Road Junction Safety

Outcome from statutory consultation (Dulwich community council)

• The statutory consultation on junction safety in Dulwich took place between 24 November and 22 December 2016
• The statutory notices were tied to street furniture near each proposed double line installation/upgrade
• A report on the outcome ^{(PDF, 1.5mb)} 
• Redacted objections ^{(PDF, 1014kb)} received during statutory consultation period

Proposed double yellow line markings

• The installation of double yellow lines is proposed on each unprotected junction in Southwark on a ward by ward basis
• This is part of the council’s commitment to increasing road and pedestrian safety

The proposed next steps

• If numerous requests for local parking amendments are received in a certain area, we would then make an assessment and consider reprioritising the wards on this basis.
• Once the programme of wards has been established, officers will write to all ward councillors explaining what is being undertaken, and why, before commencing. An overview map of each ward to show the junctions and their current status will be sent to ward councillors before the decision making process.
• There are currently 1000 unprotected junctions in Southwark where inconsiderate and unsafe parking cannot be enforced against by civil enforcement officers. The majority of the 2000 junctions already protected are within existing parking zones.
• Usually the council installs yellow lines following a request from a resident, waste collection or the emergency services.

Background

• Ensuring adequate visibility between road users is paramount. Visibility should be as such that road users can see dangers and brake in good time. Vehicles parked on junctions substantially reduce visibility and the stopping sight distance (SSD). Double yellow lines ensure that adequate visibility is maintained at junctions and prevents parking over dropped kerbs and vehicle crossovers.
• Almost two thirds of cyclists killed or seriously injured in 2013 were involved in collisions at, or near, a road junction. Children and those in wheelchairs (whose eye level is below the height of a parked car) are disproportionally affected by vehicles parked too close to a junction.
• The Highway Code states that motorists must not park within ten meters of a junction, unless in a designated parking bay. However, this is not enforceable without the introduction of a traffic order and yellow lines. It is clear that motorists have a better understanding of the meaning of double yellow lines compared to the Highway code and will therefore abide by them without the need for enforcement.
• Camden, City of London, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster already have all their road junctions protected. Many others such as Hounslow, Harrow and Barking and Dagenham are working towards this.

Benefits

• This is the pro-active approach to implementing safety improvements in a borough with increasing demand for on street parking causing more and more inconsiderate and unsafe parking.
• If junctions are protected on an ad hoc basis, the council must conduct site assessments, preparation of drawings, public consultation, project management, road safety audits, traffic order statutory consultation and the installation of markings each time. Conducting a review of a large number of junctions at one time is much more efficient.
• Between 2011 and 2016, the council implemented double yellow lines on 136 junctions costing £150K. The cost of the statutory consultation process remains the same (approximately £3K), whether we implement double yellow lines on one or multiple road junctions. It’s for this reason it is more cost effective to take a proactive approach and consider double yellow lines in a blanket approach rather than piecemeal.  

Page last updated: 03 October 2019