Lambeth LibDems: Lambeth must act on Clapham accident hotspot before it’s too late

Lambeth Council must take action against dangerous driving in Kings Avenue, Thornton Road and Thornton Avenue before death or serious injury occurs, say Lambeth Liberal Democrat Councillors.

This follows yet another shocking incident in which a car smashed through a fence into a front garden in the middle of the night. Yet, with accidents and near-misses mounting, Lambeth Labour refuses to act.

Liberal Democrat Councillors in Streatham Hill West and Thornton ward have been inundated with messages from concerned residents about continued speeding around the residential backstreets of the Telford Park area, after one car careered into a garden and pedestrians had to jump out of the way of another car to avoid being run down.

The Liberal Democrat Councillors for the area, Cllr Donna Harris and Cllr Matthew Bryant, have been campaigning on this issue for years, even before they were elected.

Yet they were told recently that the streets in question have not passed the “trigger point” of accidents to warrant traffic calming measures such as speed cameras or raising the mini-roundabout to stop drivers speeding across it.

In the early hours of 13 November a car veered off the road in Thornton Avenue, crashing into a lamppost, through a resident’s fence and into his garden.

Days earlier two other residents were nearly knocked down by a speeding car as they crossed the road, just jumping out of the way in time.

These are the latest in a long-running catalogue of incidents in the area, which is used as a back-cut by drivers exceeding the 20mph speed limit, and reportedly reaching speeds of up to 50mph.

There are no speed cameras, no pedestrian crossings and a flat mini-roundabout between Thornton Avenue and Telford Avenue which too many drivers speed across. This poses a risk to pedestrians, especially schoolchildren, as well as to other drivers, parked cars and property.

But Lambeth Council won’t act until there have been casualties.

Commenting, Cllr Matthew Bryant, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Liberal Democrat Group, said:

“For over two years we have been asking the Council to take action here.

Crossing the road is increasingly dangerous for parents taking their children to local schools and people heading to Tooting Common.

Will there really need to be fatality before action is taken here?”