Residents and businesses in Tooting are being urged to take part in a public consultation on proposals to improve pedestrian safety in the town centre.
The plans have been drawn up by Transport for London in conjunction with the council’s highways engineers and are designed to encourage more journeys on foot by improving conditions for pedestrians and making the town centre a safer place for those who walk.
The plans call for a wide-ranging set of urban realm improvements, including:
• The introduction of continuous footways
• The introduction of a 20mph speed limit through the area.
• Improving existing pedestrian crossings and introducing new ones.
• Introducing a community space on Totterdown Street.
• Changing the turning priority at some side streets including introducing a one-way system for Moffat Road and Hereward Road.
Pavement treatments would be installed at side road junctions to form ‘continuous footways’ giving the impression of a continuous pavement across the junction. This treatment has been installed at other locations along the Transport for London road network, including at the junction of Upper Tooting Road and Stapleton Road.
This measure would seek to prioritise pedestrian movements by encouraging vehicles to slow down and give way to pedestrians. For vehicles exiting the side road, TfL is looking to introduce give-way markings, in addition to the continuous footway, to encourage car drivers to stop and enable pedestrians to cross safely.
The proposals are for continuous footways to be used at the following junctions with Tooting High Street: Carwell Street, Trevelyan Road, Aldis Street, Sellincourt Road, Tooting Grove, Recovery Street, Nutwell Street, Woodbury Street, Hoyle Road, Coverton Road, Ivy Road, Gilbey Road, Garrat Terrace and Selkirk Road.
In the Upper Tooting Road they would be introduced at these junctions: Gatton Road, Totterdown Street, Broadwater Road, Moffat Road, Kellino Street, Hereward Road, Letchworth Street, Cowick Road, Hebdon Road, Lessingham Avenue, Lynwood Road and Price Close.
And in Mitcham Road at the following junctions: Udine Street, Bickley Street, Valnay Street, Melison Road, Franciscan Road, Rookstone Road, Vant Road, Charlmont Road, Church Lane, Bickersteth Road, Avarn Road, Bevill Allen Close and Byton Road.
As well as these measures TfL is also proposing to reduce the speed limit to 20mph on its main trunk roads – to complement the 20mph limit that was introduced by the council in all the borough’s residential side streets last year.
TfL also wants to protect bus journey times, where possible, by extending bus lane facilities along the A24.
The plans also call for existing pedestrian crossing in Tooting High Street to be widened and raised and for the introduction of “straight across crossings” rather than the current staggered ones outside Tooting Broadway Station, while a new signalised crossing would be installed at the junction of Longmead Road and Mitcham Lane. This would bring together two crossings that already exist and provide a junction where the green-man phase is present across all arms at the same time. TfL also plans to introduce a new crossing in Tooting High Street near Selkirk Road.
The proposals would also see Lessingham Avenue made left-turn only on to Upper Tooting Road, Derinton Road become right turn only on to Upper Tooting Road, and there would also be a new one-way facility on Moffat Road and Hereward Road whereby Moffat Road would be entry only from Upper Tooting Road and exit only from Hereward Road on to Upper Tooting Road. It would operate one-way clock-wise.
At Totterdown Street, the plans could see it become more of a community-oriented space. This would not mean wholly traffic-free but could see changes to parking, road surfacing and planting to make it a more inviting space for local people. TfL is keen to hear local people’s views on this question before carrying out further design work.
Wandsworth Council’s transport spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “We have been exploring ways to make Tooting safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users for some time now and we’re delighted that TfL has come on board and worked with us to draw up these proposals.
“It is important that everyone who lives, works, shops or travels in Tooting takes part in the consultation so that the changes reflect what people want. We’re pleased that a cleaner, safer Tooting is on the way and we would urge all local people to have their say.”
To take part in the consultation people can visit https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/tooting-town-centre/consult_view/. Alternatively people can email [email protected] or write to Freepost TfL consultations.
People can find out more about the plans by speaking to TfL staff at three drop-ins next month. These will be held at:
• Tooting Market, 21 - 23 Tooting High Street on Monday, November 12 between 6pm and 8.30pm.
• United Reform Church, Rookstone Road, Wednesday, November 14 from 9am to 5pm.
• Tooting Library, 75 Mitcham Road, Saturday November 17 between 10am and 4pm.
The consultation closes on Monday, December 10.
