Greenwich roundabout where two cyclists killed "not built for human beings" says council's deputy leader

The deputy leader of Greenwich Council has said that “drastic surgery” is needed at a roundabout in the borough where two cyclists have lost their lives in recent years and that “it is not built for human beings.”

His comments come as it emerges that safety improvements at the roundabout in east Greenwich at the junction of Woolwich Road and the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Approach Road are to be brought forward, and that Transport for London is to consult next year on extending the planned Cycle Superhighway 4 from Greenwich to Woolwich, as originally envisaged.

Campaigners have long called for safety improvements to be introduced at the junction, which is extremely intimidating for both cyclists and pedestrians and is where cyclist Adrianna Skrzypiec was killed in 2009, as well as Edgars Cepuras while riding to work in May this year. Both lost their lives in crashes involving lorries.

The News Shopper reports that at a question and answer session on Monday, David Gardner, the deputy leader of the Labour-controlled council, said: “That is an awful roundabout, it is not built on a human scale. It’s not built for human beings, it needs drastic surgery to make it safe.”

https://853london.com/2018/10/26/tfl-starts-design-work-on-lethal-greenw...

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said last month that works to improve the junction were unlikely to be completed until 2023, but that has now been brought forward after he was pressed on the issue by Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon.

The mayor told her that TfL is “working closely with the Royal Borough of Greenwich to develop designs and identify funding to transform the Woolwich Road/A102 junction as soon as possible.

“Since the tragic cycling fatality in May, the borough has refreshed line markings at the junction, including the advanced stop line (ASL) markings, and repaired damaged kerbs. The borough will also complete additional safety improvements on the westbound approach to the roundabout – the location of the cycling fatality – by spring 2019.

“The timescales provided in recent communications relate to longer term improvements,” he added. “These are part of a major project for a new cycle route between Greenwich and Woolwich being developed by TfL and the borough. Timescales are currently indicative and will be reviewed once the design work is completed.”

The Woolwich Road roundabout is on the originally proposed route of Cycle Superhighway 4, which was had been due to run from Tower Bridge to Woolwich, but was subsequently shortened by TfL to finish in Greenwich, with a consultation on the route held late last year.

Mr Cepuras was one of two cyclists killed in May on roads that would have formed part of the Greenwich to Woolwich section, prompting the campaign group Stop Killing Cyclists to hold a die-in and vigil outside the council’s offices in Woolwich.

Late last month, local news blogger Darryl Chamberlain wrote on the 853london.com website that City Hall had confirmed that it planned to hold a consultation next year on proposals to continue Cycle Superhighway 4 to Woolwich.

A spokesman told him: “TfL is planning to consult on extending Cycle Superhighway 4 to Woolwich by late next year.

“Early design work is already underway and the plans will include making the A206/A102 roundabout safer. The junction is already on a list being prioritised for improvements.”

Greenwich Council’s leader, Dan Thorpe, said on Monday that the council was pushing for the Cycle Superhighway to run to Woolwich, and for the Woolwich Road roundabout to be made safer, pointing out that the council’s powers were limited in this respect.

He said: “In relation to the tragic deaths of a number of cyclists over the last year particularly at the roundabout we held a visit with TfL and officers because it’s a very hard thing to resolve on your own.

“We don’t control all the infrastructure around there but we have to make sure there are changes because it is one of the most horrendous places to be if you’re on foot or bike.”

He added: “We have been lobbying hard to make sure a Cycle Superhighway is extended from Greenwich down to Woolwich too. In this area there is such enormous potential and demand we need to tap into.”