CROYDON STATIONS TO MOVE INTO ZONE FOUR? / 20MPH LIMIT PROPOSALS FOR CROYDON / NEW DRUG-DRIVE LAWS A BIG STEP FORWARD SAY INSTITUTE
CROYDON STATIONS TO MOVE INTO ZONE FOUR?
Moves to rezone East Croydon and West Croydon stations as ‘zone four’ stations are being actively considered by Transport for London, say Labour.
In a letter received by Mr Reed, Vernon Everitt (Managing Director of TfL, Marketing and Communications) says they are investigating the “potential cost” of rezoning East and West Croydon stations and will be writing to the Labour MP again in June with an update.
In what Labour call a “further boost” Mr Everitt also compared Reed and Jones’ campaign to the one in Stratford which was successfully rezoned in 2014 as part of major regeneration plans on a similar scale to those now being championed by Croydon’s Labour council.
Sarah Jones said: “After months of campaigning and a hugely positive response from people across Croydon, it’s great to see TfL are now considering the case for rezoning East and West Croydon stations in zone 4.
“I’ll keep pushing for this with TfL as an important way to boost Croydon’s regeneration plans and to demand that Croydon’s commuters get a fairer deal.”
Mr Reed said: “It’s great news that Transport for London are looking at how we could rezone East and West Croydon stations.
“Sarah and I have been banging the drum to re-zone Croydon and now we’re beginning to make some progress. It worked for Stratford, and the size of Croydon’s regeneration plans means there’s a similar case to be made for Croydon.
“Labour launched this campaign, it’s won massive local support, and Labour will keep campaigning for this change that could potentially save Croydon commuters over £330 each a year at a time when London’s Tory mayor keeps putting up the price of commuting.” (Source:Steve Reed MP’s website)
20MPH LIMIT PROPOSALS FOR CROYDON
Most residential roads in Croydon could get 20mph limits if residents back council proposals being discussed next week.
On Monday (16th) the council’s cabinet will decide whether to look into setting up widespread 20mph limits through consulting the borough’s residents, businesses and key groups.
If the consultation is approved, it would be done in stages across different areas of the borough, starting this spring by asking local people in the north.
Extensive 20mph limits reduce the risk of accidents, cut congestion and pollution levels, encourage less car use and discourage rat-running in quieter streets.
The plans mainly focus on residential streets, and would not include key through roads or red routes controlled by Transport for London.
If the consultation finds enough locals want a 20mph speed limit in their part of the borough, the council will start the formal process of setting this up.
Once in place, the council would monitor traffic speeds within the 20mph roads. If speeding remains an issue, options include police enforcement and traffic calming measures.
Councillor Kathy Bee, the council’s cabinet member for transport and the environment, said: “Safer roads mean safer residents, and we’re exploring 20mph limits so our borough is a better place to live and work.
“However, we’ll only do this if our residents want it to happen. This change could bring a huge improvement to the lives of thousands of our residents plagued by speeding drivers, but getting it right means consulting properly.
“We plan to assess demand one area at a time over the next three years, starting with residents in the north who already tell us speeding is a problem there.”
The council would consult neighbouring authorities on any proposed 20mph limits that include roads straddling borough boundaries.
The council’s £1.5m project is funded by a larger Transport for London grant to improve road safety in Croydon. (Source: Croydon council press release.)
NEW DRUG-DRIVE LAWS A BIG STEP FORWARD SAY INSTITUTE
The introduction of new drug-driving laws is ‘a big step forward for road safety’, say the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM)
A new offence of driving while over the prescribed limit of certain drugs was introduced at the beginning of the month.
“For the first time ever limits have been set for illegal drugs including heroin, cocaine, LSD and cannabis as well as a number of medicinal drugs including morphine and methadone” said IAM in a statement.
“The new procedure will bring detection of drug driving into line with the widely understood drink driving enforcement procedure.
“Police will no longer need to prove that driving was impaired. “They will simply obtain a blood sample and show that any of the specified drugs are present above the prescribed limit.
“Roadside drugalysers (or an impairment test) can be used in the first instance to test drivers – all this is broadly similar to the way drink/driving processes have operated in the past.”
The IAM added that in the case of prescribed and over-the-counter medication users should read the accompanying information very carefully, to see if the prescribed dosage will impair a driver’s ability to control their vehicle.
Estimates suggest as many as 200 drug driving related deaths occur every year in the British Isles, say the IAM.
Surveys suggest that one in ten young male drivers have driven under the influence of cannabis, and 370,000 have driven under the influence of class A drugs (1).
Sarah Sillars, IAM chief executive officer, said: “The IAM has always stated there should be no doubt to drivers and riders as to what the correct course of action should be; no-one should be driving while under the influence of alcohol or any illegal drugs in your system.
“Many drugs impair the senses to a massive degree – if you are not in full control of your vehicle, you become a severe danger to yourself, your passengers and other road users.
“It is a self-centred action and those committing it are now being punished with the full force of the law. “Now at last, there is a real deterrent.
“We also urge drivers and riders not to forget how prescription drugs can affect your ability to control a vehicle. “Don’t ignore the instructions and think you know better.”
The IAM’s policy statement on drugs and driving can be found at: http://iam.org.uk/policydrugsdriving (Source: IAM press release.)
