Questions from the Public for Written Response:
1) I believe the nursery at Chislehurst Sports Club Ground has submitted an application to double the number of children they accept. Elmstead Lane traffic is heavy, fast and it is difficult for pedestrians to cross, with only refuges. Will the Council be adding a priority pedestrian crossing to protect the young nursery children?
Reducing the number of casualties on Bromley’s streets has long been a priority for this Council, with resources being targeted at vulnerable road users and at locations where data tells us that there is a greatest risk of road casualties. Once we have successfully tackled the locations where, unfortunately, serious incidents are currently occurring, other high risk locations can be addressed. Data would not at present suggest that a crossing is required on Elmstead Lane.
This Borough has amongst the highest number of effective, Gold and Silver accredited, school travel plans across London. The Council looks at road safety around schools and nurseries on a case by case basis and will of course be happy to work with this nursery to ensure that their travel plan submitted as part of the planning process is maintained and kept up to date and to address any issues that arise and, if appropriate, make improvements to the highway infrastructure.
2) A new zebra crossing has recently been installed on Bromley Road A222 beside Bishop Challoner nursery, primary and secondary school. Will the Council agree there are still many roads close or alongside Chislehurst’s nursery, primary and secondary schools that lack adequate safe pedestrian crossings for children walking to school?
Each location is investigated and “treated” on a site by site basis. Officers continue to investigate options for improving crossing facilities over the A222 near to the War Memorial but any changes need to avoid creating congestion on the A222 and subsequent diversion of traffic along adjacent residential streets. The Council has regular liaison with the local schools to support road safety and cycle training, and to discuss viable options to improve the nearby highway infrastructure.
The data is measured and supplied by TfL. Bromley has yet to receive the data for 2019/20 or 2020/21. When this information is received it will be reported to this committee. The last data we have is for 2018/19 shows that 0.8% of daily trips originating in the borough were made by bicycle. Over recent years the Council has invested significant resources to support cycling, with the installation of new cycle routes, some permanent and some “experimental”, alongside targeted cycle training. Even during the past year, Officers have continued to deliver one-to-one escorted cycle rides to help residents feel safe to cycle to places of work. New cycling infrastructure includes permanent routes in Orpington and Penge, plus other routes such as in Beckenham and Crystal Palace.
4) The Council also has a target of achieving 50% of school journeys by active or public transport by 2021/22. How is the Council monitoring this (entire journey ‘door to desk’), and is the Council on track to meet its target? Does the Council acknowledge that safety is paramount when encourage people to walk, and therefor pedestrian crossings and properly protected cycle lanes are paramount to encourage people to make the switch and for it to meet its own target?
Many switchable journeys are in respect to the school run, therefore the Council has invested resources in making sure that this Borough has amongst the highest number of effective, Gold and Silver accredited, school travel plans across London. The Council supports schools to facilitate travel by foot and by bus for their pupils who wish to travel this way. School travel plans can lead to improvements to the walking infrastructure near to schools, such as the installation of a new zebra crossing in Homesdale Road, or to improvements at bus stops. Road safety education is also key to helping pupils make the choice to walk, cycle or take the bus to school. Active travel to schools is monitored through annual surveys at the many participating schools across the Borough, although unfortunately last summer the data was not gathered anywhere in London as schools were closed to the majority of pupils. The experimental measures introduced post Covid continue to be monitored to establish how effective they were, which were most effective, whether they represented value for money and how they compare with the schemes approve pre-Covid. Until that analysis is complete we cannot comment on the ranking of interventions.
5) What measures (leaving aside existing signage and reliance on police enforcement) will the Council do to redesign the road(s) to disenable motorists’ propensity to speed on Holbrook and Magpie Hall Lane? I have been hit by a driver here and witness dangerous driving every day walking my children to school.
A number of measures have been introduced in Holbook Way and Magpie Hall Lane over the years to improve safety on this route, including vehicle activated signs, static warning signs and horizontal deflection / chicanes. The casualty rate on this route is now very low. Unfortunately there will be some people that continue to drive in an inappropriate manner, in this road and on all other streets. The Police have the power to address this issue, but as with all organisations they will need to prioritise their finite resources.
6) Rookery Lane offers a safe route to school for children travelling to Hayes Primary from Bromley Common, but often becomes unusable due to extensive mud and water cover. Will the Committee please confirm that improvements will be made to this route and by when, to enable active, safe and traffic reducing travel to school all year round?
