Cyclist badly injured in third accident since recent “road improvement” work
A cyclist has been badly injured in Abbey Wood after crashing into a car on Basildon Road.
The incident occurred around 5pm last night.
It follows two recent incidents of people being hit on Eynsham Drive.
The accidents follow road “improvement” work in the area funded by TfL yet under Greenwich Council control. The funds have often been covered on this site in the past – as money was spent late and barely consulted upon.
Work left a dated and unappealing shopping parade on Eynsham Drive untouched (unlike how most boroughs use these funds) and instead spent money on altering road layouts alone – to the detriment of buses and safety.
As the photo above shows, a new traffic island was installed (which is fine), yet because parking enforcement is so poor, cars keep parking too close (around where the sign is) so buses have to go the wrong side of the road or try to squeeze through on the left, with cars going around on the wrong side to bypass stuck buses.
They also installed cycle wands in the one area they are least needed – on a steep bridge most cyclist avoid as there’s easier ways to cross the railway. And err, that was about it for all the money available.
The scheme typified Greenwich Council and Highways Department approach to street design. Creating a more attractive public realm was far down the agenda (despite the help it could do to a run-down shopping area) with all money going to often tokenistic or dangerous road changes, and most local people were barely asked.
£150,000 from the same fund in 2017/18 for Plumstead High Street still hasn’t been spent.
This road terrifies me now. As a pedestrian the island had improved this section but agree that poor car parking largely negates this. Further down the island has been removed for a single zebra crossing. Fine in theory – but it is a wide road and there is no way to break up the crossing. It takes a leap of faith in drivers (often going really fast) to stop. Nearly got ploughed down last night for the second time.