Bridge Road Roundabout
There are many instances of incompetence and the wasting public money on traffic schemes that are ill thought out and green unfriendly, but possibly none more so than the story of Bridge Road...
"A prime location for a roundabout that would have literally saved thousands of miles for motorists every year!"
Advantages Considerable! For many years it has been very apparent to people living and working in Slade Green that a roundabout at the junction of Bridge Road and Northend Road would be invaluable. The advantages of such a scheme are considerable. We first wrote to Bexley Council in 2001.
Prime location for a roundabout, the absence of which causes considerable wastage, congestion, and inconvenience
Alleviate Traffic For Residents! As well as saving time and money, there are many other advantages also to having a roundabout at the top of Bridge Road. It would help alleviate traffic in residential side roads and reduce congestion along Northend Road and on the Thames Road / Northend Road roundabout.
Crying Out! Bridge Road roundabout would be of tremendous benefit to all people coming and going from Slade Green, and yet our local authority would rather spend our money on making a mess. Why can't we have our money spent on things that are helpful and that we need as opposed to things that are unhelpful that we don't?
Looking down Bridge Road at the location of the desired roundabout.
The list of advantages is extensive...
- Quicker and easier access to and from Slade Green
- Less peak time congestion build up along Northend Road, both directions
- Less traffic and congestion on the Thames Road / Northend Road roundabout
- Less traffic along Howbury Lane and Whitehall Lane
- Less traffic build up along Manor Way
- Less traffic using Newbery Road and the Nursery to cut through to Erith
- Traffic calming effect on Northend Road
- Less wasted time
- Less wasted fuel
- Less vehicle wear and tear
- Less pollution emission
Not Interested! Despite all of the advantages, correspondence with Bexley Council over this issue seems to indicate that they had no grasp of what was being said, nor did they wish to heed common sense or public feeling.
Correspondence with Bexley Council regarding this issue...
News Article...
The following two photographs are taken looking out from Bridge Road, at the site of the desired roundabout. Currently vehicles wishing to come into Slade Green have to travel a further mile to the next roundabout and back and sometimes have to sit in the half mile traffic jam shown opposite before they can get to get there.
After sitting in a half mile traffic jam, shown opposite, motorists eventually arrive at the Larner Rd roundabout.
Arriving at the Larner Rd roundabout, but once you can get round it's still a half mile back to Bridge Rd, the gateway to Slade Green.