Drakefell Road Neighbours – Have your Say!

In 2014 DRAG submitted and presented a Petition to the Mayor of Lewisham and the full Lewisham Council.
Drakefell Road residents were unanimously behind our proposals (over 180 signatures) to make our street safer, more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists and ban the large Lorries which are blighting the lives of residents.
DRAG representatives were subsequently invited to meet with the Deputy Mayor of Lewisham, Cllr. Alan Smith (Labour) who is responsible for Streets and Transport and one of our ward councillors, Cllr. Luke Sorba (Labour).
The Deputy Mayor was supportive of DRAG’s proposals to make our street safer, more accessible and improve the provision for pedestrians and cyclists as well as provide clearly defined areas for parking.   
While there are of course difficult resource challenges across the borough, the council has a responsibility to provide safe streets for all users and is looking at how the changes can be delivered.
DRAG will work with Lewisham to achieve our aims including:

• A ban on big heavy goods vehicles
• 2 metre width pavements
• Slowing of traffic to 20mph

This can be achieved by using good design including raised sections, and safe crossing points which will also slow down speeding vans.  The creation of build outs (see images), as have been introduced in other areas, which are designed to protect parked cars, will help to ensure that pavements are freed up for use by pedestrians only.  And safe cycle parking should be provided; not everyone has a garden or somewhere to park their bike, all across London cycle infrastructure is being improved, we don’t want our community to miss out.

As well as the roads and pavement issues, over the summer Skanska who are working for Lewisham to replace street lighting, have erected new street light columns, but this has been done in messy and haphazard way, causing much inconvenience
and further blighting the street due to the inconsistent approach to placing the new lamps along the pavement and the unfinished works.  Coupled with damage to water pipes we need to get this sorted out as soon as possible.

Many of you have contacted DRAG regarding your concerns and therefore we have arranged to meet the ward councillors on Saturday 19th September to enable them to represent our views to Skanka.  We would welcome your views ahead of this meeting and our ambition to redesign the street in favour of residents. You can either do this online at www.drakefell.org. Or email your comments by completing the form here.