The matter of this lane becoming a Safer Route to School in the future will be examined by Road Safety Officers and any subsequent proposal will be subject to available funding and priorities. In the interim the lane will be maintained commensurate with its use.
7) Since 2016, per year (a) how has the £250k funding been allocated and spent; (b) what has been the number of incidents, tonnage and additional net disposal costs of fly-tipping per year; and (c) how many fly-tipping fines have been issued and amount of revenue generated. Reference/source: It was agreed at Council on 22 February 2016 to approve £250k to be set aside as a one-off initiative to combat environmental crime, with special reference and focus to fly tipping – https://cds.bromley.gov.uk/documents/s50063622/ECS%20101018%20Fly-Tipping%20Action%20Initiative.pdf
A) There is presently a balance of £230k. Where possible the costs of preventative schemes were funded through existing revenue budgets, thus maximising revenue spend and protecting the earmarked reserve for future use. Examples of such schemes include various anti-fly-tipping educational and campaign publications and advertisements in trade journals, print magazines/directories and newspapers; the installation of perimeter target hardening measures through metal posts/railings/earth bunding at locations such as Leaves Green, Green St Green, Mottingham Rec, and Okemore Gardens; and restriction of access to Star Lane. The total net disposal costs of fly-tipping during this period were around £400k. These costs do not take into account any costs associated with the collection of flytipping or the management of the waste transfer station that fly-tipping is taken to.
C) Number of fines: 2016 – 1, 2017 – 3, 2018 – 5, 2019 – 2, 2020 – 0. Monies received: 2016 – £400, 2017 – £800, 2018 – £800, 2019 – £0, 2020 – £0
8) Please confirm (a) how LBB’s 50% ‘recycling’ rate is calculated – is it an ‘input’ based on collection, or an ‘output’ based on materials truly recycled; and (b) what percentage of the so-called recycling rate is incinerated?
A. Bromley Council’s annual recycling rate is calculated by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs based on the quantity of recyclable materials that are sent to reprocessors. More details of the exact calculation can be found on the Waste Data Flow website.
B. 0% of the 50% recycling rate is sent for energy recovery or incineration. Any materials that are sent for energy recovery following the sorting process at the Material Recycling Facility are recorded as energy recovery and excluded from the final recycling rate. The use of energy recovery has effectively avoided any of Bromley Council’s collection going to landfill.
9) The DfE’s “Home to school travel and transport guidance” requires local authorities to promote sustainable travel to schools. Specifically it states councils must “publish their Sustainable Modes of Travel Strategy on their website by 31 August each year”. Was this done in 2020, and will it in 2021?
Bromley publishes a three-year Transport Plan (LIP) and the annual Portfolio Plan, alongside regular updates to this Committee on the targets set in these two documents.
10) In the Local Improvement Plan, Bromley Council has set the goal for 2% of daily trips originating in the borough to be made by bicycle, could the council please confirm if this target has been met, how it is measured and what changes were implemented to achieve this?
The data is measured and supplied by TfL. Bromley has yet to receive the data for 2019/20 or 2020/21. When this information is received it will be reported to this committee. The last data we have is for 2018/19 shows that 0.8% of daily trips originating in the borough were made by bicycle. Over recent years the Council has invested significant resources to support cycling, with the installation of new cycle routes, some permanent and some “experimental”, alongside targeted cycle training. Even during the past year, Officers have continued to deliver one-to-one escorted cycle rides to help residents feel safe to cycle to places of work. New cycling infrastructure includes permanent routes in Orpington and Penge, plus other routes such as in Beckenham and Crystal Palace.
11) Bromley residents actively clean, sort and store their waste for recycling; but there have been worrying news reports of recyclable waste being sent offshore. How can Bromley residents check how Veolia is disposing of their recyclable waste, how it is being processed & where it is going.
Bromley Council aims to be transparent about recycling and waste management. Information about what happens to the waste and recycling collected from residents and how both Veolia and the Council ensure that your recycling is recycled is available on the Council’s website. You can be confident that the loose plastic material that is seen on media reports of UK material being dumped in countries like Turkey and Malaysia, is not from Bromley. This is not only because of the audit process undertaken but also because at the Material Recycling Facility Bromley plastics are bailed into cubes of a single plastic type. Sadly, there are a small number of unscrupulous or illegal operators exporting mixed plastics that may not have been properly sorted and therefore not all be recyclable. Bromley Council places a high importance on recycling and managing waste sustainably.
