Traffic counting strips look like this but the two black rubber tubes are usually much closer together:
Depending on the model used, traffic counting strips can measure the volume of vehicles on the road, the classification of the vehicle (car, truck, moped, etc), the gap between each vehicle, and the speed and direction the vehicle is travelling.
The council recently laid traffic counting strips in the following roads to collect data before the LTN was put in:
Elmbourne Road
Louisville Road
Drakefield Road
Streathbourne Road
Huron Road
Manville Road
Bushnell Road
Bedford Hill
Garrads Road
Elmfield Road
Carminia Rd
Dr Johnson Avenue
Ritherdon Road
The council will be laying traffic counting strips in the same places two more times each, to collect data with the LTN in place. It will then be possible to see the “before” and “after” position, and measure the overall effect of the LTN.
We have asked the council to publish the data it collects so anyone who is curious can view it, and they have agreed to this.
The lido reopened on Wednesday just gone and things seem to be going well. To enter, you need to pre-book a slot online. All the details on how to do that are at the Places Leisure Tooting Bec Lido website. The Places Leisure website also has general reopening information. A member of staff at the gates is checking people in for their slot.
You can book up to 8 days in advance for 1 hour at a time, of which 45 minutes is for swimming and 15 minutes is for changing before and after. You can only do widths and not lengths. There are a maximum of 60 people in the pool at any one time.
The temperature of the water is currently 23 degrees – lovely!
The red and white plastic barriers have this morning been replaced with wooden planters, and the planters have been bolted to the road so they can’t be moved.
We are aware that the council’s workers, who have been replacing the red and white plastic barriers all week after they were repeatedly moved, have received some abuse from some drivers. No one, under any circumstances, has a right to be rude to people doing their job. Everyone is entitled to make their voice heard and everyone is entitled to their opinion but no one is entitled to hurl abuse. We condemn such behaviour.
Hot on the heels of the Tooting Commons LTN are these three in and around Bedford ward:
The full details are set out in this leaflet that the council has been delivering over the last couple of days to properties in the areas concerned. The leaflet is a 25MB pdf so may take some time to download and/or open.
We have been told by the council that the red and white plastic barriers that are currently being used to implement the LTN will soon be replaced by planters. Hopefully these will be too heavy for any one person to lift, so they won’t keep getting moved like the current lot.
We hope everyone’s managing to keep cool in this weather!
Community RoadWatch (ie a police officer with a high-tech mobile speedgun) is coming to the following roads in Tooting:
Avoca Road on 3 November 2020 from 9:00 – 9:45am
Montana Road on 9 November 2020 from 9:00 – 9:45am
Adults and children are welcome to have a go on the speedgun, so come along to try it out.
The speedgun measures how fast cars and motorbikes are travelling, and if any are recorded doing more than 24mph (ie more than 20% over the 20mph speed limit) then they are sent a letter by the police reminding them to slow down. Repeat offenders (those caught during previous Community RoadWatch events) can have points put on their licence and/or fines.
We’ve been asked a few times what this does and it’s easiest to explain with a diagram (see the incredibly professional drawing below). It allows traffic to go from Manville Road to the southern half of Elmbourne Road both ways (see orange arrow) and also allows traffic to go from Dr Johnson Avenue/Hillbury Road to the northern half of Elmbourne Road both ways (see purple arrow). The diverter is placed diagonally across the junction (see green line). There is a small space large enough for bicycles on either side of the diverter so that cyclists can go round it.
This afternoon we sent the following email to the many, many people who have emailed us over the last few weeks about the Tooting Commons LTN. Please do send in your feedback on the LTN once it goes live.
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Good evening,
Thank you for getting in touch regarding the local street changes. It is really important to hear your feedback. Please forgive this impersonal email as we are responding to everyone who has written to us. Rest assured that we have read and taken note of all the individual feedback we have received.
We are getting in touch to provide an update on the Tooting Commons Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) Six-Month trial and Transport for London’s Streetscape proposals for the A24 area in Balham/Tooting.
There will be an increase in traffic and cycling in September as public transport use will be limited, so these trial changes are starting in August. They are also in response to traffic issues that local residents have been raising for many years.
Wandsworth Council announced details on Friday for a six-month trial in the Tooting Commons area. It will include:
No restrictions on northbound traffic on Dr Johnson Avenue
Point of No Entry on Dr Johnson Avenue to southbound traffic (except cycles)
A closure on Bushnell Road at the junction with Elmbourne Road using a planter which only enables access for cycles
A closure on Elmbourne Road at the junction with Tooting Bec Road (except cycles)
A diagonal diverter on Elmbourne Road at the junction with Manville Road
The trial is due to go live on 10 August and feedback can be submitted via the following consultation page once the trial has begun: www.wandsworth.gov.uk/consultations
We would encourage you to feedback your comments when the site goes live, but also to provide feedback to us as your ward councillors. We’ll be actively monitoring the trial ourselves and will be engaging with and listening to residents’ comments throughout this process. Although we’re not permitted to hold our councillor surgeries at the moment, we would be happy to hold Zoom meetings and telephone calls with local residents.
We’ll also continue to update our website here with any news/developments in relation to the trial.
Transport for London Streetscape
We have received feedback in recent emails on TfL’s Streetscape proposals and the bus running along Ritherdon Road and closure of the north end of Bedford Hill. The bus route will return to its normal route (and off Ritherdon Road) at the end of August, when the north end of Bedford Hill will also be reopened.
We hope the below timetable provides clarity:
Date
Scheme
Responsible Authority
25/07/20
CS7 left turn restrictions from A24 at Ritherdon Road
Drakefield Road/Elmbourne Road junction works commence under road closure
WBC
10/08/20
Tooting Commons LTN goes live with No Entry southbound on Dr Johnson Ave, diagonal diverter at Elmbourne Rd/Manville Rd junction, and planter on Bushnell Road
Louisville Road/Elmbourne Road junction works commence
WBC
10/09/20
Install traffic counters to monitor LTN
WBC
28/09/20
Louisville Road/Elmbourne Road junction works complete
WBC
28/09/20
Road closure to remain at Elmbourne Road/Tooting Bec Road junction as part of LTN trial
WBC
12/10/20
Repeat traffic surveys
WBC
We want to hear feedback on your experience of the Tooting Commons LTN trial and Transport for London’s proposals, as well as encouraging you to provide your feedback directly to the council at: SocialDistancing@wandsworth.gov.uk and to TfL at: streetspacelondon@tfl.gov.uk. If you copy us into your emails as well, it will also ensure that we are aware, and able to feedback to TfL any concerns we have (as we have done with the bus running along Ritherdon Road). Your feedback, as well as traffic data collected from the trial itself, will be vital evidence for any decisions at the end of the six-month trial period.
