Pedestrian Crossing Forest Hill Station x Perry Vale

Hi everyone,

We’ve just moved to the area and we absolutely love it here! The parks are gorgeous and the we love the neighbourhood vibe. There is just one thing that we’ve noticed in our daily commute and that is that it’s quite hard (red. dangerous) to cross Perry Vale road towards the station or tunnel. We’re wondering if you feel the same? And if so, if someone is already working on getting a pedestrian crossing there?

If you guys think the same, and there is not yet a proposal, we wouldn’t mind writing one to the council.

We thought that the best location for a new pedestrian crossing would be:

Option 1: On the right hand side when you exit the tunnel.
Option 2: Between the tunnel and the station.
Option 3: In front of the station

Pedestrian%20Crossing_options2181×1526 2.31 MB

Our preferred options is Option 2 since we think this will cover the biggest density of pedestrian traffic (both people crossing towards the tunnel and people crossing to go to the station) We like option 3 as well, however we think it might be tricky since its in the curve of the road.

Pedestrian%20Crossing_proposal2181×1526 2.28 MB

It would be great to hear your thoughts, tips, experiences etc. We think we could build a stronger case if more people are supporting this idea.

Cheers,
MaddieAn

recently saw online (below) that there is a planning proposal to Lewisham Council convert the All-in-One pub into a hotel with a bar / pub franchise on the ground floor. Maybe a better crossing option has been included ?

It’s a topic that’s been discussed many times before - I think this thread was the last time (and includes various links to the various for/against arguments)

Ace! thanks. I’ll have a read

there is another story thread in this forum on the proposed hotel development - Perry Vale 66 room hotel…

np. It’s an idea that certainly isn’t lacking for support within the community, but seems to need someone to successfully challenge the councils view that it’s not an appropriate site for a formal crossing before it can go any further.

Oh, and welcome to the area by the way!

I agree that there should be a pedestrian crossing on Perry Vale and I’d also go further by recommending a speed camera for Perry Rise. I walk up it to Forest Hill station and every morning cars travel up it at excessive speed.

Hi Marka, thanks for replying. I had a look at hotel proposal and I didn’t find a pedestrian proposal in there. I’ve attached the PDF for you. DC_18_108902-DAS-722987.pdf (4.5 MB)

I agree that there should be a crossing.
I think there was a pedestrian refuge in the middle of the road before the recent development. So crossing is now more dangerous.

How is this not a thing yet? And JK Banquet hall makes it 10 times worse on a Saturday night.

Request a crossing here
traffic@lewisham.gov.uk

Would it be better to get a local councillor to take up the cause? Or perhaps Ellie Reeves, our MP.

Is it really that necessary? Have been crossing that road for over 20 years and yes, can be busy at certain times, but only really tricky if you try and cross at a particular part of the bend. Most times of the day it’s fine.

It’s pretty poor planning to not have some sort of crossing by a station entrance. If you have kids or are not able bodied i can’t imagine it’s easy to cross. Part I find bad is by the old grocery as you get traffic coming from three directions.

I’ve seen this discussed passionately almost ad infinitum elsewhere (and perhaps here), and believe the reason a crossing wouldn’t be put there is that the bend means there aren’t adequate sight lines for approaching traffic, making any crossing a danger to unweary pedestrians that cross it.

Personally I’ve never found it that difficult to cross there, though the traffic can be fast at times, as evidenced by various accidents where people have crashed into the bus stop outside the All Inn One, for example.

I can imagine that less able-bodied or mobile people may find it more challenging to cross safely though, so it would be nice if something could be improved, but I think it has to be more involved than just slapping a simple zebra crossing or lights there.

Maybe speed bumps would be more appropriate?

I have suggested a long “crossing area” before…

The Forest Hill Society ran a petition to get a light-controlled pedestrian crossing on Perry Vale. With over 1,000 signatures they submitted the petition to Lewisham Council on behalf of the area. It’s understood the request is now part of a submission to the GLA for funding to develop the area east of the railway line.

You can also get news on this FHS initiative by subscribing to Forest Hill Society emails, follow them on @FHSoc on Twitter or on their Facebook page for updates.

I think almost everyone who moves to the area feels it’s great, but that there is a serious problem with the road traffic management. The Council’s policy is to facilitate a huge volume of commuter traffic through Forest Hill’s residential streets. The Council is also extraordinarily conservative and stuck in its ways, so it’s difficult to get anything changed.

Could Network Rail build a footbridge from platform 2 across the road?

Mac_se23 Not if you are less able bodied

Just a thought. But platform 2 is already raised. The other side could include a lift. There probably would not be enough room for a ramp.

@Sherwood, that really sounds creative, but I believe there are a whole list of reasons why this idea wouldn’t get very far.

The best option imho still got to be a pelican or zebra crossing, but someone doesn’t seem to try hard enough or keep looking for reasons why it can’t be made to work. This issue has been around for years, and it’s just not credible that nothing has been done about it yet. It probably, dare I say it, requires something major to happen first before it goes up the priority list. The other dangerous crossing point is right next to it, which is across Waldram Place at the junction with Perry Vale.

Another solution out there might be to divert the main road to Westbourne Drive with a fully signalled junction by the Co-op, and do more traffic calming at Perry Vale. However, I suspect that probably wouldn’t go down too well with residents.