Residents scared to cross road where cars go ‘up in flames’ and drivers are ‘atrocious’

The standard of driving in one street has been labelled “atrocious” by residents, who claim that speeding motorists and crashes have led to cars bursting into flames.

The residents of Winn Road, which sits on the border of Greenwich and Lewisham, say they are too scared to cross the road.

The street has become known for its large volume of traffic at rush hour and “atrocious” driving from motorists, with an 18-year-old losing their life on Winn Road after his scooter collided with a car in 2007.

Susan Thomas, 66, lives in Winn Road with her husband and son. She said that her family has already had numerous cars written off due to reckless driving in the street.

Ms Thomas said: “My son’s car went up in flames, ours was a write-off. The car that hit it went into the wall over the road, went straight through her wall.

“Then last year, April time, our car got hit again. This time it was was four o’clock in the morning, a brand new car written off. We had to wait about four months for a new car. It’s been absolutely atrocious.”

She added: “I’m scared of crossing the road when I’ve got the grandchildren. The old boy next door, he used to go and get his newspaper, now he’s too scared to.”

The resident said her neighbours have spent up to £2,500 repairing their cars after collisions. Residents previously sent a petition to Greenwich council to add traffic calming measures to the road in 2019, with council documents stating the road’s steep incline caused many drivers to break the 20mph speed limit.

Mike Pudelek, 76, moved into his home in Winn Road 41 years ago. He said at a Greenwich council meeting on October 25 that residents of the street and nearby Mottingham Lane felt “very, very let down” by both Lewisham and Greenwich councils.

Greenwich council documents said that only 70 metres of Mottingham Lane was in Greenwich and that Winn Road was largely maintained by Lewisham council.

It added that the A20, which connects to Mottingham Lane, was primarily the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL).

Mr Pudelek said Winn Road has effectively become a “relief road” for major routes such as the A2 and A20, and that issues in the street often reach boiling point at rush hour.

He said: “You will suffer verbal abuse and you will find that commercial vehicles will overtake you on the wrong side of the road going down the hill, rather than go behind you, because they want to go home, and this is now their new rat run.”

A Greenwich council spokesman said the authority could not prevent people from choosing to drive over the speed limit, and encouraged residents to report speeding vehicles to the police.

They added: “We are not aware of any proposals from the London Borough of Lewisham related to this issue, but we are always happy to engage with them on any proposals they may have.”

A Lewisham council spokesman said: “A number of road safety improvements have been made in the wider area, including a new bollard to prevent vehicles cutting corners, the repair and relocation of a traffic island and the repainting of road markings.”

He added that two electronic signs to warn drivers who are exceeding the speed limit to slow down were also due to be added to Winn Road.

A TfL spokeswoman said it was happy to discuss any local proposals for the location.

Pictured top: Susan Thomas, 66, lives in Winn Road with her husband and son (Picture: Joe Coughlan)