Lack of funding appears to be the reason why Kingston Road, after recent tragic accidents, remains a problem in desperate need of a solution, to protect both pedestrians & cyclists.
It is therefore puzzling to observe that the council, meanwhile, readily finds funds to expand parking facilities along this highly dangerous and busy road, not in the form of off-street car parks, but through offering designated parking spaces for vehicles and articulated lorries over pre-existing pavements and cycle lanes, significantly decreasing both visibility for anyone trying to enter or cross the road, and safety for both pedestrians & cyclists.
Yet a 20mph speed limit is still not forthcoming.
The council’s answer, a year ago, to going against its own policies & commitment to decongestion & safety, was that the cycle lanes were merely a ‘token gesture’, and that extending the old segregated cycling track sections, currently ending in 4 lane traffic, along Bushey Road, was the future way forward.
Whilst expansion of parking facilities continues unabated, with deleterious consequences, long-awaited physically protected cycle tracks, allowing even children to cycle safely, sadly still appears to await legitimate funding, as in other major European cities, through redirection of local parking permit revenue.
S Spencer
Raynes Park
- Send your letters to: letters@wimbledonguardian.co.uk
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