Transport « SE16.com

A £2 an hour charge for car parking is to be introduced in Southwark Park from 1 April this year.

Southwark Council hopes to raise £200,000 a year by introducing car parking charges in the borough’s open spaces.

There are 90 car parking spaces in Southwark Park. At present, car parking is free but there is a four-hour time limit.

The new parking charge will be payable by phone, text or app.

As part of the same package of measures, the council is planning to spend £28,000 on resurfacing and drainage works at Southwark Park, as well as installing new signage to advise motorists of the charges and how to pay.

Further details are available in this report.

West Midlands Police image used under a Creative Commons licence

52 motorists received warning letters from the Metropolitan Police after volunteers taking part in a police scheme used speed guns to detect drivers breaking the limit in Salter Road last June.

Details of the Community Roadwatch operations were obtained by SE16.com under the Freedom of Information Act.

A letter from the Met’s Supt Thomas Naughton is sent to the registered keeper of vehicles found speeding, reminding car owners that around 2,000 people a year are killed or seriously injured on London’s roads each year, with speed a contributory factor in half of these collisions.

“The local community asks that drivers passing through the area observe the posted speed limits,” says Supt Naughton in his letter.

“Reducing your speed will directly contribute to saving lives and will improve the quality of life for those residents.

“No further action will be taken on this occasion but this report will be held on our records for 12 months. If your vehicle comes to notice again it will be investigated further.”

If the same vehicle is found speeding a second time, a further letter is sent warning that “the vehicle details have now been entered onto police intelligence records and they will also be passed to our Criminal Justice Unit for entry onto their databases.

“If the vehicle is seen offending again, it will be added to the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) hotlist.

“This will alert all patrolling roads policing units to the presence of the vehicle and it might be stopped and checked. In cases of persistent or extreme speeding, vehicles may be targeted for enforcement by police officers or mobile speed camera vans.”

Transport for London has asked the Government to help fund a second entrance for Surrey Quays Station and extra facilities at Canada Water Bus Station to meet rising demand for public transport as the area is developed.

News of the funding bid came in London transport commissioner Mike Brown’s regular report to the TfL board.

“We submitted a bid to the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) on 3 December for various enhancements to the transport network to support the provision of around 14,000 new homes by 2031,” wrote Mr Brown.

“The enhancements included in the bid were as follows:

An increase in service frequencies on the East London line to 20 trains per hour
A second entrance at Surrey Quays station
A new station at Surrey Canal Road, between Queens Road Peckham and Surrey Quays
Additional facilities at Canada Water bus station, to enable the provision of a new bus route serving the Convoys Wharf development

“These enhancements will support the major developments proposed at Canada Water, New Bermondsey and Convoys Wharf, delivering mixed-use development that supports key Mayoral objectives.

“A decision on funding for the bid is expected from central government during 2019. “

Last summer TfL set out its initial view on the transport implications of the Canada Water masterplan.

New cameras are being introduced in the Rotherhithe Tunnel to increase safety and deter vehicles that don’t meet the safety restrictions from using the route.

Vehicles that are more than two metres (six foot six inches) wide or two metres high, or goods vehicles weighing more than 2 tonnes, are not safe to travel through the tunnel.

From early February, enforcement will be carried out by the new cameras and people driving vehicles through the tunnel that do not comply with the restrictions could be fined up to £130.

The tunnel, which was built in 1908, was not designed to cope with modern levels of traffic. In September 2018 TfL carried out detailed analysis of the tunnel’s ventilation system, which would be used to extract smoke and other dangerous fumes in the event of a fire. This showed that new restrictions were vital to ensure road users could continue to use the tunnel safely, whilst TfL works on plans for the tunnel’s future.

By not complying with restrictions at the tunnel, drivers are putting themselves and others at risk.Enforcement officers have been present at both approaches to the tunnel since the new restrictions were introduced to assist drivers and prevent vehicles entering the tunnel that do not comply.

Officers have turned away an average of 600 vehicles a day since September. Drivers whose vehicles do not meet the restrictions are advised to use nearby Tower Bridge or the Blackwall Tunnel to cross the Thames. The congestion charge does not apply to either crossing.

Glynn Barton, TfL’s Director of Network Management, said: “Safety is our top priority and these restrictions are absolutely essential to ensure that people can continue to use the tunnel safely. People driving vehicles through the tunnel that do not meet the restrictions are putting both themselves and others at risk. I would encourage all users of the tunnel to check that their vehicle is below two metres in height and width, and that goods vehicles are less than two tonnes in weight, so that they are compliant when the new cameras are switched on.”

A new timetable has been introduced this week on the Thames Clippers ferry service between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, with two extended gaps in service during the day.

This is the email sent to passengers:

The RB4 Doubletree Docklands ferry timetable is changing from 5th November 2018.
There will be a break in service between 1053 and 1157 and between 2103 and 2140 weekdays.
Your journey may be affected as follows:
Morning break:
Last boat before break: 1050 from Canary Wharf to Doubletree Docklands
First boat after break: 1157 from Doubletree Docklands to Canary Wharf
Afternoon break:
Last boat before break: 2100 from Canary Wharf to Doubletree Docklands
First boat after break: 2140 from Doubletree Docklands to Canary Wharf
See the new timetable here: https://www.thamesclippers.com/servicechanges
We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your continued and valued support.
Thames Clippers email

Six months after dockless cycle hire was introduced in Rotherhithe and Bermondsey, one of the two operators has withdrawn from the borough of Southwark.

