Transforming Fiveways Croydon Response to Issues Raised Report September 2018 2 C ontents 1. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 3 2. Updated Proposals ................................................................................................................ 4 3. Response to issues raised .................................................................................................... 4 3.1 Impact on environment and public space ......................................................................... 5 3.2 Impact on property ............................................................................................................... 5 3.3 General principles of the scheme ....................................................................................... 6 3.4 Impact on general motor traffic .......................................................................................... 7 3.5 Impact on cycling ................................................................................................................ 11 3.6 Impact on pedestrians ....................................................................................................... 13 3.7 Impact on parking ............................................................................................................... 14 3.8 Impact on bus users ........................................................................................................... 14 3.9 Construction ....................................................................................................................... 15 3.10 Concerns about the consultation .................................................................................... 16 4. Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………...19 3 1. Executive Summary Working in partnership with Croydon Council, we consulted on our proposed major changes to the road layout on the A23 and A232 at Croydon Fiveways. The consultation ran for ten weeks; opening on 10 July and closing on 18 September 2017. On 10 July 2017, we published detailed information about our proposals on our website, which we publicised using a number of channels, including the distribution of leaflets across a wide area, targeted email campaigns and news stories in regional and local media. The consultation sought feedback on the proposals from those who may be affected by or interested in the proposals, including, but not limited to; local residents, businesses, employers, transport users and other relevant stakeholders. We also contacted those who responded to the initial consultation on the scheme, which took place in early 2015, to invite their further comments. We received 431 direct responses to the consultation, including 27 from stakeholder organisations. Of these responses, 63 per cent fully supported or supported most elements of our proposals, 19 per cent opposed all or most elements of our proposals, and 18 per cent did not give an opinion or were undecided. Of the 431 direct responses, 285 were from local residents, where 72 per cent of respondents fully supported or supported most elements of our proposals. We published the detailed factual consultation report on 13 March 2018. This report has been produced in response to the issues raised during the consultation and outlines our plan for the next phase of the scheme. Conclusion and Next Steps Following careful consideration of consultation responses, we have identified some areas of the proposals which could be amended to improve project affordability, further improve the pedestrian environment and strengthen the cycling provision in support of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy. Together with Croydon Council, we have been working through the issues raised and are responding to them below, indicating how we propose to move forward with the project. Some of the responses to the consultation prompted us to revise some of the proposals. We have carefully considered the views of the public, stakeholders and Croydon Council, the benefits and impacts of each proposal and undertaken further design and feasibility work to ensure that the chosen proposal best meets the needs of the local community, whilst accommodating economic and population growth in Croydon. The key changes are: • Revised alignment to A23 Waddon Station Bridge • Addition of Left Turn on Stafford Road • Additional Cycle Facilities on A23 • Amendments to Cycle Facilities on Epsom Road 4 2. Updated Proposals Change in alignment to A23 Waddon Station Bridge Following consultation, an amendment has been made to retain the alignment of the existing bridge. However, it will be widened to provide three traffic lanes and a cycle lane in each direction. This minimises the need to acquire land and property adjacent to the A23 Waddon Station Bridge. Addition of Left Turn on Stafford Road Following careful consideration with the London Borough of Croydon following concerns raised during consultation, we have decided to amend our design proposal to retain the existing left turn movement from Stafford Road to Epsom Road. Concerns were raised that by banning the left turn access to Waddon Station would be impacted and that The Builder Training Centre would have substantial difficulty receiving deliveries. Additional Cycle Facilities on A23 In response to comments received during the public consultation, at public events, at the Croydon Scrutiny Panel and at private meetings with the Croydon Cycle Forum and LB Croydon, we have amended our proposals to include segregated cycling facilities through the junction on the A23. These facilities will improve north-south cycling through the junction. We will also provide advance stop lines and early release for cyclists at junctions throughout the scheme. In total, 700m of additional cycle track has been added to the design since consultation. Amendments to Cycle Facilities on Epsom Road At consultation there were respondents who advocated the need for a right turn only phase to safely move from Epsom Road eastern approach across the junction with Duppas Hill Road and onwards westbound to Epsom Road, or southbound along Stafford Road. Additional measures were also requested to protect cyclists using the cycle lane on Epsom Road to travel to Duppas Hill Road against the risk of “left-hook” incidents with motor vehicles continuing along Epsom Road. The proposals now include an off carriageway route via shared use footway on the northern side of Epsom Road and the introduction on a new toucan crossing on Epsom Road. The line marking for eastbound cyclists is also to be enhanced to improve the awareness of vehicles to cyclists and vice versa. 3. Response to Issues Raised We have considered all of the points made in response to the consultation and used the feedback to help refine and improve our proposals. This section explains the decisions we have taken about the future of the scheme and also explains our responses to the issues most frequently raised during the consultation. The main themes to arise from responses have been summarised below and arranged in categories, along with an explanation of how we intend to respond. 5 3.1 Impact on environment and public space Concern regarding increased local air pollution A net positive impact on air pollution in and around Fiveways is expected as a result of the scheme as more receptors in the area are expected to experience an improvement in air quality than are expected to experience deterioration. To deliver the scheme, we will need to remove some trees, however, where trees are required to be removed we will seek to replace or consider alternative soft planting strategies to mitigate the impact. Therefore, we expect there to be an overall net increase in the number of trees in the area post implementation. We will submit our proposals for environmental screening in due course; our submission will include consideration of possible air quality measures which could be implemented as part of the scheme to further improve air quality. Noise pollution A net negative impact on noise pollution in and around Fiveways is expected, as more properties in the area are expected to experience an increase in noise than are anticipated to experience a decrease. As outlined above, we will submit our proposals for environmental screening in due course; our submission will include consideration of possible noise mitigation measures which could be implemented as part of the scheme. Support for additional green spaces and tree planting As outlined above, we will need to remove some trees to deliver the scheme. However, we expect the final number of trees across the area to increase through the delivery of the scheme. We will explore additional opportunities to further green the area as the project progresses. Where we have reduced the amount of third party property which we would need to acquire to deliver the scheme, resulting in some of the green space that was included in our proposals to be lost. However, there remains on overall increase in green space across the project area and an increase in the number of trees. 3.2 Impact on property Concern for residents of Bradley Court / Objection to compulsory purchase of residential properties for scheme We understand the concern of the public regarding the need to undertake compulsory purchase and we have actively sought to minimise the amount of third party property, particularly residential, that is required as the design has developed. We are