Councillors secure cash for Tower Bridge Road pedestrian crossing

On Wednesday night Bermondsey Community Council approved an application by Bellway Homes to build 41 homes on the derelict site bounded by Grange Road to the north and Crimscott Street to the east.

Planning officers and the developers' representatives agreed to a suggestion by Cllr Nick Stanton that £39,000 from the section 106 agreement linked to the new housing should be set aside to help fund a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Tower Bridge Road and Abbey Street.

The community council meeting took place on the same evening that a candlelit vigil was held at the junction in memory of Ellie Carey, the 22-year-old cyclist who was killed there earlier this month.

"We hope the money can be used soon to make the junction safer," said Cllr Graham Neale who attended the vigil on his way to Tooley Street to chair the community council meeting.

Any change to the junction will require the support of Transport for London as Tower Bridge Road is part of the TfL road network and is likely to cost a lot more than £39,000.

This week Mayor of London (and TfL chair) Boris Johnson is due to publish his responses to questions tabled by London Assembly members Val Shawcross and Caroline Pidgeon about the need to make changes to the junction to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

In the meantime Southwark Council leader Peter John has promised to write to Transport for London commissioner Peter Hendy to urge him to review the most dangerous junctions on TfL roads.

"We must do all we can to make the capital's roads safer for cyclists," says Cllr John.

"This was yet another tragic collision between a lorry and a cyclist on London's roads and it's important that the authorities work together to do all in their power to prevent incidents like these from happening again.

"I shall be writing to TfL urging them to review any junctions in Southwark that are considered dangerous but also offering our help in whatever way we can."