Tooting Bec Road cycling improvements Consultation Report July 2018 Contents 1 Cycle improvements along Tooting Bec Road Contents Executive Summary .....................................................................................................3 1. Introduction ...........................................................................................................4 2. The consultation ....................................................................................................6 3. About the respondents ..........................................................................................8 4. Analysis of consultation responses ..................................................................... 10 5. Responses from other stakeholders .................................................................... 13 6. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 16 Appendix A - Response to issues raised ................................................................... 17 Appendix B - Copy of the consultation letter .............................................................. 20 Appendix C - Consultation Plan ................................................................................. 22 Appendix D – Letter distribution area......................................................................... 24 Appendix E – List of stakeholders consulted ............................................................. 25 2 Cycle improvements along Tooting Bec Road Executive Summary Between 12 July and 10 September 2017, we consulted on our proposals to make changes to cycling provision along Tooting Bec Road, between the southern end of Dr Johnson Avenue and the northern end of Riggindale Road. The consultation asked for feedback on the proposals from residents, businesses, employers, transport users and other relevant stakeholders. We received 176 responses to the consultation of which 75 per cent supported or strongly supported our proposals, 14 per cent opposed or strongly opposed our proposals, 3 per cent neither supported nor opposed our plans while 7 per cent of our respondents did not answer the question. Among the key issues raised was the view that the proposals did not go far enough. Suggestions for large scale improvements for consideration included introducing bus stop bypasses, installing kerbed segregation instead of wands and an extension of the scheme westwards to Elmbourne Road and eastwards to Garrad’s Road. Comments opposing the proposals expressed concern at the increased risk of conflict between pedestrians and cyclists on the shared footway. Concerns were also expressed that traffic congestion and air pollution would increase as well as concerns for cyclists’ safety at areas with no markings. We have analysed all the responses we received in detail in Section 4. Responses to issues raised can be found in Appendix A. Responses from stakeholders We received five responses from stakeholders, including politicians, user groups and disability groups. We have summarised the issues raised by these stakeholders in Section 5 . Conclusion and next steps We have carefully considered all the responses to the consultation and have decided to proceed with this scheme, with light segregation and wands. We expect to undertake the works in 2019. Exact dates are subject to confirmation of funding and coordination with other construction work in the area to minimise any disruption. This is an interim alignment to improve cycling provision through the area while Wandsworth Council continues to pursue its proposals for a Quietway through Tooting Bec Common. This document explains the processes, responses and outcomes of the recent consultation and sets out our response to issues most commonly raised. 3 Cycle improvements along Tooting Bec Road 1. Introduction We have been working with Wandsworth and Lambeth Councils to deliver cycling improvements in the area. An increasing number of trips are being made daily by people cycling along Tooting Bec Road. Across London, cycling is now a major mode of transport. Across London, an average of 649,000 cycle trips are made daily. This is 8.2 per cent higher than in 2015 and much higher than the average annual growth rate of 4.3 percent over the previous five years. Safety is one of the main barriers to cycling in London and our research shows that were the route safer, more journeys could be made on foot or by cycle. Our proposals have been designed to significantly improve cycling provision in the area while also benefitting pedestrians. They form part of the Healthy Streets Approach, a long-term vision to encourage more Londoners to walk and cycle by making London’s streets healthier, safer and more welcoming. Currently, only 34 per cent of Londoners take 20 minutes of physical activity on any given day. These new cycle facilities and pedestrian improvements are designed to encourage more people to use active and sustainable modes of transport. 1.1 Purpose of the scheme The main aim of the proposed scheme is to make significant improvements to the cycling provision along Tooting Bec Road, between the southern end of Dr Johnson Avenue and the northern end of Riggindale Road, while also benefitting pedestrians by providing wider footways and crossings. Although co-ordinated with Wandsworth Council’s previous proposals for a Quietway cycle route across Tooting Bec Common, our proposals would be delivered as a separate standalone scheme. Wandsworth Council continues to pursue its proposals for a Quietway in the area and will update on its progress in due course. 1.2 Descriptions of the proposals New 1.9-metre on-carriageway semi-segregated cycle lanes in both directions on Tooting Bec Road between Dr Johnson Avenue and Aldrington Road Wider footways on the northern side of Tooting Bec Road, between Aldrington Road and Riggindale Road, making it shared use for cyclists and pedestrians Dropped kerb installed at the western end of the shared-use footway to allow vehicles to access Tooting Bec Lido car park and cyclists to move comfortably between the carriageway and the shared-use footway 4 Cycle improvements along Tooting Bec Road A new toucan crossing where Tooting Bec Road passes close to Tooting Gardens and Riggindale Road to allow cyclists and pedestrians to cross Tooting Bec Road safely A new toucan crossing replaces the existing signalised pedestrian crossing on the junction of Tooting Bec Road and Aldrington Road Convert footway at the junction of Tooting Bec Road and Aldrington Road into shared-use for cycling and walking Shorten the on-carriageway bus stop cages in four locations on Tooting Bec Road Remove the pedestrian refuge on Tooting Bec Road to accommodate the new semi-segregated cycle lanes on Tooting Bec Road Advanced Stop Line on the eastbound arm of the junction of Tooting Bec Road and Dr Johnson Avenue. 1.3 Location map Tooting Bec Road is located in the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth. It forms part of the A214 between the A24 Upper Tooting Road / Balham High Road the A23 Streatham High Road through Tooting Bec Gardens and Ambleside Avenue. The following map shows the area where the scheme is located: 5 Cycle improvements along Tooting Bec Road 2. The consultation The public consultation ran from Wednesday 12 July to Sunday 10 September 2017 and was designed to enable us to understand local and stakeholder opinion about the proposed changes along Tooting Bec Road. The objectives of the consultation were: To give stakeholders and the public easily understandable information about the proposals and allow them to respond To understand the level of support or opposition for the proposal To understand any issues that might affect the proposal of which we were not previously aware To understand concerns and objections To allow respondents to make suggestions The potential outcomes of the consultation are: We decide the consultation raises no issues that should prevent us from proceeding with the scheme as originally planned We modify the scheme in response to issues raised in the consultation We abandon the scheme as a result of issues raised in the consultation 2.1 Who we consulted The public consultation intended to seek the views of people living close to Tooting Bec Road and those who might cycle or walk through the area. Therefore, we distributed a letter to addresses within a 400 metre radius of Tooting Bec Road. We also consulted stakeholders including Wandsworth and Lambeth Councils, the Metropolitan Police Service, London TravelWatch, Members of Parliament, Greater London Authority Assembly Members and local interest groups. A list of the stakeholders we consulted is shown in Appendix E and a summary of their responses is given in Section 5 of this report. 2.2 Consultation material, distribution and publicity We wrote a letter and prepared a drawing explaining our proposals. We distributed this to 1690 local households and businesses. The letter invited people to respond via a dedicated page on our website at https://tfl.gov.uk/tooting-bec-road, by email to [email protected] or by letter via our FREEPOST address. A copy of the letter is shown in Appendix B and a copy of the proposal map is shown in Appendix C. A map of the distribution area can be found in Appendix D. The letter was also sent by email to stakeholders. 6 Cycle improvements along Tooting Bec Road 2.3 Consultation questions Our online survey asked specific questions about the proposals