal Democrat)
- Sam Weatherlake (Liberal Democrat)
- Nali Patel (Liberal Democrat)
- North Sutton
- 4 Filters due 14th September 2020
- WriteToThem SM1 3SS
- Ruth Dombey (Liberal Democrat)
- Stephen Penneck (Liberal Democrat)
- Marlene Heron (Liberal Democrat)
- Wallington (around Butter Hill)
- Busgate with Mill Lane due 21st September 2020
- WriteToThem SM5 2TW
- Marian James (Liberal Democrat)
- Barry Lewis (Liberal Democrat)
- Sunita Gordon (Liberal Democrat)
- North Cheam
- Esher Rd, Wrayfield Rd opposite Fairlands Park due 7th September 2020
- WriteToThem SM3 9TJ
- Martina Allen (Conservative)
- Peter Geiringer (Conservative)
- James McDermott-Hill (Conservative)
- Worcester Park
- Browning Avenue / Ruskin Dr due 21st September 2020
- WriteToThem KT4 8LB
- Jenny Batt (Liberal Democrat)
- Tom Drummond (Conservative)
- Drew Heffernan (Liberal Democrat)
Help teach the sat navs
The quicker we can get sat navs to understand these routes have been blocked off, the quicker the scheme will start to work properly. We can as residents report changes to Googlemaps and Waze. The more of us that do this, the better.
We should not do this until the changes are in place but after that please help out. Instructions to do this are copied below
Google maps:
https://support.google.com/maps/answer/3094088?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en
Waze:
https://support.google.com/waze/answer/7101380?hl=en
Tell the council what you think
Objectors to these schemes won’t be holding back, so those of us who support need to make our voices heard as well.
This does not need to happen immediately – we suggest letting the scheme establish before responding to the consultation – and we will share some suggested points you might want to make (including our aim to bring the missing roads into the LTN).
Once the schemes are launched we will all be able to respond to the consultation via sutton.gov.uk. We suggest seeing how the measures bed in before responding.
Our leaflets currently being distibuted
Get Sutton Cycling 
Disagree entirely. All these measurements are useless. I cycle and walk but this will not make me cycle more at all. I disagree please remove them.
Yeah can’t wait for the air in the borough to be un breathable as the traffic snarls up and sit there for hours. Just like Crystal Palace is now because of the same schemes
Stop screwing up our roads. You have not considered disabled residents. You have screwed every area in London with your plant holders. If you want to cycle go to the park. You are imposing minority wishes on the majority.
I agree withe the closure of Butter Hill bridge. It’s long overdue.
Would you agree we should ban household deliveries for everyone? Maybe have to walk up to 3 miles to collect. Or have ALL deliveries made by bike? And also ban anyone owning a car in these LTN’s. Roads are ratruns there roads🤷♂️
This is not a 6 month scheme. You’ve already made your minds up and this is permanent.
You have treated us all as though our opinions do not matter
There is a lot more You should have done with the money. You’ve wasted it on something that doesn’t need fixing. Absolute nightmare just to even get to my mums house. Child minders have had to give up work. Not everyone has the ability to cycle or walk.
Pathetic idea.
Are you all cycling to work everyday ? Course your not. Selfish , patronising individuals
Please cancel these dreadful schemes immediately. None of the locals want them.
Why, what is your suggestion? Do you think it’s ok for browning/green lane to have massive amounts of traffic going through?
There have never been massive amounts of traffic there. Rush hours maybe, but by and large, the majority of people using this, including rush hours, are local residents. How else are they supposed to get from a to b? Those in Worcester park now only have 1 option. Surely this can’t be right – what happens, when the main road is blocked or has an accident? This hasn’t happened yet, but the whole of Worcester park will come to a complete standstill now this escape route has been taken away- it was bad enough when this was open when there was an incident.
Just like what happens on a motorway when there’s an accident that blocks all the lanes….you have to deal with it and stay put
There hasn’t been a major issue until Abellan started wrongly quoting 2000 cars per hour and if talking about speeding the councils own data showed only 0.1% doing 35mph….. there are so many speed bumps it’s virtually impossible to speed.
The masses of cars you seem to think were a problem on Browning are now a bigger problem on Ruskin Drive as it’s very hard to turn right at Central Road. It’s a brain dead scheme.
I don’t think it’s ok for Dorchester Rd to have massive amounts of traffic either it’s a school rd but nobody gives a hoot about that or that all browning traffic is now turning in Dorchester and bikes and scooters almost running us over on the pavement it’s all ridiculous go ride you’re bloody bikes around the park instead
Browning cars can’t turn into Dorchester…get your facts right.
Without the bus gate you would get all the traffic from Browning. So it’s a good thing for you. Bikes don’t have to be subjected to only ride in parks.
