Dulwich Village junction: an update
Because there seems to be some confusion on social media about the facts, here is a brief summary of where we have got to in our discussions with the Council.
1. A trial of timed restrictions
Unless Council thinking changes radically, One Dulwich believes that a logical, democratic next step is a trial of timed restrictions at the junction. This would balance the current trial of 24/7 restrictions.
Before any scheme is made permanent, there has to be a public consultation. A trial of timed restrictions would enable everyone to make a decision about which option they preferred, based on empirical evidence rather than speculation.
This is particularly important in the light of the new Phase 2 measures on Dulwich Village, Burbage Road, Turney Road and Townley Road, all of which will affect traffic in the area as a whole.
At our most recent meeting on 13 August, One Dulwich asked the Council to consider a trial of timed restrictions at the junction from 7.30am to 9am, and 3pm to 6pm. (The Council has since proposed timings of 8am to 10am and 3pm to 6pm on other local roads.) These hours correspond with peak school times, so the critical issue of children’s safety would be prioritised.
For the reasons outlined below, we suggested a trial using demountable (surface-mounted) bollards. This type of physical barrier has to be operated manually, which would mean that during the restricted hours there could be no entry or exit for any vehicles – with the possible exception of emergency vehicles.
This was a genuine attempt on our part to find a compromise. We said that if the Council would agree to this in principle, we would go back to our supporters and ask what they thought.
We haven’t had a substantive response to this proposal – just a suggestion that we meet again in October.
Physical barriers seemed a possible solution because the Council had told us in the past that ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras at the junction were too expensive. However, given that cameras will shortly be introduced at four other locations around the junction as part of Phase 2, this does not seem credible.
The Council keeps repeating previously made comments that physical barriers immediately adjoining Dulwich Village aren’t ‘compatible’ with the junction. (This was the reason way back in May for suggesting a layout that stepped back the barriers to the ends of Court Lane and Calton Avenue.) However, the technical advice we’ve received does not support this view. Multiple requests to the Council to provide the detailed technical basis for their original objection have so far not been answered.
We are happy to take back to our supporters any practical proposal for timed restrictions at or near the junction, whether this is based on barriers or cameras, because this seems to be a logical middle ground in what has become an increasingly polarised debate.
The onus is now clearly on the Council to justify 24/7 closures at this junction alone, when planned restrictions elsewhere are peak hours only.
2. The abandoned Our Healthy Streets (OHSD) consultation
Measures introduced by the Council since the OHSD consultation was abandoned are altered, fragmented versions of what was originally set out in public documents. At the time, we were told that measures couldn’t be considered individually, but had to be understood as an interconnected whole. Therefore, as we have said to the Council, it is not reasonable to say that the public has been consulted on the current measures (or, equally importantly, that timed restrictions cannot be considered). Despite this, the Council continues to refer to figures from the OHSD consultation (even though there are many unanswered questions about them) as justification for 24/7 closure of the junction.
3. Use of road space at the junction
As our councillors have acknowledged, the ability to use the road space at the junction for public events is a consequence, not an objective, of any road measures. Road measures must stand on their own merits: the junction is still a highway, with cyclists passing through, sometimes at speed. Having said this, time-restricted closures would not rule out the possibility of using the road space for public events like farmers’ markets, if that’s what the community wanted. With appropriate licensing, roads can be closed at any time, either occasionally or on a regular basis, for organised public events.