12) Bromley Council’s Local Improvement Plan has set the goal of 30% of daily trips originating in the borough being made by foot: could the Council please confirm whether this target has been met, how it is measured, and what changes were made to implement and enable progress towards it?
The data is measured and supplied by TfL. Bromley has yet to receive the data for 2019/20 or 2020/21. When this information is received it will be reported to this committee. The last data we have is for 2018/19 which shows that 25.4% of daily trips originating in the borough were made by foot. As many switchable journeys are in respect to the school journey, the Council has invested resources in making sure that this Borough has amongst the highest number of effective, Gold and Silver accredited, school travel plans across London. The Council supports schools to facilitate travel by foot for their pupils who wish to walk. The Council also installs various improvements to the highway infrastructure to support walking, such as five new zebra crossings on high pedestrian routes in 2020.
13) In October 2020 Bromley exported 60% of waste plastic bottles. 63% PET bottles to the Netherlands, Romania and Spain and 65% PP bottles to the Netherlands. Could you please explain how they are recycled in those countries, which percentage are ever incinerated, put into landfill or moved to other countries?
Absolutely no recyclable plastic bottles that have been collected from residents for recycling are disposed of either by energy from waste or landfill. Plastic bottles collected from residents are sorted according to polymer type and bailed before being transferred to a reprocessing facility in the UK or overseas. At the reprocessing facility whether that is in the UK, the Netherlands, Romania or Spain, the following steps are undertaken to recycle the plastics: 1. Washing – to remove any labels, adhesives, food and dirt, 2. Shredding – into smaller pieces, 3. Extruding and compounding – melted and crushed together to form pellets, the pellets are valuable feedstock that is used to make new plastic products. Bromley’s plastic bottles are made into a range of new products included new plastic bottles, fibres for clothing and sleeping bags.
14) A new housing/care home development is opening off South Eden Park Road adding 280 new homes and 100 units for elderly which will dramatically increase traffic. The council has approved this development. When will the Council install a pedestrian crossing on this road?
Each location on our streets is investigated to see if any infrastructure changes are needed, such as pedestrian crossings. With resources being finite, they must be prioritised where they are most needed. Volumes of pedestrians crossing at a particular point is a key consideration as we want crossings to be well used. South Eden Park Road already has a number of crossing points comprising central reservations and associated visible signage, principally on school routes. Reducing the number of casualties on Bromley’s streets has long been a priority for this Council, with resources being targeted at vulnerable road users and at locations where data tells us that there is a greatest risk of road casualties. Once we have successfully tackled the locations where, unfortunately, serious incidents are currently occurring, other high risk locations can be addressed. Data would not at present suggest that additional or improved crossings are required on South Eden Park Road. However, pedestrian movements will be monitored over the coming years and, as I say, resources will be prioritised accordingly..
15) In the Local Improvement Plan, Bromley Council has set the goal of 30% of daily trips originating in the borough made by foot, could the council please confirm if this target has been met, how it is measured and what changes were implemented to achieve this?
The data is measured and supplied by TfL. Bromley has yet to receive the data for 2019/20 or 2020/21. When this information is received it will be reported to this committee. The last data we have is for 2018/19 which shows that 25.4% of daily trips originating in the borough were made by foot. As many switchable journeys are in respect to the school journey, the Council has invested resources in making sure that this Borough has amongst the highest number of effective, Gold and Silver accredited, school travel plans across London. The Council supports schools to facilitate travel by foot for their pupils who wish to walk. The Council also installs various improvements to the highway infrastructure to support walking, such as five new zebra crossings on high pedestrian routes in 2020.
16) In the Local Improvement Plan, Bromley Council has set the goal of reducing all collisions by 10%, could the council please confirm if this target has been met, how it is measured and what changes were implemented to achieve this?