What is massive amounts, they are called roads. This is killing the local area. This is not a village in Norfolk it’s a world city with 100’s of suburbs. Maybe ban all vehicles and get every industry to cycle 🤷♂️
How is it killing the local area? They haven’t denied access to places. It’s just you cannot take a short route out. Something needed to be done in order reduce traffic in residential roads. I take it you don’t live on a road that serves as a cut through. There are all sorts of traffic implementations – maybe they should just take them all out and let it be
I agree with these road closures. Your website asks me to write to my councillors, but don’t give their email addresses. Please make it easier for people to support this by providing addresses.
We’ve provided links to writetothem.com which can do this for you. But if you want to email direct everything is on the council website https://moderngov.sutton.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1 – thanks
Can you show the raw data to back this up? also, was it your count or one provided to you by the Council?
Have you actually sat in Dorchester rd and seen the state of the traffic or our cars being hit which now thanks to you is even worse I’m disabled I can’t ride a bike or walk far so you just discriminate against the disabled be very very ashamed of yourself I hope your new green roads choke you with pollution from vans lorries and cars all turning or sitting in jams
Have you actually the mayhem at green lane pre bus gate?
Your access has not stopped…just not via a short cut.
The bus gate has created a longer journey for me too, but better for residents that were hugely impacted before so no issue
The traffic is being diverted from one road to another.Polluting neighbourhoods around more narrower roads. These road closure plans had absolutely no thought process. Ridiculous road closures.
So think about how it was for the other road before this
As a car driver, cyclist and user of public transport, I believe the closure of Browning Avenue is completely unnecessary. There are no problems walking or cycling in this area. There are two extremely good cycle routes nearby; through The Hamptons and Pigs Alley.
Local residents are up in arms about this as it will displace traffic to other local roads and massive impact the car journeys of people that live here. As a resident of The Hamptons, ALL my car journeys will now be forced onto the already heavily congested Central Road. These schemes should have undergone full consultation and traffic modelling, our lives should not be an experiment to please extremely niche pressure groups like Get Sutton Cycling.
You are completely deluded and I hope the council sees sense and reverses these ridiculous traffic measures before the area grinds to a halt….
I am a cyclist and have more reason than most to be frustrated with the danger inherent in every journey – on my last commute into the City, I was knocked off my bike in Grand Drive, breaking bones in my back, foot and knee. The so called Cycle Superhighway from the South is terrible and I no longer cycle to work.
However, I cannot support the closure and bus gate at Browning. The data on which this scheme relies quotes 2,000 cars per hour at peak times; this has proven to be incorrect and it is actually 2,000 cars over the entire 6 hour am and pm peak – well within the design capacity of the road. In my 16 mile cycle to the City, Browning was the least dangerous part! Daily usage of the road is about 5,500 cars, so the majority of the time it is local, off peak traffic.
This scheme will divert the traffic onto the other side roads and will result in long diversions for people who live off or near Browning (like me) as we try to get to where we need to go.
The lack of consultation has been appalling. There is a petition over 2,500 strong against this (which is more than the votes any of the WP councillors received in the last election).
This is not a Waltham Forest low traffic neighbourhood scheme. It is the closing of one road which is mostly used by local residents to go about their daily business.
The cycling community is right to request – demand even – safer streets. But the focus should be on the places where it is currently most unsafe; Browning Avenue in Worcester Park is not that place.
The text in our leaflet correctly stated: “Traffic counts taken last year on Browning Avenue and Ruskin Drive for 3 peak hours in the morning and 3 peak hours in the evening recorded 2000 cars. That’s an average (for 6 hours of the day) of one car every 11 seconds, typical of traffic on main roads not residential streets!”
This may also be of interest https://twitter.com/Cllr_m_abellan/status/1306900291804188675
The council now accepts that data is incorrect
Marcus, Councillors Abellan, Batt and Heffernan all used 2,000 cars per hour to help push this through. That was at the VERY best a mistake, but at worst disingenuous or perhaps an outright lie. Either way deeply unprofessional.
The text in your leaflet has been proven wrong. It was 2,000 cars in a week wasn’t it.
Tell the truth, for once.
I know it does – but that leaflet was sent after all the messages about 2,000 per hour which you KNOW was being bandied about by all and sundry. So please don’t try to mislead anyone that the 2,000 per hour figure was not being used.
Below is part of an email from Ruth Dombey, Leader of the Council, who quotes the 2,000 per hour. Other email from Jenny Batt and others confirm they erroneously used 2,000 per hour
Dear Mr McLaughlin
Thank you for getting in touch with me. We have been contacted by many residents who have expressed their concerns about these proposals. There is a similar project in my own ward and we have been explaining to residents the potential benefits of the trial traffic scheme.
