Forum Topic

Over widened pavements PHS

Combined with narrowing of PHS arterial Road, cyclists and e scooters forced on to pavements, whose great idea was that?

Penelope Becker ● 1373d16 Comments

Now the cyclists and e scooters use the pavements, and also great for kids on skateboards going to school, its the elderly that are particularly suffering, its safest to hug the shopline, on foot,  defeats the object surely ? Conservatives and Positively Putney have little forethought..maybe they don't live in the area ..

Penelope Becker ● 1371d

The wider roads used to give space for cycles and motorcycles to get past.  Plus you could squeeze two cars past a bus at the bus stop or a delivery lorry if people were considerate.The cynic in me thinks that the narrower layouts might be easier for autonomous vehicles.  It takes any judgement out of it.

Alan Sherman ● 1371d

I wondered for years why PHS was wider than two conventional lanes but the  extra space didn't serve either direction well. The answer to me was to narrow it (hence also widening pavements) but putting recesses in for buses to pull over and let traffic past. Is that what they tried to achieve but failed? Haven't been down the High Street as a pedestrian for ages to see for myself and soon not as a driver either with the expanded ULEZ zone.

Roy Robart ● 1371d

The promise to clean up the brown stains from the tubs on the over widened pavementIs with Ethan Brooks, Ward Chairman of Conservatives, who posted a pic of himself on Conservative website in front of them, with Cllr Rosie Torrington, suggest people who want to expedite the cleaning contact him as well as Cllr John Locker

Penelope Becker ● 1371d

Anyone with concerns about these matters should write to Nicola Grant at Positively Putney nicolagrant@positivelyputney.co.uk copying in Cllr John LockerCllr.J.Locker@wandsworth.gov.uk

Miles Thompson ● 1371d

Yes Miles, noticed today they had taken away the parklet in Monserrate road. Also we saw the oxogen tree leaking. The other half did say he say somebody cleaning the Large pots again, but it didn't look like the council. Not sure.

Barbara Stevens ● 1372d

The matter of pavement widening has clearly not been well thought out. However, what in terms of attempts to improve the High Street has been carefully considered before implementation? The recent and for many residents in the vicinity, the welcome removal of the parklet on Montserrat Road is one example. Here, a clever idea to provide urban set dressing did not take into consideration the difficulties of continual cleaning and the amount of people who abused this facility to the grief of those living nearby.And why do we have this amazing urban oxogen tree (at the present time apparently leaking) when traffic pollution continues to soar on the High Street? Couldn't we simply scrap the lot - beginning with signs that celebrate Putney. Instead, concentrate on improvements that really matter rather than attractions that momentarily delights the eye such as the vistas provided by our wide pavements which as someone else pointed out remain filthy. Power to the reality of what is needed rather than the work of agencies who think that they know best.

Miles Thompson ● 1372d

the problem still is that the pavements widening means traffic log-jam with cars stationary for longer meaning more pollution for the people on the wider pavements. go figure.

Maxine Campbell ● 1372d

Michael X - sound radical :),I was in a bus jam at lunchtime on a week day - on a bicycle!I could not overtake - traffic was quite fast in the opposite direction. Some Motorbikes could they had the acceleration to overtake at a junction! (It would have meant over taking 3 long buses with no gap on the wrong side of the road approaching a junction with no visibility what was turning right from the exchange into my direction)I could not undertake - not enough room for my handlebars.Of course if I realised it was a bus jam earlier I would have dismounted and walked my bicycle which kind of defeats the object of cycling!

Ed Robinson ● 1372d

From what I've observed the widening of the pavements seems to have created pinch points in PHS where the bus stops are if the traffic is heavy. When a bus is stopped traffic often seems unable to overtake hslting traffic flows in the direction the bus is travelling. As someone who rarely drives these days but often walks along PHS I'm fine with that, although it also impedes other buses such in traffic.I think we come back to the problem that there are just too many cars for London's road space if we're going to create adequate  safe road space for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Michael Ixer ● 1372d

The new pavements are absolutely filthy already - they really need cleaning!

Ute Lynch ● 1372d

I don't follow your point. Riding a bike, I am safer if cars move more slowly, whether or not I am moving faster than them.As regards the consultation though, I do not see how narrowing the lanes makes motorised traffic slower. Surely speed limits and enforcement thereof are the way to do this?

Michael Winstanley ● 1372d

In the consultation it was stated that cyclists and motorcycles would be safer with the narrowed lanes because traffic would be travelling slower.Utter nonsense as two wheels have been quicker than nearly stationary traffic for a long time.  I did comment on here and on the consultation about it, but it wasn't listened to.

Alan Sherman ● 1372d

I am all ears!!!

Ivonne Holliday ● 1372d

How has pavement widening helped to revitalise the town centre, overcome the challenges of vacant retail space, traffic congestion and air quality.Answers anybody?

Miles Thompson ● 1372d

WBC I assume:"Funding for all these works has come from council budgets, with contributions from the Putney BID and also a grant from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund. The council applied for this funding to help revitalise the town centre and help it overcome the challenges of vacant retail space, traffic congestion and air quality."https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-august-2021/new-greenery-in-putney-high-street/

Ed Robinson ● 1372d