The Council is aiming to achieve at least a 10% reduction in all road casualties by 2022 from the 2015-2019 baseline. Although data for 2020 is still provisional, it would seem that we have achieved much more than a 10% reduction last year. However, for much of that time the country was in lockdown, which is bound to have played its part, so there will be absolutely no complacency. The primary focus will continue to be on reducing the number of road user casualties killed or seriously injured (often life changing injuries). Experience has shown that individual years can represent ‘blips’ in the data and it is the trend that is important. Bromley’s LIP details the range of interventions and road safety education approaches which form the basis of our actions to tackle road safety issues.
17) The recycling rate has now dropped to 47% for the year 2020-21. When was the last time the annual recycling rate was lower than 47% and what are the main issues that caused this drop in the recycling rate?
Recycling performance is complex, 47% under the context of a global pandemic is a good achievement. The main reason for lower recycling rates in 2020/21 is the increase in non-recyclable refuse. This increase is likely to be associated with more people being at home and working from home; home and business premise clearances and a return to single use items, particularly Covid related PPE. Many local authorities are experiencing these changes to their waste tonnages. The suspension of some of our recycling services in 2020 and some of our wet paper and card being sent to energy recovery instead of recycling has also had an impact on Bromley’s recycling rate. The last time our official and audited recycling rate was 47% was in 2016/17. It is worth noting that the recycling rate reporting in the Environment Portfolio Plan is the Council’s real time unaudited recycling rate. Central government review and finalise Bromley’s waste and recycling data to generate Bromley’s official recycling rate. The trend from past years is that following the review process, Bromley official recycling rate is a couple of percentages higher than the unaudited recycling rate published in the Environment Portfolio Plan.
18) How much was the drop in the recycling rate attributed to wet paper and card having to be incinerated? What percentage of paper and card recycling could not be recycled in Jan, Feb and Mar 2021 when the rate dropped to 34%, 34% and 50% respectively?
January and February 2021 had particularly high numbers of days with precipitation, and as a result a higher proportion of paper and card collected for recycling had a higher moisture content than is acceptable for recycling at the paper sorting facility. The table below shows the proportion of paper and card recycling that was sent to create energy rather than being recycled:
| 2021 | January | February | March |
| % paper that was sent for energy recovery | 87% | 73% | 5% |
This had an impact of 6% on the household recycling rate during the period January to March 2021. Across 2020/21, the household recycling rate was 2% lower than it would have been had 100% of paper and card collected been recycled.
19) It’s great that the Portfolio Holder has shared an overview and update document for agenda item 6, but it’s a huge table and very difficult to navigate as a PDF. In future, please could this document (and others like it) be shared as a spreadsheet (e.g. Microsoft Excel) so that it is easier for residents to read it?
Our performance management framework is detailed and complex and this naturally means that the update document is also detailed, which can make navigation through the document challenging at points, be this with a paper version or the pdf version on the website. Excel spreadsheets may be preferred by some but they will not be accessible for everybody either. We will carefully consider how to better display this information to allow interested readers to navigate through the information.
20) Given that we are in a climate emergency, please can the Portfolio Holder explain how Bromley Council decided that the 2021/22 target for children travelling to school by foot, cycle or scooting should be 50%?
The Council has worked closely with schools for many years to support them such that those pupils who can and who wish to travel to school by active means can do so. Targets are set to be realistic and to provide a measure against which to monitor progress.
21) The recycling rate has now dropped to 47% for the year 2020-21. When was the last time the annual recycling rate was lower than 47% and what are the main issues that caused this drop in the recycling rate?
Recycling performance is complex, 47% under the context of a global pandemic is a good achievement. The main reason for lower recycling rates in 2020/21 is the increase in non-recyclable refuse. This increase is likely to be associated with more people being at home, home and business premise clearances and a return to single use items. Many local authorities are experiencing these changes to their waste tonnages.
The suspension of some of our recycling services in 2020 and some of our wet paper and card being sent to energy recovery instead of recycling has also had an impact on Bromley’s recycling rate. The last time our official and audited recycling rate was 47% was in 2016/17. It is worth noting that the recycling rate reporting in the Environment Portfolio Plan is the Council’s real time unaudited recycling rate. Raw unaudited waste and recycling data provided to central government, reviewed and finalised to produce Bromley’s official recycling rate. The trend from past years is that the audited recycling rate is a couple of percentages higher than the unaudited recycling rate.
22) How much was the drop in the recycling rate attributed to wet paper and card having to be incinerated? What percentage of paper and card recycling could not be recycled in Jan, Feb, and Mar 2021 when the rate dropped to 34%, 34% and 50% respectively?
