Transport & Sustainability News

Subway removal

24 April 2007

The proposal to remove the southern roundabout and subways at the Elephant & Castle (and their replacement by a signalised junction and surface level pedestrian crossings) formed part of the Elephant and Castle Supplementary Planning Guidance adopted by the Council in February 2004.

The highways are the responsibility of Transport for London (TfL), whose consent has to be secured before any works can proceed. Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has recently confirmed commitment to the project in a written response to a question from London Assembly member Jenny Jones, in which he stated:

“TfL has been working closely with Southwark Council and its consultants and will continue to do so. Both organisations are working constructively toward a positive outcome. The project involves the removal of the existing roundabout at the junction with Walworth Road and Newington Butts. It will be replaced with a new signalised junction that includes pedestrian crossing facilities on all arms. Such an arrangement will provide better facilities for pedestrians and cycling."

This is a very important project, which involves a very significant change for London's inner ring road, and congestion charge boundary. The introduction of signalling will inevitably have an impact on pedestrian and traffic flow as well as over 30 bus routes. So it is vital that time is spent now getting the detail absolutely right to ensure that the infrastructure changes run smoothly.

Southwark Council is pressing TfL for the earliest possible formal sign off of these plans, so work can commence on the removal of the much hated subways as soon as possible. The introduction of congestion charging and alterations to the way in which TfL assess schemes has had an impact on the timetable for delivering the project.

The timescales are frustrating for everyone, but hang in there, you will see progress this year.