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Major revamp set to deliver safer streets in Vauxhall

Transport for London (TfL) launches Vauxhall Cross consultation

Published on
November 24, 2015

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• Major changes to Vauxhall proposed
• Plans would encourage investment in the area and improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians
• Subject to the outcome of consultation, works will be underway in 2017

In a consultation starting today, Transport for London (TfL) is asking for views on safer and transformative designs for Vauxhall.

Proposals would see Vauxhall become a safer and less intimidating environment for vulnerable road users, with pedestrians and cyclists benefitting from a raft of new or improved facilities. The consultation follows successful initial engagement with the public, which saw over 60 per cent of respondents supportive of changes to the area.

Vauxhall proposals include returning the one-way traffic system to two-way and feature improved pedestrian and cyclist facilities. New or upgraded cycle lanes would be segregated and signalised cycle crossings would be installed. The work would improve cycle links to and through the area, and connect to the recently completed Cycle Superhighway 5.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “In my 2012 manifesto, I made a major commitment to improve London’s roads, making them safer and better for all road users. The huge improvements TfL is proposing in removing the Vauxhall [gyratory is] a significant part of our £4billion roads programme and will transform [the location].”

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: “Vauxhall [is] set for dramatic and much needed changes, bringing a simplified, safer and more pleasant environment that supports investment in the area. The proposals have already been well supported by the public, and now we, and the local borough, are asking for feedback on the finer details. When finished, [Vauxhall] would be transformed for shoppers, visitors, pedestrians and cyclists.”

Removing intimidating, dangerous and unwelcoming gyratories can stimulate urban areas, helping to support additional jobs, houses and opportunities for growth. The proposal is part paid for by TfL’s £360m growth fund, creating jobs and homes by unlocking development across London with transport projects.

Proposals for Vauxhall include enhancing the public transport and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, which would help create a hub in Vauxhall and provide a gateway to Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea [Nine Elms on the South Bank] – supporting 25,000 new jobs and over 20,000 new homes. The improvements in Vauxhall form part of TfL’s Road Modernisation Plan, the £4bn investment in London’s roads. This programme will ensure that the Capital’s roads are able to support the needs of a growing population of Londoners and commuters.

Cllr Jack Hopkins, Lambeth’s Cabinet member for Jobs & Growth, said: “Vauxhall’s great potential as a thriving riverside town centre has been thwarted for years by traffic. We’ve worked closely with local people and TfL and know there is wide support for the proposal to remove the gyratory. It would make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists and improve this area which is at the heart of regeneration and investment, bringing homes, jobs and business opportunities.”

TfL is using innovative techniques to ensure that it keeps London moving while the unprecedented programme of improvements to the Capital’s roads is delivered. The use of SCOOT technology, proven to reduce delays by up to 12 per cent, is being expanded across London to keep traffic moving. Up-to-the-minute traffic information is provided via digital road signs, TfL’s Journey Planner and TfL’s Twitter feeds. TfL also has the ability to control temporary traffic lights from its central traffic control centre, to help further ease traffic and minimise disruption.

Subject to the results of the public consultation, which is now open, work could begin as early as 2017.

Notes to Editors:

• Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique (SCOOT) manages vehicular traffic flow across London on a second-by-second basis. More than half of all junctions in London now use SCOOT technology, which uses sensors buried in carriageways to detect real-time traffic conditions and optimise traffic light timings to reduce delays.

• The public can respond to the Vauxhall gyratory consultation here: www.tfl.gov.uk/Vauxhall-cross

• The majority of respondents to the initial Vauxhall gyratory consultation supported the proposals, with 77 per cent of respondents supporting or strongly supporting the overall aim of creating a thriving centre in Vauxhall and 65 per cent supporting the conversion of a gyratory to two-way.

• Information sessions for the Vauxhall gyratory proposals are:
– Saturday 5 December: Vauxhall Garden Community Centre, SE11 5ES, 11:00 – 15:00
– Tuesday 8 December: St. Peter’s Church 310 Kennington Lane SE11 5HY, 18:00-20:00
– Monday 14 December: Carmelita Centre 11:00 – 15:00

• Construction at Vauxhall could begin in 2019 with completion by 2020

Image: An artist’s impression of proposals for Albert Embankment


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