January and February 2021 had particularly high numbers of days with precipitation, and as a result a higher proportion of paper and card collected for recycling had a higher moisture content than is acceptable for recycling at the paper sorting facility. The table below shows the proportion of paper and card recycling that was sent to create energy rather than being recycled: This had an impact of 6% on the household recycling rate during the period January to March 2021. Across 2020/21, the household recycling rate was 2% lower than it would have been had 100% of paper and card collected been recycled.
23) Over 4,500 pupils travel to and from the schools along South Eden Park Road every day and traffic alternates between dangerously congested and dangerously fast. Crossing points around the schools (and pavements around Langley/Unicorn) are woefully inadequate for this many children. What can be done to improve safety for pedestrians?
Reducing the number of casualties on Bromley’s streets has long been a priority for this Council, with resources being targeted at vulnerable road users and at locations where data tells us that there is a greatest risk of road casualties. Once we have successfully tackled the locations where, unfortunately, serious incidents are currently occurring, other high risk locations can be addressed. Data would not at present suggest that additional or improved crossings are required on South Eden Park Road. Central reservations and associated highly visible road infrastructure, which also act as traffic calming, currently provide suitable crossing locations on South Eden Park Road The Council’s School Travel Planners will continue to engage with the schools adjacent to South Eden Park Road to ensure that safe travel to school is supported. This may include discussions about safe crossing places for pupils. However, pedestrian movements will be monitored over the coming years and, as I say, resources will be prioritised accordingly.
24) The Council mightn’t enforce speeding, but they are responsible for safety. There are 6 schools and a pre-school (c4,600 pupils) in 1.5miles between the Chinese roundabout and West Wickham station. Please explain why this area (where speeding is a problem) doesn’t qualify for 20 mph zone or permanent signage. The speed of cars on Beckenham road BR4 is also of concern.
The experience the Council has from the various parts of the Borough where area-wide 20mph limits have been installed in the past is that we receive very many complaints about speeding, despite the lower limit. Research commissioned by the DfT showed that following the introduction of signed-only 20mph limits the median speed fell by just under 1mph and found no significant change in collisions and casualties. In light of the lack of evidence that introducing widespread 20mph limits is the most effective approach, Bromley has no plans to introduce such area-wide 20mph zones. However, in light of evidence that drivers respond better to warnings or regulations where they can see the reason for them, part time advisory 20 limits are being introduced around schools in the Borough, on a case by case basis.
25) Agenda item 6 includes a document which shows the Council wants to increase the proportion of children travelling to school on foot, bicycle or scooter. My understanding is that Bromley Council secured funding for 17 School Streets but has only created six. Can the portfolio holder explain this?
The Council has worked closely with schools for many years to support them such that those pupils who can and who wish to travel to school by active means can do so. As many switchable journeys are in respect to the school journey, the Council has invested resources in making sure that this Borough has amongst the highest number of effective, Gold and Silver accredited school travel plans across London. The Council supports schools to facilitate travel by active means for their pupils. The Council also installs various improvements to the highway infrastructure to support active travel, such as five new zebra crossings on high pedestrian routes in 2020. One measure considered last year as an emergency response to the Covid pandemic was the use of temporary School Streets. These temporary School Streets were widely offered to schools, but after due consideration only six schools in the borough chose to take on this approach to managing traffic around their premises. Some schools preferred to have social distancing measures installed, such as widened footways.
26) The report in Portfolio Holder Update and ECS Performance Review states that no data is available for the percentage of children travelling to school by foot, cycle or scooting for 2020-2021. When will this be available, and what is the council’s target for 2021-2022 , 2022-23 and 2023-24. What steps have been put in place to achieve these targets?
Schools were closed last summer when the data would normally be gathered about percentage of children travelling to school by foot, cycle or scooting. We are hoping to have data for this year’s travel modes in time for the September ECS PDS committee meeting. Targets for future years are yet to be set. As many switchable journeys are in respect to the school journey, the Council has invested resources in making sure that this Borough has amongst the highest number of effective, Gold and Silver accredited school travel plans across London. The Council supports schools to facilitate travel by active means for their pupils. The Council also installs various improvements to the highway infrastructure to support active travel, such as five new zebra crossings on high pedestrian routes in 2020.
