Lewisham’s greener streets plan: Extra trees, cycle hangars and parking restrictions
Lewisham council wants to transform its streets into safer, cleaner spaces which encourage more people to walk, cycle and use public transport.
Residents will be consulted over the raft of measures which they say ‘reimagines’ the borough as an area where air pollution is reduced, road safety is increased and private cars and vans are less dominant.
The Sustainable Streets programme proposes to make better use of road space and pavements in the borough by installing more trees, secure cycle storage hangars and electric vehicle charging points, as well as improving road safety by restricting parking at junctions.
These improvements would be coupled with a new parking permit scheme for residents and businesses that will ensure parking is prioritised for local people and businesses, as well as reducing unnecessary car journeys.
Despite half of Lewisham households not owning a car, 60 per cent of all road space in the borough is currently used for on-street parking, and Lewisham has more unrestricted street parking than any other inner London borough.
The programme would be rolled out in phases across the borough, with initial proposals unveiled for the roads around Deptford and Catford/Crofton Park.
The combined proposals for these two areas include new secure cycle storage for nearly 500 bikes, more than 300 additional street trees and almost 100 electric vehicle charging points.
Cllr Louise Krupski, cabinet member for Environment and Climate Action, said: “We want to reimagine our borough’s roads and streets to create a greener Lewisham, improve road safety and help reduce air pollution.
“Our Sustainable Streets programme is just the start of our ambition to increase active travel and reduce unnecessary car journeys, as we look to create a net-zero borough and tackle the climate emergency.”
The consultation for the first phase of the programme closes on March 5.
More information and the online consultation survey can be found at www.lewisham.gov.uk/
Pictured top: An artist’s impression of how a revamped street might look under the proposals (Picture: Lewisham council)