Bermondsey Street closure

Bermondsey Street is now closed between Morocco Street and Whites Grounds.
Pedestrians and bikes only. No easy emergency vehicle access either yet as far as I can see. There was noticeably more work traffic, trucks, vans etc using Whites Grounds as this is now the ONLY vehicle access to the Northern part of Bermondsey Street.
I think it's crazy to use this once residential road (Whites Grounds) to replace the main route (Bermondsey Street). The pedestrians are now no safer as cyclists are racing through this small closed off area, and there has been no signage put in place to warn drivers and emergency workers how the new access works. Unfortunately for drivers the powerful cycling lobby has pushed this through with their council contacts with little regard for local disabled residents and the multitude of work and emergency drivers who use this centuries old route. The Pollution defence needs to take on board we are moving to electric vehicles at quite a rate so this once very valid argument is losing its potency.

C’mon mate! Do you really think it’s a bicycle lobby that’s able to get these business retail corridors (Cut, B. St) closed but not the smaller residential streets? Fat shakes.

Truly disgusting how much money is being wasted on these crazy, pointless schemes - at a time when all councils are moaning about how skint they are.

Jerry, I agree with all you say, save that I'd replace "powerful cycling lobby" with "powerful influential Village Nimby Brigade".

Good god, "the powerful cycling lobby"? Truly the selfish conservative mindset, so completely unsupported by evidence. Unbelieveable nonsense, get a grip.

It’s a great scheme. The first of many in Southwark. Good for all those who cannot afford a car (a majority of Southwark residents). We cannot continue subsidising the rich

I wonder if the old boy still goes around on his bike shouting "any old irony"?

Same thing is happening to Short Street off The Cut. Huge increase in traffic on a previously quite road.

Sustrans were commissioned by 'Bermondsey Street.London' and their report recommended the closure. https://bermondseystreet.london/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sustrans-Better-Balance -of-Uses-of-Public-Space.pdf

As noted above, the traffic displacement effect of closing Bermondsey Street at the mid-point is huge and potentially dangerous.

Bermondsey Street is an A road, the A2205, a main road. Whereas Leathermarket Street and Tanner Street are part of the cycle Quietway 14; and, Whites Grounds is a residential street. Installing a traffic block on Bermondsey Street has displaced large numbers of vehicles, including delivery lorries, onto the side streets feeding and exiting Bermondsey Street. This has already changed the safe nature of Quietway 14 and when lock-down 2.0 ends this change will significantly increase the risk of a potentially serious collision on one of these side streets. This new trial scheme undermines what has been achieved to improve cycling through the Quietway network..

This road closure makes no sense as it has just all the cars and large vehicles to tanner st, there is only one road to get to Snowsfields now via Tower Bridge road which means driving away from where you live in order to get to this road. It’s also a nightmare to try and park in zone F as you are stuck on the one way system and then driving away and sitting in traffic in order to come back onto Snowsfields, it makes no sense.
I would urge anyone who is unhappy with this to log their complaint on; http://Bermondstreet- streetspace.commonplace.15

Mitch wrote:

Good for all those who cannot afford a car (a majority of Southwark residents). We cannot continue subsidising the rich

In what way does this scheme change any perceived 'subsidising' of anyone? Residents on the surrounding streets are subject to more traffic than before, and the newly pedestrianised bit isn't particularly friendly to pedestrians.

Incidentally, there's decent data to suggest that the upper 40% of earners subsidise the bottom 40% in this country, to quite a significant degree. Summary here: https://fullfact.org/economy/are-half-british-households-burden-state/