Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Return to Redbridge Roundabout



This evening I joined representatives of TfL and Redbridge Council at a meeting with Clayhall Ward residents and their councillor, Gurdial Bhamra.


Arriving early I carried out a quick inspection of the subways, following up on my visit with Cranbrook Ward councillors several weeks ago. The subway flooding has been fixed, with repairs to the water pump. All the lighting is now working. Even the litter has been cleaned up, although it is still far from spotless and unlikely to remain clean for as long as thoughtless people dump their rubbish here.



The Problem


So far so good - now onto the meat of the evening. We gathered in the Red House pub on the north side of the roundabout to watch a very clear presentation outlining the traffic problems on the roundabout. The situation is particularly difficult and dangerous for cars entering the roundabout from Redbridge Lane East, the only road not regulated by traffic signals.


The lack of signals is aggravated by a poorly sited pedestrian crossing, a mini roundabout and buses entering the queue from Redbridge Station - some turning right across the traffic.


Throughout the day the situation is dire, with a delay of up to thirty minutes for vehicles approaching the roundabout. This was dramatically illustrated in a video produced by residents and available to view on their website http://www.redrag.info/ .



The Solution


Ideally traffic signals were needed at the junction with the roundabout, but this would be expensive and cause delays in the rest of the roundabout. A cheaper and less disruptive approach would be to lengthen the red phase on the lights controlling access from the A406, to the right of Redbridge Lane East. TfL staff agreed to examine this option.


Meanwhile another option would be to reroute the buses to stop outside the underground station on the A12. TfL were reluctant to make such a change which would make the interchange with the tube more difficult.


Moving the pedestrian crossing further from the roundabout would also smooth traffic flow. TfL and the council were examining proposals to remove the mini roundabout junction immediately before the crossing, replacing it with traffic lights. A crossing could be incorporated into the new junction. Further study - and money - was needed.



Air Quality


Speeding up the traffic flow would reduce emissions in Redbridge Lane East, a very laudable aim. However the proximity of the A406, A12 and the roundabout itself is likely to be so harmful to air quality that minor changes to traffic speed would make little difference. Cleaner engines and less polluting fuels are the only long term solution in this location.



Olympics


The infamous Olympic Route Network, already a bone of contention between myself and the Mayor, will mean changes here during the games. At least we will be spared the orange painted 'zil lanes', but there are plans to clear traffic on the roundabout by preventing access to Redbridge Lane East from noon to midnight during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.


We agreed that we couldn't see how such a change would actually improve speeds for traffic heading to Stratford, which would be on the inside of the roundabout at this point. TfL representatives agreed to consider the proposals in the light of local objections.



We concluded on this high note. Residents were pleased by TfL's constructive and sympathetic approach, and for their part, I felt the residents had done a good job of demonstrating the problems and devising realistic solutions. We will all be in contact for an update in a few weeks.

8 comments:

Mrs Angry said...

Is the second photo the roundabout? You are easily impressed in Redbridge, aren't you? I suppose that's how the Tories got control of the council.
I wonder if anyone else but you could write such a long post about this subject? You are a man of many talents, Mr Evans.

Roger Evans said...

Mrs A, I hope that I have provided a clear explanation of the problems at this roundabout. If you are confused by any of this I advise you to go to www.redrag.info and take the video tour - it is very interesting, although you won't see any shoes...

sjm said...

As Mrs Potty, sorry Angry, isn't a Redbridge resident, she will be ignorant of the long-standing problems associated with this aspect of the roundabout.

However, since she is a self-described Socialist, she feels at liberty to make unpleasant comments about Redbridge residents and Roger's attempts to help them.

Damned by her own words, I'd say.

Redbridge resident said...

Do try relaxing sjm. It'll make you feel so much younger.

Mrs Angry said...

sjm - oh dear. I am not casting aspersions about the good people of Redbridge, other than their foolishness in choosing to elect a Tory council. I am, and I realise you may find this concept hard to grasp - joking, and poking fun at Roger Evans, and roundabouts, which is no bad thing, is it?

Another Redbridge resident said...

Mrs Angry doesn't seem to know what she's talking about. It's nothing to do with a Tory Council, it's a traffic problem. Does she actually use Redbridge Lane East to get onto the roundabout? If she does, she'll know that there's a very big problem there for local residents!
Well done to Roger Evans for highlighting this issue.

Redbridge Resident said...

Er, Redbridge does not have a Tory Council. We have a ConDem council.

Neil Shah said...

Hello Roger,

I don't suppose there have been any updates about this roundabout. I have to use it five to ten times each week and I absolutely hate it. It's a simple solution and I can't understand why it is taking years if not decades to resolve.

What do you need to do to fix it or do we have to see some real accidents and deaths before TFL, Redbridge council or whoever is responsible for it, sort it out.

Neil