For many years, residents living in the Worcester Park area have spoken to the Council about their concerns over excessive and dangerous traffic using residential streets like Browning Avenue, Longfellow Road and Green Lane as a cut-through to avoid the main roads. Residents have complained of speeding, dangerous driving and traffic jams at key junctions.
The narrow residential streets in the area were not designed to accommodate the current volume of traffic. According to traffic counts, Browning Avenue receives on average nearly 2,000 cars an hour at peak times. This is almost four times what the road is designed to accommodate.
That is a crock of lies. I live on Ruskin and that is no way true. But now that we’re taking all of the traffic we’re getting 2000 cars. This is the most pathetic scheme. Come take a look at Ruskin and Dorchester and see if you’ve made a low traffic neighbourhood. You don’t even live here soyou don’t give a flying….Your the pleb mate.
The roads need to be shared by every stakeholder not just by cyclists. Until you understand every users need and not just the cyclists, you will end up with failed “improvement” schemes
Councillors Abellan, Batt and Heffernan repeatedly stated in their rhetoric as to why this scheme must go ahead, that 2,000 cars PER HOUR travel along Browning Avenue.
This is therefore at the vest best a mistake, at worst disingenuous or perhaps a lie used in their propaganda to push their agenda through?
Taking the fastest, least congested route, from A to B is the least polluting and best time saving option. Time is the most precious commodity we have.
Stop wasting people’s lives by corralling them into the main roads and causing more congestion and more pollution.
This policy has failed massively.
Take them all out now.
Are you serious? These stupid schemes With road closures all over the area have screwed up traffic totally, increased pollution and made all residents lives more difficult. The councillors involved should grow up and accept they have made a massive error.
Problem is the people in charge are dictators and didn’t consult residents before implementing. Now we have to suffer for six months whilst they apparently monitor along unspecified goals
Only one has been reversed, the one near to where Ruth Dombey the council leader lives. Stinks of corruption
Bet my post gets moderated away. As doesn’t agree with Manuels utopian view
Some of us have to make short journeys in a car in order to care for the elderly. You try getting quickly to 5 elderly people each morning now all the roads have been stuffed up. Impractical to cycle with the ppe supplies for that.
Stop cycling through red lights!!!
Stop screwing up our roads.
What delusional twaddle from an minority, unelected collection of individuals, get on your bikes and stop spreading your caveman ideology on the rest of the world.
Thanks to a Council of sheep led by a couple of ambitious ideologies you have managed to turn a minor problem into a catastrophe for the borough.
I am a cyclist but can see no benefit from what is now happening, in fact the situation now is far, far worse than it was before all of this, more jams, more stationary traffic, more noise, more pollution, amore danger.
Well done, now reap the consequences!
This scheme is an outrage from start to finish. Its implementation has been a farce, the signage was and continues to be illegal, and no one bothered to inform any of the local community at all right up until the day it was implemented leading to total chaos locally this week with drivers turning around when they arrive at the gate, or simply driving through as they did not even notice it was there.
The closure is deeply discriminatory against working parents, particularly single parents. I have to get my son to Green Lane school for 7.30am to then get to work, and then work a full day before rushing to collect him at 6pm. This closure means I can no longer work my contracted hours and my job and livelihood is at risk. This is the same for MANY other parents I know. But given there was NO consultation, this is clearly an issue GSC or the Councillors are blissfully ignorant of, and that is utterly disgusting.
There is no thought for local residents at all, with nearly 3,000 signatories to the petition OBJECTING to the scheme. 3,000 people is a massive amount, but that has been ignored entirely. Furthermore the survey on the Sutton website reveals that less than 10% are in favour (and I believe the ambiguity of the way the question was posed has resulted in a much higher level of ‘support’ than the survey suggests.
This is therefore a deeply undemocratic change. We do not live in a dictatorship ruled by three Lib Dem Councillors, or 14 members of GSC. The way the local community (which of course does not include the aforementioned who do not actually live in Worcester Park) has been treated is a total disgrace.
The closure is not needed as there are already two perfectly safe and much more convenient cycle routes through the Hamptons or Pigs/Cats alley. They are hardly rammed with cyclists either!
I have cycled my 6yr old to school and back this week because I have been given no other choice, and the roads are not satisfactory for cyclists, with the S3 bus rumbling past, and other drivers now diverted down roads that were not rat runs before the closure, it is unsafe.
This closure has CREATED a problem and has not solved one at all.
