Fury at plans to move pedestrian crossing 50 yards down the road

A row has broken out over plans to move a pedestrian crossing 50 yards down the road - which council leaders say will cost an eye-watering £650,000.

Transport for London (TfL) wants to relocate a pedestrian crossing on Streatham High Road in south London in a bid to improve public safety. It plans to move the crossing from its current spot near Woodbourne Avenue down to by the next road, Gracefield Gardens.

Bosses insist the change will reduce danger on the roads - as the junction has seen 21 collisions in three years. However, opponents claim the crossing's new location will not improve safety - as its 'staggered' form will lead locals away from bus stops and force them to "take chances" while crossing the road to reach their bus.

They also argue the money could be spent on other improvements for the local area - such as cycle infrastructure. Local Cllr Donna Harris, leader of the opposition Lib Dem group on Lambeth Council, said: "TfL told us back in 2022 that this scheme would cost £650,000, and inflation has probably seen that cost rise since. The way the new crossing is to be configured is in a 'staggered' form that will take pedestrians in the opposite direction to the bus stops - so people will continue to take chances to get across for their bus.

"They will also see a crossing removed at a wider, faster part of the High Road, without regard to those risks. In addition, TfL has effectively ignored the concerns of the GP surgery located at Gracefield Gardens about access and those of residents about displaced traffic in other roads.

"Residents are saying to us that this money would be better spent on other road safety and cycle infrastructure improvements in the area." Cllr Harris also argued that TfL was trying to fix a problem of its own making - as it was the local government body that previously decided to remove barriers on the high street.

She said: "The problem that TfL is attempting to solve here is one that they themselves set up - with local support - by removing the barriers in the middle of Streatham High Road a decade or more ago. That was a deliberate move to acknowledge that this is a town centre rather than just a dual carriageway for motor traffic. A destination not just a drive-through."

TfL said a consultation had been carried out for the changes and that all objections raised have been "fully considered and responded to." A spokesperson said: "We're determined to reduce danger on roads across London and this scheme at A23 Gracefield Gardens has been carefully designed to tackle the high number of collisions here.

"A full public consultation into the scheme was carried out previously and a decision was taken to proceed with the scheme. Recently, we consulted on the traffic regulation orders needed to deliver the scheme, and all objections raised prior to the deadline for this have been fully considered and responded to."