27) The report from the in portfolio holder update states that no data is available for school travel plans for any period since 2014. Why is this, is this a new metric and when can we expect this data?
This is a new target and data should be available at the next PDS committee meeting in September.
28) The residents of Palace Estates warmly welcome the Bromley Town Councillors work to set up a speed check on Murray Ave. Can the Portfolio Holder address longer-term solutions to dangerous speeding witnessed throughout the borough, as Councillors themselves have repeatedly proclaimed, drivers in Bromley completely disregard speed limits?
Bromley Council has and will continue to target finite resources at the locations where data tells us that there is a greatest risk of road casualties. Some drivers will drive at inappropriate speeds whatever measures are taken by the Council. Murray Avenue has had vertical traffic calming measures in place for many years, yet some drivers will still drive at inappropriate speeds here, even when children are on their way to school. Thankfully, there is not a collision issue recorded for Murray Avenue. We have an award winning education programme aimed at new (teenage) drivers to educate them of the dangers of speeding. This has resulted in reduced serious accidents in this age group.
29) In the LIP3, the council has rightly set objectives to increase active travel, cycling and reduce KSIs; could the council agree that 20mph speed limits on residential roads would help meet these important targets as a sensible person going 20mph will prevent the driver behind from speeding?
Reducing the number of casualties on Bromley’s streets has long been a priority for this Council, with resources being targeted at vulnerable road users and at locations where data tells us that there is a greatest risk of road casualties. Once we have successfully tackled the locations where, unfortunately, serious incidents are currently occurring, other high risk locations can be addressed. In light of the lack of evidence that introducing widespread 20mph limits is the most effective approach, Bromley has no plans to introduce such area-wide 20mph zones. However, in light of evidence that drivers respond better to warnings or regulations where they can see the reason for them, part time advisory 20 limits are being introduced around schools in the Borough, on a case by case basis. The experience the Council has from the various parts of the Borough where areawide 20mph limits have been installed in the past is that we receive very many complaints about speeding, despite the lower limit. Research commissioned by the DfT showed that following the introduction of signed-only 20mph limits the median speed fell by just under 1mph and found no significant change in collisions and casualties.
30) Your website lists three types of temporary road closures for which application can be made, along with their fees (£190, £564 and £1,680). Please provide broad categories or examples of the events which would be covered by each type of closure.
The £190 fee is in fact for parking suspensions rather than a closure of the whole road width, which are sometimes required for events to happen successfully. The £564 fee is for planned road closures to facilitate events such as a street party on the highway where a formal closure will be needed. The £1,680 fee is for closures required to facilitate works on or adjacent to the highway, where such closure will be required for safe operation by, most often, a public utility company. These are the formal costs of a closure, other costs pertaining to the event such as barriers, stewarding etc. are the organisers responsibilities.
31) In respect of each type of road closure, please provide a breakdown of how the cost is calculated, e.g., advertising, officer time etc.
I cannot provide a breakdown of costs, but the fees are benchmarked against other local authorities and are competitive in that respect. The fees charged ensure that all Council costs are recovered, which includes staffing, legal, advertising and street notice costs.
32) There is currently no safe way for children attending the Langley or Unicorn Schools to cross South Eden Park Road and a new petition for a crossing has gathered nearly 500 signatures. What is the Council’s position on installing a crossing on this road?
Reducing the number of casualties on Bromley’s streets has long been a priority for this Council, with resources being targeted at vulnerable road users and at locations where data tells us that there is a greatest risk of road casualties. Once we have successfully tackled the locations where, unfortunately, serious incidents are currently occurring, other high risk locations can be addressed. Data would not at present suggest that additional or improved crossings are required on South Eden Park Road.
Central reservations and associated highly visible road infrastructure, which also act as traffic calming, currently provide suitable crossing locations on South Eden Park Road The Council’s School Travel Planners will continue to engage with the schools adjacent to South Eden Park Road to ensure that safe travel to school is supported. This may include discussions about safe crossing places for pupils. However, pedestrian movements will be monitored over the coming years and, as I say, resources will be prioritised accordingly.
33) Mayoral data demonstrates that most pupils at the Langley and Unicorn Schools must cross South Eden Park Road to get to school however no crossing is available beyond the traffic refuges. What is the Council’s position on installing a crossing on this road.
Same as for question 32.
