Southwark Living Streets

Comments about places in Dulwich Community Council area…

Andrew in East Dulwich writes

I would like to recommend the development of a new zebra crossing. I’m not sure if this query is of interest to your organisation, but any advice you could provide to help put this proposal forward to Southwark Council would be most appreciated.

The proposed zebra crossing is on Barry Road, SE22, just north of the junction with Tyrrell Road. At this point there is currently an informal pedestrian crossing point, in which the pavement has been partially extended into the road. Many pedestrians use this as a crossing point as it is close to Peckham Rye Park and three primary schools (Goodrich, Heber, St Anthonys). A google map link of the crossing point is attached:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=se22+9ne&layer=ct&ie =UTF8&ll=51.458148,-0.066739&spn=0.000624,0.001202&t=h&z=20&iwloc=addr

I am concerned about the safety of this crossing point for the following reasons:

1. Although access is improved by the pavement being extended into the road, cars are able to park next to this “crossing point” which means that full visibility of all oncoming traffic is limited. Crossing is particularly difficult when transporting young children in a pushchair. The conversion of this crossing point to a zebra crossing would greatly improve visibility as cars would be prohibited from parking in the immediate vicinity.

2. The crossing point causes confusion to motorists. Many drivers are unsure if pedestrians have priority and some stop to allow people to cross. This causes a hazard to other vehicles and to the pedestrian. Cars are known to drive relatively quickly along Barry Road which further increases the risk of an accident. The conversion to a zebra
crossing would establish clear rules about pedestrian priority, remove any driver confusion and encourage responsible driving.

Overall I believe the conversion of this “informal” crossing point to a designated zebra crossing would improve the safety of pedestrians and motorists alike. It would provide a safe access to local parks, schools and shops, while removing any driver confusion. As there is currently a zebra crossing at the southern end of Barry Road, I believe planning applications should be relatively straight forward.