Decision details

(1)  Construction of a raised table at the roundabout junction of Loop Road and Ashfield Lane is approved due to the ongoing incidence of injury accidents, notwithstanding previous interventions at or around the junction.

(2)  To enable completion of the project during 2019/20, an allocation of £60k is authorised from the LIP casualty and road danger reduction budget.

(3)  Authority is delegated to the Executive Director of Environment and Community Services, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder and Ward Members, to approve the scheme’s detailed design.

Approval is given to construct a raised table at the mini-roundabout junction of Loop Road and Ashfield Lane, Chislehurst in response to a number of collisions at the junction and their pattern.

The mini-roundabout has been a particular safety concern for many years; the carriageways of Ashfield Lane and Loop Road at their intersection in the middle of Chislehurst common are narrow, carrying a reasonably high volume of traffic, including buses. Vehicles are often seen over-running corners or being driven close to the edge of the carriageway.

The mini-roundabout was originally implemented to reduce collisions and speed at the junction but personal injury collisions have continued even though further alterations have been made e.g. realignment to the kerbs for increased deflection and buff surfacing on approaches.

The general arrangement for the proposed table is outlined in draft drawing 12893-01 Rev B appended to Report ES19033. Although the Council has a preference for non-vertical schemes to reduce speed, no viable alternative is apparent to reduce injury collisions at the junction. A raised table will slow vehicles at the mini-roundabout and afford drivers increased time to assess whether a manoeuvre is safe.

Bollards will be required to deter vehicles from over running the footway given a very low upstand between the kerb and carriageway from a raised table. With the bollards needing to be 450mm from the kerb edge, the footways will need widening slightly at the junctions to allow pedestrian access, particularly pedestrians with mobility issues and push chairs. Initial approval has been received from the Trustees of Chislehurst Common to use small amounts of Common Land for the footway widening. Before the scheme is implemented, the detailed design will need to be approved by the Trustees.

The proposal is estimated to cost £60k to be funded from an allocation of £574k for casualty reduction and road danger reduction in the 2019/20 LIP budget agreed by TfL. Future maintenance costs will be contained within existing highway maintenance budgets.