At approximately 3pm this afternoon there was yet another
accident on the roundabout in the middle of Chislehurst Common between a car
travelling south along Loop Road and an Ocado delivery van travelling along
Ashfield Lane in the direction of the High Street. It appears that the Ocado
van failed to give way to the car, the result of which can be seen to the right. When
a Village News reporter arrived on the scene at least 20 minutes after the
accident there was no sign of an ambulance although the Ocado driver was
injured and remained in his van. Apart from the wider implications of there now
not being enough ambulances or paramedics to deal with emergencies in the
Village News area, not helped by the closure of several hospital accident and
emergency units in the area over the last few years, it must surely be time for
some radical thinking to be done, and implemented, over the traffic flows
around Chislehurst High Street.
Many of the roads around the Common are not suitable for
vans and lorries, neither should these roads be made to cope with the quantity of
traffic that uses them, such as tinkering with the roundabout as was
done fairly recently at huge expense and which has made a bad situation even
worse. Furthermore, there are a number of awkward and, given the complete lack
of signs reminding drivers of the 30mph speed limit, dangerous junctions to
negotiate. These include not only the roundabout on the Common, but also the
turning off the High Street and into Ashfield Lane opposite Cafe Rouge, the
crossroads (or more accurately “X” roads) where Prince Imperial Road meets the
High Street by HSBC, the even more of an X road and staggered junction between
Ashfield Lane and Heathfield Lane, and the junction between Heathfield Lane and
Green Lane by the pond.
The only reason why most of the through traffic uses Prince
Imperial Road and Ashfield Lane is to avoid the traffic lights at the War Memorial
and the only reason that through traffic uses the two roads that cross the Common
is as a short cut to Prince Imperial Road and Ashfield Lane. Prince Imperial
Road can probably handle the traffic, Ashfield Lane can’t. Here at Village News
we would propose:
- Blocking Ashfield Lane off by the pond at its junction with Heathfield Lane.
- Closing the two roads across the Common. Both proposals marked in red below.
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These
two changes would help the flow of through traffic with less awkward junctions
and would turn the Common into one, from the four divided quarters that we have
at present.
We
have council elections coming up this May, maybe we should propose a “Close
Loop Road” candidate. That or shove traffic lights on the Common. Either way,
we should not have to put up with the number of accidents that now happen in this
part of Chislehurst.
What
do you think? Leave your comment below.
Comments received at Village News today include:
ReplyDeleteSomething has to be done. There's plenty of talk but never any action. I well remember a couple of years ago when there was a collision between a van and a car at one of the junctions you write about where you come up the High Street and turn left towards the mini-roundabout, when the car ended up in Prickend Pond. Vehicles have no regard for the road markings. It is very dangerous for pedestrians who wish to cross the road here. When I walk up to Royal Parade I have to negotiate this junction and the one further up. On the other side of the road by the dentists I have to look four ways before crossing the road. To avoid going through the woods I then have to perch on a grassy knole whilst waiting to cross. This is not very satisfactory.
***
Thank you for your thoughts on this. The crossroads were only originally put there to accommodate vehicles, albeit horse-drawn ones. Ashfield Lane is a much older road than Centre Common Road but we can't really do away with that. We actually have four roads that are short cuts for the four corners by the war memorial, Ashfield Lane and Prince Imperial Road are very busy short cuts but both are used by local residents. I was going to suggest making Ashfield Lane one way but that wouldn't help the locals and there are plenty of them, especially down Kemnal Road, but they could use the top of Kemnal Road, the other side of Ashfield Lane although that would create more of a problem with Ashfield Lane's junction with Bromley Lane. Ashfield Lane is a nasty road further up, away from the common but probably better speed limit enforcement is what is required. I agree with closing off the crossroads. The junction of Ashfield Lane and Heathfield Lane is very dangerous. There was an accident here just before Christmas. If the section of Ashfield Lane that goes accross the Common were closed it would certainly make the junction a little more safer, perhaps with the addition of a zebra crossing across Heathfield Lane. Crossing Heathfield Lane is dangerous and walking down into Green Lane on the silly little path opposite the pond is life-threatening when the buses come towards you with their wing mirrors. Thank you for highlighting this issue.
***
We are appalled at your suggestions to close off the end of Ashfield Lane at its junction with Heathfield lane, and to remove that part of Ashfield Lane and Loop Road that crosses the common. While not disagreeing with the need to improve safety at these intersections, there are other proposals (that have been previously rejected by the Commons Trustees) that would involve redesigning these junctions, slowing the traffic flow that is the prime cause of accidents, while still leaving local residents in The Meadow, Heathfield, and Roehampton Drive etc. with direct access to Chislehurst High Street without a long and perhaps equally dangerous detour up Kemnal Road to Bromley Lane and the traffic light junction at the War Memorial.
You would be better to speak to local residents before issuing suggestions in your newsletter.
Comments received at Village News today include:
ReplyDeleteIt would be a good idea to block Ashfield Lane off to traffic. Numerous times I have sat waiting to turn right out of Ashfield Lane and sit and wait quite some time as I dont trust traffic coming up from the pond as even though they indicate to turn left into Ashfield Lane they sometimes carry on so I am careful - I'm sure accidents happen there ! Also if the 2 roads in the middle were closed we would all benefit as at Prince Imperial junction it can be havoc.
I agree they should close the common to traffic. Open the common to people again - it would make a lovely village feature and improve the local environment substantially. Though the traffic light junction at the war memorial would need widening and improving to take the extra traffic, it's not the best junction either.
ReplyDelete