Mobike (whose bikes have orange wheels) received a lot of publicity for its decision to cease operations in Manchester, but at the same time it drastically reduced its London operating area, withdrawing from Southwark entirely, leaving its central London zone covering parts of Camden and Islington.

Rival firm Ofo (yellow bikes) continues to serve the whole borough of Southwark.

Plans to bring Santander Cycles to SE16 are still on the agenda but no agreement has been reached between TfL and Southwark Council over funding.

Transport for London has submitted its initial comments on the implications of British Land’s massive Canada Water masterplan for local roads and railways.

A few key points from the 13-page letter:

The Elizabeth line will provide some relief (in the short to medium term) on the Jubilee line.
The proposed Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham, proposed to be operational in the late 2020s, is expected to relieve London Overground services north of New Cross Gate, and reduce the interchange demand at Canada Water station.
TfL hopes to be able to raise frequencies on the East London line from 16 trains per hour at present to 20 trains per hour.
Surrey Quays Station will need upgrading/expanding to cope with extra passengers from the new development – potentially with a new entrance
“TfL would support provision of Santander Cycles cycle hire docking stations in the masterplan area, as well as off-site, to help ‘link’ to the current central London zone at London Bridge, acknowledging that further contributions from other developments in Canada Water and Bermondsey will be required to do this.”
The design of Redriff Road will need to take into account the proposed Peckham- Rotherhithe cycle route

You can read TfL’s letter here and see all the Canada Water masterplan application documents at 18/AP/1615.

A £1.3 million section of cycle route between Canada Water and the the Southwark/Lewisham boundary at South Dock has been approved by Southwark’s cabinet member for transport.

The scheme includes £500,000 for a new ‘rollout’ bridge across the lock at South Dock and £115,000 to widen a bridge over the Albion Channel.

This scheme is part of the much larger Quietway 14 route which stretches from Blackfriars Road in the west to the Thames Barrier and beyond in the east.

Further details are available in these documents on the Southwark website.

A violent man who sexually assaulted a woman, before assaulting a member of TfL staff at Canada Water station, has been jailed.

28-year-old Courtney Mahamedally from Islington before City of London Magistrates’ Court on 2 July after pleading guilty to sexual assault and one count of common assault.

Shortly before 2.30am on 6 January this year, the victim, a 19-year-old woman, was on the London Overground platform at Canada Water station, waiting for a train. Mahamedally then approached the victim on the platform, jumping at her and grabbing her around the waist.

The victim and defendant then struggled, with Mahamedally shouting “you’re not going anywhere”.

Meanwhile, staff watching CCTV contacted the police and went to assist the victim. As police responded, staff intervened, during which a member of staff was punched in the face by the defendant.

Mahamedally was arrested at the scene and taken to custody.

He was handed a six month prison sentence for the sexual offence and a 12 week prison sentence for common assault, to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay £500 compensation, £115 to victim services and costs of £300, he will also be on the sexual offences register for seven years.

DC Helen Parsfield from British Transport Police, said: “Mahamedally initially pleaded not guilty, but when he was presented with the overwhelming evidence, he later admitted the charges. I’m grateful to the members of staff who went to assist the victim during what must have been a frightening experience.

“Unwanted sexual behaviour on the London Underground network will never be tolerated. I’d like to thank the victim for helping us bring this violent man to justice, he’ll now spend six months behind bars and seven years on the sex offenders register.”

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Head of Transport Policing, said: “Everyone has the right to travel without fear or intimidation and alongside the police we will eradicate unwanted sexual behaviour from public transport in London. This case sends a clear message to all potential offenders that they will be caught and brought to justice for their disgusting crimes, as well as showing that violence and abuse towards our staff will not be tolerated and offenders will be prosecuted. TfL works closely with the police day and night to ensure the safety of our customers.”

Three months after it launched in Southwark, dockless cycle hire firm Mobike has redrawn its coverage map to exclude Greenland Dock and South Dock, with users risking a £10 surcharge if they park a bike beyond the invisible boundary line.

Formerly available across the whole of the borough of Southwark, Mobike has also withdrawn its service from much of Camberwell, Peckham and Dulwich.

The company has given details of the changes in a blog post.

Mobike has also recently hiked its prices, with pay-as-you go use now charged in 20 minute units instead of 30.

SE16.com

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Category Archives: Transport

Southwark Park: no more free car parking

Salter Road: 52 drivers warned for speeding on a single day

TfL bids for Government cash to fund Surrey Quays and Canada Water rail and bus expansion

TfL to fine drivers who break Rotherhithe Tunnel width and weight limits

New timetable for Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf ferry

Mobike dockless cycle hire scheme withdrawn from Southwark

TfL comments on transport implications of Canada Water masterplan

Quietway 14: plans for Canada Water to South Dock section approved

Man jailed for sexual assault at Canada Water Station

Dockless cycle hire firm Mobike reduces its coverage area