34) What are they doing to help encourage safe walking and cycling in Chislehurst – War Memorial junction – being one example which is used daily by parents/young children at St Nicholas CE Primary school and Coopers secondary school but lacking a safe crossing?
Many switchable journeys are in respect to the school run, therefore the Council has invested resources in making sure that this Borough has amongst the highest number of effective, Gold and Silver accredited, school travel plans across London. The Council supports schools to facilitate travel by foot and by bus for their pupils who wish to travel this way. School travel plans can lead to improvements to the walking infrastructure near to schools, such as the installation of a new zebra crossing in Homesdale Road, or to improvements at bus stops. Road safety education is also key to helping pupils make the choice to walk, cycle or take the bus to school. Across the borough one way we have been successful in encouraging cycling and walking has been to identify and signpost quieter routes for pedestrians and cyclists to use. We therefore will avoid changes that risk diverting traffic from main roads onto quieter roads and might discourage the existing pedestrians and cyclists who are using those roads.
35) Given the Bromley Biodiversity Plan and Council’s promise (at February CCP) to address the decline of native flora & invertebrates by starting trials of the long discussed biodiversity friendly verges in 2-3 areas of the borough by Autumn 2021, please confirm all investigations & meetings will be concluded this summer to ensure trials begin September 2021?
It is anticipated that such a trial will commence in autumn 2021 with the launch of information materials, communications and consultations with the cutting regime changing on subsequently selected sites taking place in 2022. In 2021 idverde will continue to deliver their contractual requirements in regard to verge management. The autumn sees cuts to areas of green spaces currently managed for biodiversity, so a start in the spring is appropriate.
36) While it is important that they are connected to green spaces (e.g. parks, golf courses, greens), given some home owners have paved drives and gardens unsuitable for wildflowers, please confirm that trials of pollinator friendly verges will not rely upon neighbouring gardens changing their planting to complement such verges.
As you highlight verges in isolation are not sufficient to address biodiversity. The approach to such verges is subject to a number of considerations both bio-diversity and most importantly consultation with local residents. The support and most likely involvement of local residents will be key going forward as will be education. We will have to consider education/explanation without increasing street clutter. At this point we cannot comment on front gardens or whether there may be any correlation between how residents manage their front gardens and their views on pollinator friendly verges.
37) The Government plans to reduce greenhouse emissions by 78% by 2035 vis-à-vis 1990. This is a very bold target, and Government needs the help of Councils to achieve it. Would you agree that Bromley Council’s strongest lever is its control over transport infrastructure? And shouldn’t Bromley therefore be going out of its way to implement the Government’s ‘Gear Change’ strategy that encourages people to make less use of their motor cars and engage in more active travel?
Last year the Council installed a number of new zebra crossings and cycle lanes. Bromley will continue to invest in appropriate infrastructure changes to support cycling and walking, to give road users options as to how they travel through the Borough.
38) Re: problem of speeding on South Eden Park Road. Children from all the Langley Schools (secondary and junior); Unicorn school; St David’s school, and parents and children needing to cross en route to Oak Lodge school all have to cross this very busy road. In addition, many dog walkers cross this road to take their dogs to Blake’s Rec and High Broom woods. There are no traffic calming measures, and no zebra or light-controlled crossing to help them cross safely. What is the council going to do to help children and parents cross this road safely?
Reducing the number of casualties on Bromley’s streets has long been a priority for this Council, with resources being targeted at vulnerable road users and at locations where data tells us that there is a greatest risk of road casualties. Data would not at present suggest that a crossing is required on South Eden Park Road. The Council’s School Travel Planners will continue to engage with the schools adjacent to South Eden Park Road to ensure that safe travel to school is supported. This may include discussions about safe crossing places for pupils.
39) Re: problem of speeding on South Eden Park Road. There is a big problem with speeding on this road. There are no traffic calming measures (such as the ones you find in many areas where speeding is a problem where the driver’s speed flashes up with a message to slow down). Will the Council install some traffic calming measures to tackle this problem, and to safeguard the very many children and adults who have to cross this road?
Through engagement between the Council and the local schools, alongside traffic surveys, the Council will seek to determine whether there are suitable measures that might improve the behaviour of some drivers on this route and therefore improve journeys for pedestrians. Vehicle activated signs will be amongst measured given consideration.
