Petition for traffic-calming measures in Greenwich street where drivers hit 75mph outside primary school

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents claim their road is so dangerous they fear “cars coming through the walls” of their front rooms, with drivers speeding past the primary school at “75 mph”.

Residents of Rochester Way in Eltham have sent a petition to Greenwich council, asking for traffic-calming measures to be added to their road.

The petition received 141 signatures from residents, and said frequent accidents in the road were having a “detrimental effect” on the well-being of people nearby.

The petition was discussed at a Greenwich council highways committee meeting on Wednesday of last week.

Julie Benstead, who lives in Rochester Way, said people are scared to walk on the pavement and police have reported cars driving at 75mph past the primary school.

Ms Benstead said at the meeting: “It’s not always an injury to people. It’s our houses. It’s the fear of sitting in our front room, watching our TVs and a car coming through our wall.

“It’s our car insurance going up because there are cars being written off on our drives, which should be a safe place to park.”

The resident said people would like a speed camera added to the area, as they are aware speed bumps could affect the buses and emergency vehicles which use the road.

She said: “Our properties are being damaged, our cars are being damaged, people are being injured. It’s all a priority for us because we’re actually living it every day.

“Often in our front rooms, on a Friday or Saturday night, it feels like a disco with all the blue lights flashing outside.”

Conservative councillor John Hills, who represents the New Eltham ward, said at the meeting that he agreed with the points made by the resident.

The councillor said he had noticed the lollipop man for Deansfield Primary School having to avoid speeding cars in the road.

He said: “He has to jump out the way sometimes when [drivers] are shooting through the lights.

“They’re jumping through the lights terribly, and that’s a dangerous road. That reallly is, so we really need to do something on that.”

At the end of the meeting, the highways committee councillors said they would work with Transport for London (TfL) and the police on adding a radar speed sign, traffic light cameras and a speed camera to the junction.

The recommendations from the committee will be discussed at a full council meeting on March 29.