Wimbledon's Streets Set For Pandemic Transformation
Work set to start to provide more space for walking and cycling
Pic taken from Merton Council report is understood to be elsewhere in London
Some streets in Wimbledon are to be transformed to provide more space for walking and cycling as part of Merton Council’s emergency transport response to the coronavirus pandemic.
It has prepared an emergency transport response to support social distancing, focused on making changes to roads and pavements in the borough.
Pavements will be extended into the road in some parts of Wimbledon, Wimbledon Village and South Wimbledon in the first set of measures, which the council has costed at £19,000.
The local measures include:
Wimbledon Bridge – suspending parking bays and taxi rank to enable the installation of a temporary footway and solid barrier
St George’s Road near Elys – take out a traffic lane and increase the pavement size
Wimbledon Hill Road – provide a 2m wide footpath within the traffic lane
Kingston Road, between Dupont Road and Carlton Park Road – suspend part footway parking
South Wimbledon junction – explore the removal of a traffic lane to enable a wider pavement/cycle route
Merton High Street between South Wimbledon tube and Haydons Road – remove the majority of parking bays and dedicate them to footways.
Arthur Road - suspend parking and remove A-boards
Wimbledon Village High Street - footway widening and queuing stickers
The Ridgway, Tesco Express - footway queueing stickers
The emergency changes will be followed by longer term work to improve walking and cycling routes throughout the borough.
Councillor Martin Whelton said: “As we prepare for the easing of lockdown, we are working to put new temporary measures in place on our streets to help everybody maintain social distancing and to support individual travel around the borough.
“We are looking at widening footpaths and creating temporary cycle lanes, but changes to our roads still require technical assessment.
“There are challenges around funding that Merton, like every local authority is facing, but we will still be taking action where we can and we’ll continue to work closely with stakeholders to make sure we learn and adapt as the situation evolves.”
The council says it will to keep Merton moving safely as travel patterns change and restrictions ease. If you would like to suggest a location where it could take action, please email future.merton@merton.gov.uk.
The key aims of the plan are detailed below:
Immediate action: (Crisis) |
Create space for pedestrians to queue on footways adjacent to key businesses. (local food stores, pharmacies, GPs etc) by reallocating road space immediately in front of premises to support social distancing on the footway. Servicing and loading to premises will need to be considered |
Short Term: (Pre-recovery) |
Create wider pavement space for pedestrians in high footfall locations and prepare for more businesses re-opening. This will involve reallocation of on-street parking bays and may also include accommodating a rise in motorbike delivery services in town centres and high streets. Create space for cyclists along key routes in the borough. |
Medium Term: (Recovery) |
Plan with public transport providers, space to queues outside at rail stations and underground stations to support social distancing. Plan for pupils returning to school, promote measures for greater walking and cycling routes to schools. Identify and fill gaps in Merton’s cycle network and install temporary cycle priority schemes. |
May 8, 2020