GSC must bear some responsibility for this scheme given they lobbied Cllr Abellan to push for funding. What qualifications in town planning do you have which means you are sufficiently expert in this field and capable of making decisions that affect tens of thousands of residents? I asked the same question of the Councillors involved. This scheme has been done on a whim, and it is quite frankly nothing short of a total abhorrent disgrace which is hurting local residents, will ruin local business, prejudices the disabled and the working parents and all involved should hang their heads in shame.
This scheme MUST be reversed immediately. There is clear evidence in open correspondence that this scheme has been postulated for some time behind closed doors, and Covid was used as a way to force the unwanted measures through. I can only assume for personal gain because there is nothing to be gained by Worcester Park in this.
As soon as the scheme was leaked by the local Conservative Councillors (because the Lib Dems did their best to cover it up as long as possible) we ALL asked that the scheme be halted and a proper assessment and consultation process be started so that we can ALL fully understand the reasons for the need of such a scheme, the effectiveness of that scheme to solve the problems identified, and the effect this scheme would have on local residents, business and life. That is all we asked, and for such a DRASTIC change in local infrastructure, that was the very least that was required.
We were IGNORED by all Councillors, and have been for nearly 3 months.
This scheme is a disaster, it will ruin people’s lives, cost people their livelihoods, will ruin local business, has and will split the community in two, make life so much hard for more or less every single person living in the area, especially people who are elderly or disabled, and working parents, and congestion along the A2043 will now be compounded resulting in damage to the health of all local residents.
The affect as clearly has been seen is to push cars down other nearby roads, and therefore does not solve any problem AT ALL. It furthermore does not provide a convenient route for cyclists over and above what already exists.
The scheme is pointless, a pointless waste of money and has created a myriad of problems for all, and solved problems for none.
This scheme MUST be removed immediately, and the general consensus is that all local officials involved in this scheme step down given their clear dereliction of public duty and disgraceful conduct.
The Browning Ave & Ruskin Drive pedestrianisation scheme is an absolute joke. The way in which it has been imposed – despite overwhelming opposition from those of us who actually live on or near those streets – reflects very badly on Sutton council and, in particular, a few councillors … you know who you are! A total shambles and an utter waste of taxpayers money. 😡
LTN in worcester Park without any consultation with residents. You’re causing chaos amongst residential roads and someone is going to get killed. This is a few councillors own agenda that don’t even live in Worcester Park and understand Browning is vital.. Manuel Abellan, Jenny Batt and Drew Heffernan should be ashamed. It’s a cash grab and the neighbourhood is going to suffer. Pathetic.
It’s 2020 we have more and more flats being built all over the place and we’re over populated. People need to drive for various reasons. Roads are for cars Not children. If cyclist want equality maybe they should be cycle tax and get insurance, after all they also cause accidents. Closing smaller roads has caused carnage on main roads, people are spending more time in their cars, more pollution and petrol. Stop this nonsense and open out roads that We the tax payer paid for.
You have life more difficult for everyone. Closing roads is not the answer. Kids shouldn’t be playing in roads still too much danger even without cars. That is what parks are for. Make this a better place for them and start making them a nicer place to be. I am all for making roads safer by lower speeds and speed barriers, even having road by schools one way with no stopping outside the school boundaries and Cameras for enforcement offines ine way systems stop people from doing u turns too as this is dangerous. People who drive actually help the residents and local authirty as we do contribute twice to the community through paying car tax as well as council tax as when you receive a budget for the government our car tax we pay is included in this fund. We also have a right us use a public highway. I need my car for work purposes and for also taking my mother and severely disabled nephew to appointments as a respite carer which is not possible on a bike foot or the risk of public transport. This scheme is wrong and discriminatory.
The Browning Avenue closure has done the exact opposite! Absolute mayhem. Cars everywhere, vans have to go on the pavement to get past, crossing Ruskin Drive is so dangerous now. No parent would let a child play on these streets now you’ve added more cars. Cyclists have 2 wonderful cycle routes without having to navigate the mayhem created by you. Residents have had cars damaged by traffic. It’s only a matter of time before someone is killed here. Is that what you want? This needs to be reversed IMMEDIATELY
So you think it’s ok for the Green Lane, Lincoln Road and browning ave to take the brunt??
The bus gate has not stopped people using browning avenue and green lane, people have just been made to use a longer rat run from Dorchester road, via ruskin drive, central road, lindsay Road to rejoin browning avenue…
That’s just pure stupidity. If they just stayed on central, they’d pass the bridge before having to do what you’re suggesting
6 cars going in either direction over the course of a minute seems quite light to me compared to a main road? I just counted 36 cars over 60 seconds travelling in either direction on Stonecot Hill and the traffic was comparatively light. That’s one car every 1.666 seconds. I dare say Central Road would register a car every second at least, if the traffic was moving.
