Elmstead Lane: Letter to Bromley Extra

I found the response from Cllr. Colin Smith to Bromley Extra's Elmstead Lane campaign inadequate in the extreme. He states that "quick" isn't the same as "effective" without acknowledging that both are possible. He states that it would be wrong to speculate on the causes of the two recent deaths without acknowledging that whatever the cause increased speed exacerbates a situation. He states that Bromley's overall safety record is good and that it has won government reward monies as if that absolves the Council from any urgency in tacking the problem. Finally he alludes to a period of an evaluation by traffic engineers. I would predict that the solution offered will be bumps, lumps, chicanes and other road calming methods aimed at slowing down the driver whilst damaging his back, vehicle and temper, the local scenery and council tax-payer's wallet. They will slow down the emergency services, create more noise and air pollution whilst having no impact on road casualty figures.

Bromley Council is facing in two directions. On the one hand it wants to encourage people out of their cars and has a unit dedicated to encouraging children to walk to school. On the other hand it wants to increase traffic flows through the Borough. However, freeing up the roads will then encourage other people back into their cars! We have to realise that road use will continue to increase in the future whilst pedestrians, especially younger and older ones, will become more reluctant to walk anywhere. We have to find a way of living with both cars and pedestrians. Let me propose a solution.

Chislehurst, Bickley, Petts Wood and other areas are inside a triangle formed by the A20, A224 (Sevenoaks Way) and A212 (Burnt Ash Lane through Bromley Common). Free up the traffic flow around this mini South Circular through reducing access to and from minor roads inside the triangle. Make ALL the roads inside the triangle a maximum 25mph zone with notices at every entry point to the triangle. Have full-time dedicated patrols (which would be self-funding) rigorously enforcing the speed limit quickly and effectively against EVERY speeding driver EVERY TIME. It will soon make speeding inside the triangle as unacceptable as, say, drinking and driving. Anyone driving through the triangle, which is at a maximum only about 4 miles across, will, if able to travel at the speed limit, see their journey time increase by less than 2 minutes. If you knew for certain that vehicles have slowed down considerably outside your front door and you are just not going to see a crazy speeding driver from one month to the next, would you let your granny or pre-teen out on their own? I would.