Closed
Dangerous Pedestrian Crossing - Serious public safety concern regarding intersecting with cycle lane
Reported in the Safety fences and barriers category anonymously at 06:10, Sat 31 August 2019
Sent to Westminster City Council 5 minutes later. FixMyStreet ref: 1750572.
Dear Westminster Council,
I am writing to report a significant and serious public safety concern regarding the layout of the new cycle lane and intersecting pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Vauxhall Bridge Road /Drummond Gate/Causton Street.
The pedestrian crossing across Vauxhall Bridge Road now intersects with a new cycle lane that runs on the pedestrian pavement. The cycle lane runs along the pavement at the point at which pedestrians alight onto the pavement on the Causton Street side of the Vauxhall Bridge Road pedestrian crossing. This means the pavement is used jointly by pedestrians and cyclists.
Pedestrians using this crossing often do not realise that when they alight onto the 'safe' pavement the other side of Vauxhall Bridge Road (on Causton St side) they are effectively stepping straight into a major cycle lane and into the pathway of often very fast moving cyclists. Sometimes, cyclists using this cycle lane are travelling faster than cars! The pavement markings are extremely poor and cyclists rarely stop for pedestrians, even when the pedestrian crossing is on a 'green man light'. When the crossing is on a 'green man' the cars stop and pedestrians cross safely across the roadway, but there isn't a corresponding cycle 'traffic light' so cyclists just continue to proceed at high speed on the pavement on the Causton St side. Often cyclists shout at pedestrians and hurtle past (on the pavement) causing near-accidents on a regular basis.
I use this pedestrian crossing - crossing Vauxhall Bridge Road - on a daily basis. And regularly see 'near misses' of collisions between pedestrians and cyclists. Many pedestrians are tourists and - seeing the 'green man' - cross the pedestrian crossing thinking it is safe to cross. How would a tourist know that when they alight onto the pavement on Causton Street side they are in grave danger of being knocked over by fast moving cyclists.
I am a cyclist myself and recognise that this is not the cyclists fault. The problem occurs with the dangerous cycle lane layout and insufficient markings.
Please can you take the following action:
1) Please put up signs to make it explicit that pedestrians have right of way and cyclists must stop to allow pedestrians to cross safely
2) Red markings/ paint on the actual pavement ground to 'warn pedestrians' to look both ways when they alight onto the pavement as it is not necessarily safe even though they are no longer on the roadway (eg fast cyclists moving across pavement, look both ways).
3) Ideally put in mini cyclist traffic light to coordinate with the 'green man' and pedestrian's crossing to ensure cyclists actually stop to let pedestrians pass safely across the cycle lane intersection.
Many thanks, Local Resident
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