What an absolutely ridiculous scheme based upon lies and the minority. Residents and local businesses do not want it, especially Browning Avenue bus gate. Listen to the 3000 people who have signed a petition. Everyone please join the organised protest march on Saturday at 13:00. Meet near browning ave bus gate 13:00 for a socially distanced protest and march!
The current schemes have been badly planned and implemented, The roads are a shared space between Cars, buses,etc and Cyclists. These schemes have done nothing to improve this relationship. However, I would say 75% of cyclists I see do not help themselves if you want people to cycle then train them properly Last night on I saw 7 cyclists , on 1 with a light on riding in the road. Look also at the volume of cyclings that think traffic rules do not apply. Also Look to epsoms example, The road built around hook road arena all have cycle paths very wide good cycle paths, yet come the weekend the lycra clad clubs will only ride on the road, 2 or 3 abreast without a care about the traffic build up behind them If you toot they get angry, however they have no right to ride 3 abreast this is stated in the highway code. So rather than close roads Educate riders and try to encourage riding well and within the roles of the road. I am a driver, Motorcyclist and cyclist. to drive a car I need to take a test, to ride a motorcycle I need to take a test. To ride a bike on the road I can be any muppet who is clueless as to the highway code.
Absolutely ludicrous scheme to close these roads only for more traffic to build up on other roads elsewhere. This is just a spiteful reaction to the parking scheme that the council wanted to implement borough wide and couldn’t due to resident pressure. How this is greener I have no idea. Journeys have now doubled or trebled therefore much more pollution is being created. There is also the safety issue of the smaller roads now experiencing a lot more traffic than they are designed for, will the council decide to block these roads too? This will never end! Soon we will all be trapped, unable to travel anywhere within the borough. The council will just have to accept that people need their cars and perhaps should work with the residents rather than dictate to them. This virus has caused more than enough worry & stress without these nonsense road closures putting more pressure on everyone but especially the carers, emergency services & people in general just trying to get their businesses or lives back to some kind of normality. It’s such a shame that the LibDems think it is acceptable to ruin this once lovely borough.
These road closers are rediculous, as a resident of Browning Avenue I now drive an extra 5-10 everyday, and the roads are light (although central road still congested) at the moment compared to when lockdown restrictions are not in place. I dread the day everyone is actually back at work because although the closers are causing backed up traffic down other roads now, the chaos is only going to get so much worse.
The people who decided these schemes and where to implement them are a disgrace.
Their only causing more pollution, longer journeys and more traffic, an absolute joke.
TAKE THEM AWAY, their causing nothing but stress and problems when there was no issues to begin with.
The Browning Avenue closure scheme is an outrage from start to finish. Its implementation has been a farce, the signage was and continues to be illegal, and no one bothered to inform any of the local community at all right up until the day it was implemented leading to total chaos locally this week with drivers turning around when they arrive at the gate, or simply driving through as they did not even notice it was there.
The closure is deeply discriminatory against working parents, particularly single parents. I have to get my son to Green Lane school for 7.30am to then get to work, and then work a full day before rushing to collect him at 6pm. This closure means I can no longer work my contracted hours and my job and livelihood is at risk. This is the same for MANY other parents I know. But given there was NO consultation, this is clearly an issue GSC or the Councillors are blissfully ignorant of, and that is utterly disgusting.
There is no thought for local residents at all, with nearly 3,000 signatories to the petition OBJECTING to the scheme. 3,000 people is a massive amount, but that has been ignored entirely. Furthermore the survey on the Sutton website reveals that less than 10% are in favour (and I believe the ambiguity of the way the question was posed has resulted in a much higher level of ‘support’ than the survey suggests.
This is therefore a deeply undemocratic change. We do not live in a dictatorship ruled by three Lib Dem Councillors, or 14 members of GSC. The way the local community (which of course does not include the aforementioned who do not actually live in Worcester Park) has been treated is a total disgrace.
The closure is not needed as there are already two perfectly safe and much more convenient cycle routes through the Hamptons or Pigs/Cats alley. They are hardly rammed with cyclists either!
I have cycled my 6yr old to school and back this week because I have been given no other choice, and the roads are not satisfactory for cyclists, with the S3 bus rumbling past, and other drivers now diverted down roads that were not rat runs before the closure, it is unsafe.
This closure has CREATED a problem and has not solved one at all.
GSC must bear some responsibility for this scheme given they lobbied Cllr Abellan to push for funding. What qualifications in town planning do you have which means you are sufficiently expert in this field and capable of making decisions that affect tens of thousands of residents? I asked the same question of the Councillors involved. This scheme has been done on a whim, and it is quite frankly nothing short of a total abhorrent disgrace which is hurting local residents, will ruin local business, prejudices the disabled and the working parents and all involved should hang their heads in shame.
