Along with Merton Residents' Transport Group, we've spoken with all of the potential Leaders of the Council after 5th May to ask them to make an urgent commitment to deliver #ClimateSafeStreets.
Thanks to the actions of all our supporters and lots of other residents, all of them have responded and four have committed to our five pledges. Follow the links to read the individual pledges and statements and read more about why each party thinks active travel is key part of tackling the climate emergency:
- The Green Party pledge
- Merton Park Ward Independent Residents pledge
- Liberal Democrats pledge
- Labour Party pledge
- Conservatives statement
Whatever the outcome of the election on Thursday, we're looking forward to working with the new Administration over the next four years to make progress with the five commitments which will play a part in tackling the climate crisis:
- Develop an Active Travel Network and Delivery Plan for the Borough in the first 12 months and implement the top five highest priority interventions to the highest standards before 2027.
- Make 75% of suitable residential areas in the borough safer and more appealing for walking and cycling.
- Improve at least 5 of the most dangerous junctions in the borough to high standards, provide pedestrian signals at all signalised junctions and improve facilities for pedestrians to cross the road where there are strong desire lines or existing safety risks.
- Tackle high levels of congestion and HGV movements in the Borough by cutting freight motor vehicle movements by at least 10% and Rapidly rolling out shared mobility points.
- Make it easier and cheaper to park a cycle than it is to park a car everywhere in the borough.
Click to read more about each of the asks
1.
Develop an Active Travel Network and Delivery Plan for the Borough in
the first 12 months and implement the top five highest priority
interventions to the highest standards before 2027.
- This should include at least all “in flight”, “highest”, “high” and “medium” priority cycle routes in TfL’s current Strategic Cycling Analysis (e.g. as mapped here) built to the DfT’s funding criteria for LTN 1/20 (p6 1.1.2; “a minimum score of 70% under the Cycling Level of Service (CLoS), no critical fails and under the Junction Assessment Tool (JAT) no red-scored turning movements”).
- Aim to implement 50% of the Network by 2030 and the remainder by 2041 so that by 2041 all of Merton’s residents are 400m or less from a strategic cycle route and all Town Centres are safe and attractive to walk and cycle to and through.
- The Active Travel Network and Delivery Plan should also include inputs from local stakeholder groups.
- All possible residential areas (e.g. those identified in TfL’s Strategic Neighbourhood Analysis (SNA), as mapped here) should be covered by area-wide and high-quality low traffic neighbourhoods substantially removing cut through motor traffic, and prioritising those with greatest need (e.g. darker green areas in the SNA).
- Junctions are the most dangerous parts of the cycling and walking network. Improved junctions must have “no [CLoS] critical fails and under the JAT no red-scored turning movements” as per DfT’s LTN 1/20 guidance.
- There should be no signalised junctions without signalised pedestrian crossing arms. The borough should work with TfL to ensure pedestrian crossing lights are installed on all arms of all suitable crossings. Cycle crossing lights and markings should also be considered for junctions being improved at the same time.
- Take action to reduce air pollution at these junctions where it exceeds standards
- Junction to consider are: South Wimbledon junction, Streatham Road/London Road junction, Carshalton Road/Croydon Road junction, London Road/Lower Green West
- Work with businesses that generate a high level of HGV movement in Merton to agree suitable routes through the borough and invest in improving pedestrian and cycle safety on these routes
- Freight consolidation centres, last-mile distribution centres, cargo bike loan schemes and other measures should be rolled out to ensure deliveries, servicing and other freight motor vehicle movements are reduced by at least 10%.
- All homes and workplaces should be less than 600m from the nearest shared cycle/e-scooter access point and less than 600m from an electric car club bay.
- Rapidly roll out secure and inclusive cycle parking for people who live in, work in and visit the borough at transport interchanges, town centres, amenities, on residential streets, in council estates and social housing and flats that lack space to store cycles.