Pedestrian Crossings TfL are proposing changes to two sets of crossings on London Road, at the junction with Dartmouth Road and at the junction of Honor Oak Road. As far as we know there will be no changes to road priorities or timing of lights, but the changes are designed to improve the crossings for pedestrians. At the Dartmouth Road junction most of the fencing will be removed from the side of the road and the pedestrian islands. This has proved to be a successful method of making crossing safer by preventing pedestrians getting trapped between traffic and fences, and being forced to funnel through a narrow crossing point. There were plans to do likewise with the crossing from the Launderette to WHSmith, but after concerns expressed by the FH Society, TfL have agreed not to go ahead until a full assessment of this junction takes place. The junction with Honor Oak Road is very difficult for pedestrians as there is no pedestrian phase on the lights. This is a well used walking route between the Horniman Museum and the town centre and station and is particularly used by families with young children. The plans here are not to install a pedestrian phase, which TfL do not want to do as it would further slow traffic at the junction, but there are a few changes that are beneficial.
East London Line News Transport for London have announced plans to extend the lengths of platforms at some of the stations in the core section of the East London Line. This includes Shoreditch, Shadwell, Wapping, Canada Water and Surrey Quays all of which currently only have platform lengths for four carriages (Rotherhithe is not on the list). With the extension of trains to five carriages in December 2014 these platform extensions will avoid selective door opening at these stations. The Forest Hill Society is continuing to campaign for extra Crystal Palace trains on the East London Line.
Extremists at the Horniman The Horniman Museum's latest family friendly exhibition “Extremes” explores what it takes for animals and plants to survive in some of the world's most hostile environments. Much of the animal kingdom is far better adapted to extreme conditions than we are as humans. The exhibition will take you on an expedition to see how animals and plants survive in extreme conditions relating to heat, cold, dryness and constant darkness. You can see some of the animals that live in these environments and watch films that will make you shiver. www.foresthillsociety.com
Pavements will be widened on Honor Oak Road next to the petrol garage, so that cars slow down to come round this corner, and the pavement on London Road approaching the junction will be widened slightly to provide a bit more space for pedestrians. In addition the tiny pedestrian island will be widened to allow a buggy to stop on the island with a person behind it also on the island. The proposals for Honor Oak Road junction won’t address the queuing traffic waiting to get onto the South Circular during a 12 second break every 2 minutes, but it will hopefully make it easier for pedestrians to get to the Horniman. Finally there will be a filter lane for cars turning right into the petrol garage, to prevent them blocking to traffic and jamming up the crossing. Map and links to the consultation are available at: http://goo.gl/PNaqMx These changes follow the improvements to the junction with Sydenham Rise in December last year, when the crossing was improved to a staggered crossing, encouraging pedestrians to stop in the middle when the traffic is against them. It is good to see TfL making some improvements to crossings for pedestrians and we hope that this is a trend that continues as there are a number of other road junctions that would benefit from some attention. There is space in the timetable for two additional trains per hour and although these trains were not included in the announcement from the Comprehensive Spending Review, we hope that at some point these additional trains will be commissioned by TfL. Additional trains to Crystal Palace would improve frequency and further increase capacity on the East London Line. This would be particularly useful while London Bridge is being rebuilt, and would provide more capacity as the East London Line continues to gain in popularity, especially with the Crossrail interchange at Whitechapel.
There are hands-on experiences including feeling the 'air-conditioning' inside an ostrich’s beak or trying to keep up with the drinking speed of a camel. A definite must for the would be explorer! The exhibition is in three languages – English, Spanish and French. Ticket prices: £3.30 Child, £6.60 Adult, £16.50 Family (prices include 10% voluntary Gift Aid donation). You may also like to tie in a visit to the Horniman Farmers’ market which runs every Saturday from 9.30am - 1.30pm.
Spring 2014
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