This scheme MUST be reversed immediately. There is clear evidence in open correspondence that this scheme has been postulated for some time behind closed doors, and Covid was used as a way to force the unwanted measures through. I can only assume for personal gain because there is nothing to be gained by Worcester Park in this.
As soon as the scheme was leaked by the local Conservative Councillors (because the Lib Dems did their best to cover it up as long as possible) we ALL asked that the scheme be halted and a proper assessment and consultation process be started so that we can ALL fully understand the reasons for the need of such a scheme, the effectiveness of that scheme to solve the problems identified, and the effect this scheme would have on local residents, business and life. That is all we asked, and for such a DRASTIC change in local infrastructure, that was the very least that was required.
We were IGNORED by all Councillors, and have been for nearly 3 months.
This scheme is a disaster, it will ruin people’s lives, cost people their livelihoods, will ruin local business, has and will split the community in two, make life so much hard for more or less every single person living in the area, especially people who are elderly or disabled, and working parents, and congestion along the A2043 will now be compounded resulting in damage to the health of all local residents.
The affect as clearly has been seen is to push cars down other nearby roads, and therefore does not solve any problem AT ALL. It furthermore does not provide a convenient route for cyclists over and above what already exists.
The scheme is pointless, a pointless waste of money and has created a myriad of problems for all, and solved problems for none.
This scheme MUST be removed immediately, and the general consensus is that all local officials involved in this scheme step down given their clear dereliction of public duty and disgraceful conduct.
I do not agree with the road closures or LTNs and the way they have been implemented with no regard for the impact on residents’ lives. Please get rid of them now. I do not drive but I can see for myself how more traffic jams have been caused by these schemes.
I am a keen cyclist so support the general principal of making our roads safer, as I’m sure most people do.
Sadly the new schemes introduced in Worcester Park are not making the roads safer for anyone. Traffic has already piled onto other nearby roads creating traffic jams that were never present before. Lorries and vans now mount the curb regularly to try to get around stationary cars – this puts pedestrians (including the many school children now affected by the scheme) and cyclists at risk. The council should have consulted the residents properly before doing anything – if they had truly listened to residents and worked with them I am confident they could have come up with a really good solution that would meet everyone’s needs well. What they have gone with meets nobody’s needs.
Let’s see how everyone on here feels when a cyclist or pedestrian is injured as a result of the traffic chaos that has been created here – because it is only a matter of time before that happens. Then maybe more people will agree it is not a suitable solution at all.
Absolutely necessary! Seems like all the opposers want access but no concern to the roads the rat running affects. As long as it’s not there road. Traffic is now calmer and quieter in residential roads that were hugely affected pre the closure. And central road is flowing better in my opinion. Agree there needs to be added amendments that will make the scheme even better.
Everyone still has access to their road be it that they cannot now get to where they want via cut throughs.
The schemes have been needed for years. And if nothing happened, then imagine what 10 years from now would be like.
You do know that what you assert is not true, don’t you? The “correct” data, which is now available from the council from the 2019 traffic survey is that there were only a few hundred cars per hour going down Browning – well below its 500 per hour capacity. Of these, the majority are residents taking kids to school or trying to get to work, rather than “rat runners” from out of the borough.
Yet the consequences are significant. The displaced traffic has NOT reduced, just gone elsewhere, only the narrow side streets. Ruskin is taking the brunt of it. I use central road in the mornings, and so far this week it has been solid from Sainsbury’s to Ruskin – never happened before bus gate – because cars are queued to turn right out of Ruskin , blocking the road for cars who want to now need to turn left into Ruskin to get to Dorchester.
And have you actually seen the chaos at the gate itself? Nothing “calm” about it.
The only reason Central is flowing better than historically is because so many people are working from home, so the traffic is generally reduced.
Your first line is “absolutely necessary”. Can you explain to whom and for what it is necessary? Thousands of residents petitioned against it, so it’s not for them. Many are cyclists (including me) and we don’t want it. Many are residents of Browning and they don’t want it. So, actually, who does? How can 2 or 3 people saying it is necessary outweighs thousands who say it isn’t.
Completely agree with Paul. Ruskin drive and lindsay rd have taken the brunt of the rat run traffic now and this is causing extra congestion on central road and Dorchester road which in turn leads to extra slow traffic on London Road. The London Road traffic has been made even worse by the LTN closures on the other side in North cheam. Now my children have greater air pollution at home and at school. We ride or walk to school most days and have an even greater amounts of cars to watch out for than before (they are going faster too). At least with the staggered start times at primary schools the traffic is spread out over a longer time period. In normal circumstances where start times return to 8.40 and people have to go to work (rather than working from home) the whole of Worcester park and north cheam would grind to a standstill. Oh, and thanks sutton lib dems for reducing the value of my house… you won’t get any more votes from me…. unless its a vote of no confidence!
