Borough High St / Marshalsea Rd TfL plans: last chance to comment

Plans published last month by TfL include pedestrian lights on the crossing between Brandon House and St George the Martyr church.

The lack of a pedestrian phase at this crossing has been the subject of a local road safety campaign and a petition to the previous Mayor of London.

In January 2014 Southwark council leader Peter John gave a public commitment that the crossing would be upgraded within 12 months, even though the road is outside the council's jurisdiction.

In the latest proposals, TfL's plan to ban traffic from turning left into Borough High Street from Marshalsea Road has sparked fears that traffic will instead return to backstreets such as Redcross Way, the location for two primary schools and several public open spaces.

"At a stroke of a misguided pen this will reintroduce the rat run so successfully removed all those years ago," said Tim Wood, chair of the Bankside Open Spaces Trust which cares for Red Cross Garden and Cross Bones Graveyard.

"This mindless idea will create traffic congestion up Redcross Way next to the schools and the park and additional congestion on Union Street adjacent to the cycle route and the proposed Sports Garden.

"It is very difficult to see what is gained by this proposal. It is very easy to see what is lost."

See https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/a3-borough-high-street/ for details of the scheme; the closing date for responses is Monday 11 December.