Accident incident Report

We would be grateful if  members complete our incident form if they see any traffic collision as this will help provide data as to where the problems actually are.

November 2024

Working together with Shortland Residents Association Road Safety Working Group  our ‘Roads Working Party’ has produced the following documents containing proposals to improve the traffic situation in Shortlands Village.

PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS

Over the last two years or so Shortlands has benefitted from the installation of a number of new pedestrian crossings e.g. across Station Road, across Beckenham Lane by Valley School, across Hillside by Harris Primary Academy, and over Bromley Road outside Bishop Challoner School. These, alongside older crossings, have undoubtedly improved road safety locally, particularly for the young and vulnerable.

We have been monitoring the effectiveness of both the new and older crossings for some time, as well as liaising particularly with the local schools as to the benefits and any problems that have arisen. In fact, the schools report that they have not noticed any adverse safety issues with their zebra crossings and that, by and large, they are working well.

However, there remain concerns about other locations. These focus on visibility of and for pedestrians and that sometimes drivers approach the crossings too fast or even ignore them completely!

More precise details and proposals can be found here.

 SHORTLANDS STATION JUNCTIONS 

The management of traffic either side of and under Shortlands Railway Bridge has posed problems for Council traffic engineers for many years. They have experimented with many alternative plans to ease the congestion and improve road safety. 

The measures in place at present, including the new zebra crossing on Station Road, have undoubtedly improved safety to a degree, but we believe that more needs to be done and can be done. 

We have looked at options to improve the present arrangements, continuing to try to establish a balance between an effective traffic flow and enhanced road safety. 

There are still significant traffic jams from time to time, motorists in a hurry still jump red lights, especially emerging from Station Road and Ravensbourne Avenue, and crossing any of the roads at the junctions either side of the Bridge can still prove hazardous. 

The measures we propose, suitably integrated, should both ensure proper traffic flow and provide greater safety for pedestrians of all ages, particularly the most vulnerable.

More precise details and proposals can be found here.

SPEEDING

Bromley Council has a duty to manage the road network, to balance the flow of traffic with the safety of pedestrians and road users.  As a group, speeding is one of our main concerns, particularly on the roads used as rat runs.

There are currently only two speed checks per month in this ward, which may sometimes not be provided due to other priorities:

  • The Council needs to maintain the minimum
  • We propose that the minimum is increased whenever possible, and the associations will provide volunteers for the Roadwatch scheme to help with this

TFL is responsible for speed cameras across the whole of the Greater London area:

  • We encourage the Council to consult with TFL about increasing the number of speed cameras in the borough
  • Mobile cameras may be a more cost-effective option

The following areas have been identified as being of particular concern:

  • Hayes Lane
  • Bromley Road
  • Shortlands Road
  • Kingswood Road
  • St Mary’s Avenue/Cumberland Road
  • Ravensbourne Avenue/Farnaby Road
  • Bromley Avenue
  • Glassmill Lane/Queens Mead Road

As far as the last three areas are concerned, we have a specific suggestion for a traffic control priority system, with a widened pavement, which would address both speeding and pedestrians crossing these dangerous roads. Such a scheme is already in place at Churchfields and Kings Hall Roads in Beckenham.

                                      

 More precise details and proposals can be found here. 

January 2023

Ravensbourne Valley Quiet Scheme

Discussions are ongoing about the benefits of a Ravensbourne Valley Quiet Scheme - see details here including traffic surveys and extensive background information on the proposal, the, scale of the problem, the benefits such as scheme could bring, and how it could be implemented.