I wonder if the person who thought of that clever scheme lives in our area? Bet they don’t!! And to think they get paid all that money to think of stupid schemes like these!! 🤦🏻♀️
These road closures are having a detrimental affect on thousands of local residents to the perceived benefit of a few cyclists. The figure of 2000 cars per hour is an outright lie! I note that you have tried to massage the figures in your latest leaflet drop ( I hope none of my council tax has been used to pay for them). I have just driven down Browning Avenue and the only cyclist using the road was cycling on the pavement!. Please contact the genius that is counsellor Manuel Abellan (as your 14 man group are the only ones he listens to) and tell him that his ridiculous schemes should be removed immediately.
It’s close minded to think car drivers are also cyclists. I cycle when I can and also for exercise and family days out.
However I am also aware that other forms of transport are needed, especially cars.
The closure of Browning Avenue to redirect cars down Ruskin Drive has been nothing short of chaotic. More pollution and more danger for pedestrians and cyclists. Reverse this immediately and start considering all road users not just one group.
Is it just me but I was under the impression that air travelled everywhere. Therefore, all your we’ve shut roads to help reduce air pollution is proven to be rubbish due to all the increased pollution from cars forced to drive elsewhere and sit for much longer in traffic due to the closures.
Why close secondary roads forcing drivers onto smaller unsuitable residential roads causing chaos and accidents?
You want children of all ages to be able to walk safely, heres a thought bring back lollipop ladies (apologies i don’t know official term) if you put those on the main and secondary routes that are dangerous, by mini roundabouts etc more children could walk to school when age 9 upwards by themselves instead of parents driving them to school on their way too work.
You have not thought about this sensibly or considered ways to make our Borough safer for ALL residents!!!
Just to clarify these are:
EVERY SINGLE PERSON!!!
drivers,cyclists,walkers etc it doesn’t matter we ALL warrant the right to have safer streets. Remove the closed roads, keep the 20mph speed limit (definitely by schools), make cycle lanes that do not encroach on pavement or road space, bring back lollipop ladies, add pedestrian crossings with cameras (many vehicles AND bicycles don’t stop making them unsafe) but MOST IMPORTANTLY fix the roads we have instead of wasting money with these closures on bollards, signs and plants.
Our roads and cycle lanes are awful filled with pot holes, broken tarmac and rubbish. You want people to cycle I suggest you start with fixing the lanes they already have.
Maybe have cycle lanes separate to roads as that would make it safer for everyone involved. As unfortunately there are some cyclists and some drivers that ruin it for everyone with their ability to ignore the rules of the road!
Sort this out and actually respond to ALL the residents of your Borough not just the ones that agree with you!
To say these schemes are ill thought through is an understatement. To implement something that benefits the few and negatively impacts on the majority is surely contrary to what you want to achieve?
Not everyone wants to cycle and not everyone wants to drive a car. What needs to be considered is how the roads and transport infrastructure can be developed to accommodate everyone. Penalising one faction in favour of another will only ever cause conflict. Unless that is the actual purpose of all this chaos?
If not, these schemes should be reversed, proper consultations should take place and a collaborative way forward should be sought. Let’s ensure all Sutton residents benefit, not just a few!
Absolutely ridiculous idea all the scheme has done in Worcester park is shuffle more traffic to other areas increase pollution on surrounding roads and double the traffic issues on central road obviously thought up by a brainless moron
Marcus Howath knows that the data for Browning Avenue is flawed, but he is too arrogant to accept that the concept is wrong, the residents don’t want the scheme. The rat run consists of locals using local roads to get to work; this will support the economy at a time when many people are losing their jobs. This will also happen to all the lib dem councillors at the next election unless they start listening to the people they are supposed to work for. #screwedbysuttoncouncil
all these schemes have done is create more traffic and pollution, and made cyclists even more unpopular with drivers, if anyone thinks these schemes are a success, they need their brains testing.
Totally disagree with the closure of Browning Avenue. I live in Ruskin Drive and in just a few days our traffic has doubled!, you state as a council one main reason for the closure was because it was unfair for people in Browning to breathe fumes in their homes, Myself and my family and neighbours now have that each day, so what are you to do for us?
It is unacceptable to introduce these schemes
It is not meeting any positive brief and is detrimental to everyone
It is especially evident that emergency services have had to drive further for longer and delay their reactions
It is having a negative effect on parents with children with special needs who are NOT eligible for a blue badge.
Stop all this. It is neither honest nor helpful
The people making these decisions need to lose their positions of authority since they are refusing to listen to any arguments.
