24 January (Part 1) - Update on Albion Road
Parts of Sidcup have been at a standstill thanks to Bexley Council’s regeneration works
and Thames Water, Abbey Wood has been at a standstill from the station approach
all the way back to the roundabout at Oakhampton Crescent due to the Wilton Road
regeneration works and British Gas and for good measure the traffic chaos around
Albion Road in Bexleyheath has become even worse without the help of any
utility company. All that is needed is Bexley Council and their contractor F.M. Conway.
Perhaps I should explain how the gas works in Abbey Road can be responsible for traffic queues a whole mile away. To avoid
the three way traffic lights at the foot of Knee Hill (see Photo), northbound traffic is turning fight into Woolwich Road at the
top of the hill and as anyone who has used that junction will tell you, only two
or three vehicles at the most can turn right before the lights change and while
waiting no one can go straight on. Hence the secondary peak hour queue back almost to Long Lane.
Wilton Road regeneration with Knee Hill queue in background
Today’s report on Albion Road comes from the same source as last week’s. A resident of Townley Road.
I thought Councillors, Council employees and subcontractors were all forbidden
to read your blog! (†) Well someone obviously has because the Having a Larf signs
about NOT OVERTAKING non-existent CYCLISTS in Albion
Road seem to have disappeared. Could be a coincidence of course but I do not much
believe in coincidences just happening without some human intervention.
Bexley Council or their contractors. have come up with an even better wheeze
today - dig a trench half across Townley Road just below the Albion Road
roundabout, then place barriers and cones all around and set up temporary traffic lights on
all approaches to the roundabout. Result from about 7 a.m. onwards; massive queues
approaching the roundabout from all directions viz. Albion Road East,
Albion Road West and Townley Road.
I had to stand in the road to hold up the traffic queue to create a gap so that my daughter
could get her car out of the driveway and then venture further across to check for traffic coming the
other way since her line of sight was completely blocked by the queue.
If this is going on for months perhaps I should invest in a Hi-vis jacket and a STOP
sign on a pole like the school crossing people use.
Have sympathy for the 269 and B13 bus drivers as they have had to crawl
all the way up Townley Road to reach the Library bus stop then circumnavigate the Premier Inn and rejoin yet another queue in Albion Road.
Oh Well!! Only another nine months or so to go.
Andrew Bashford told the Transport Users’ Sub-Committee
that significant disruption would only occur towards the end of the works, not in week two!
P.S. Here’s another one…
Massive traffic jam today in Bexleyheath. 4-way lights at Townley Road junction!
I’m sure many people will avoid the area, which will have a bad effect on local businesses.
† It’s read within Council offices on mobile phones. How cauld they ban that? Further
proof if any was needed that the top people at Bexley Council are not very bright.