Vauxhall Pleasure

The Vauxhall Society

http://www.vauxhallsociety.org.uk/

Vauxhall Cross Interchange

Changes to the road layout at Vauxhall Cross to accommodate the new transport interchange are now almost complete and work on the Bondway Bus Station has begun, together with improvements to pedestrian and cycle circulation, landscaping – including new trees – and improved street lighting. All bus routes will run through Bondway so that changes can be made without crossing a road.

Vision 4 Vauxhall and the Vauxhall Society have raised concerns with Transport for London about the loss of ramp access from the railway station to the Tube and about possible problems with shared use of crossings by pedestrians and cyclists.

AUGUST:

Sat 9
THE DUCHY OF CORNWALL ESTATE, KENNINGTON: walk with Nicholas Long. Meet outside St Anselm ’ s Church, Kennington Cross at 2.3Opm. The Vauxhall Society

Tue 12
LAMBETH BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS COMMITIEE meets at the Town Ha1l, Acre Lane SW2: 7.0pm.

St George, Vauxhall, and Brunswick House

In October 2002, St George South London Limited, developers of the Effra site at Vauxhall submitted a planning application to Lambeth Council for alterations to their St George Wharf development.

The changes include proposals for a 180 metre high 50-storey residential tower just behind the Grade II* listed Brunswick House which stands on the comer of Wandsworth Road and Nine Elms Lane. The Tower would be of a slender circular form and is designed to be energy efficient. The Vauxhall Society has objected to the proposal, which represents a substantial over-development of the site. Brunswick House, which is in a poor state of repair was used for many years as a social club by the Railway workers ’ Union, but has recently been sold, and we understand that Lambeth Council has served a repairs notice on the new owners. We have also heard that a suggestion has been put forward that the building should be moved to a new site at Camberwell!
——
High levels of atmospheric pollution (for example at Vauxhall Cross) should be reduced. Much of this imposes local disadvantage for the benefit of those passing through. In Policy 3A20 Insert ‘and of existing and planned private and freight motor transport, ’ between ‘development proposals’ and ‘as a mechanism’

London Plan Matter 2A: Quality of Life – London’s People: education, health, employment, recreation

Written evidence from the Vauxhall Society
The civic society for the north of Lambeth (from and including Stockwell)and adjacent parts of Wandsworth and Southwark.
20 Albert Square London SW8 1BS
PARTICIPANT 602

In the short term, it should be required that any significant public transport improvement schemes incorporate ‘access for all’: proper disabled and less abled access, ie access which does not necessitate use of stairs or an attended/keyed lift. The Vauxhall Cross transport interchange currently being constructed would need more escalators down to the tube platforms and improved access with escalators from the rail station down to street level and then down to the tube to achieve increased capacity and access for all. It is already crowded even before St George’s current development at the Effra site on the river is completed. The interchange scheme is actually making the access from outside the station to the tube worse, with the alternatives of a ramp and stairs at present being replaced by stairs and a single lift which requires a key to open it, so that there is not only less access, but it is being made more difficult for anyone burdened, inform or with a pushchair. Standards and requirements such as we propose would have prevented this.

POLICY 3C14 Add to the aims:

reduce private car and lorry traffic in the areas surrounding the congestion charging zone’
Include powered cycles in congestion charging, possibly at half price.’
Consider extending charging zone to the whole of London Transport Zone 1, which should be extended to include Kennington and Oval tubes, consider doubling the congestion charge and giving a 50% discount to Freedom Pass holders and include a free Zone 1 Travelcard. ’

This would encourage public transport use during the day even by those who had driven in.

POLICY 3C15. 20 mph limit should be applied throughout the congestion charging zone and in all but the most main roads (ie A roads and above) in the whole Greater London area. There should be no 40mph zones. The 20mph limit should gradually be extended to all roads including main roads, first in Central London and then wider.

POLICY 3C16. Continue the use of zebra crossings away from road junctions. These allow walkers to cross when they want to and other traffic not to be held up unnecessarily. Moving to exclusive use of crossings with traffic lights tells motor traffic that it owns the road most of the time.

Para 3c.41 Remove all barriers to pedestrian movement on the public highway especially kerbside railings, which increase danger by making motorists think they own the road and do not deter many pedestrians from jumping over to avoid massive detours. Replace all bollards with D cycle locking things.

POLICY 3C19 Amend point 2 to read ‘ensure that routes and crossings are segregated from pedestrians as far as practicable, including by separating paths with white lines, but are not isolated’
London Plan Sub Matter 5a: Transport, Strategy and Priorities

Air Quality

We are concerned that this is not being discussed. Monitoring and reduction of airborne pollution is inadequate, especially at main road junctions such as Vauxhall Cross.

London Plan Matter 7: Waste and recycling