The bus gate doesn’t restrict emergency services !!!
This was the worse decision ever !!! My journey which was 5 mins is now 20 mins as I have to drive down green lane and then onto central road. The central road traffic is a total farce !!! This has to be stopped !!!
If it was just 5 minutes….then why drive. And if you have to drive, deal with real world problems of increased number of vehicles on road. And think at least you have a car. Also think about people that have no choice as they can’t have a car. Spoilt society
I am a mum who walks her children 1.4 miles each way to school come rain or shine. 2 of my children are asthmatic and I can guarantee you that us walking along a more then already polluted Central Road is likely to affect their asthma more.
The last 2 days walking up Lindsey Road to cross the road has been horrific as has it been crossing at the crossings by the roundabout as cars manoeuvre selfishly and recklessly to avoid your stupid, poor sign posted bus gate you have imposed.
Stop the nonsense, we all know this is purely a way to generate cash for the council. I
They’ll work on the signage. Think about other roads where people walk and traffic was as bad before bus gate
So, the campaign here is going just swimmingly isn’t it.
Massive majority showing it’s at best badly thought out and at worst a total screw up by Manuel and his cycling mates
Time to reverse the stupid closures
All this for a few cyclist. But you can’t carry shopping or heavier goods or people on a bike only the fighting fit as I said a few. How many are actually using it hardly any waste of money and forcing traffic onto other roads making journeys longer where’s the sense. My husband has Parkinson’s and a bad back he is not the only one with problems we need to drive associate many people do no consideration for disabled people. Don’t say it’s to protect the environment your causing more putting everything onto other roads now clogged up. Stop it now before you totally ruin the borough
Ridiculous I’ll conceived schemes across the borough creating more pollution through increased congestion introduced in a high handed manner without consultation. They need to be removed immediately.
Marcus, you may be happy that your figures were correct but sadly Councillor Abellan misquoted those figures and repeatedly represented them as 2000 cars per hour and the application to TFL for funding was on the basis of 2000 cars per hour. As he himself stated in other carefully crafted communications Browning Avenue was only designed to cope with peak traffic of 500 cars per hour…. therefore the peak average of 330 is well within capacity.
The problem that locals expected that as a non resident you will have overlooked is how the traffic flows….. previously Browning Ave traffic heading to the West made their way onto Green Lane and right onto Central Road at the traffic light controlled junction. Although sometimes busy this junction is safe and does involve fighting across traffic.
What the Browning closure has done is to force that traffic down Ruskin Drive to the junction with Central Road…. here it’s much more difficult to turn right across traffic and traffic backs up, Ruskin has parked cars on both sides which prevents anyone turning up Ruskin. Not only has this caused gridlock but frustrations and delays will make drivers make rash decisions and accidents will happen….. any accidents at this junction will fall firmly at your door.
One lady was in tears the other day as her 3min drive to Dorchester Road school took her 20mins…. and before you say she could have walked no she couldn’t as she had two other children to drop at other schools before carrying on to work.
Personally I have to drive my son to his SEN school (8 miles away) and I’m now finding my daily school run is taking 2.5 hours every day compared to 2 hours…. we invested in a hybrid car to do our bit for the environment but while I could previously do the daily school run using 100% green electricity the added time and distance in traffic causes the battery to run flat and my petrol engine kicks in…. it’s galling to now be burning petrol that previously wasn’t required.
The local community do not want this scheme and won’t stop until it is removed entirely. Abellan and fellow councillors will be voted out at the next local elections for the lies and failure to listen to their constituents.
Please remove these ill thought out schemes asap;they are causing stress and inconvenience to local residents and do not in anyway improve our lives.
The scheme at Lincoln Road was voted out by residents when proposed in 2017/18 and does nothing but cause more congestion in the top end of Longfellow Road.
This is directed at Marcus Howarth – I honestly believe as a driver and Cyclist that your affiliation with the LTN schemes in Sutton has done more to set Cycling back in than any project I have ever seen. These Schemes have been badly thought out, irresponsibly implemented under the guise of Covid-19 and as per the petitions are not supported by 90% of the residents of the borough. I genuinely think it is in your own interest to publicly withdraw your support for these schemes and request the council complete a full traffic flow analysis and a more honest approach to improve cycling in the borough.
This is classic comedy fro Get Sutton Cycling. They started this to get support for the scheme.
Overwhelmingly clear that vast majority of residents are totally against it, as it’s screwed up their daily lives and had the polar opposite effect that they and the dodgy councillors wanted. Evidenced by poor data prior to implementation – dare I say none that anyone can provide that stands up to scrutiny, and increases all over the borough in traffic and emissions.
Manuel and his few mates should be crawling around the borough on their knees apologising to every resident