Even at the best of times, Bexley is a very difficult place in which to move
around. For out of town readers I should explain that it is divided East to West
by three railway lines bridged only on the few main North to South roads. Add to
that the A2 and A20 trunk roads with even fewer crossing points. The
A2 has four but one is on a minor road that doesn’t go anywhere useful and the
other so far to the west as to be useful to very few of us.
North to South the river Cray divides us and there can be a couple of miles
between bridges. The borough is a large number of self contained and isolated
blocks with no easy way of travelling beyond the adjacent one. Until the coming of Crossrail and the 301 bus there was no way to travel the three miles
from Abbey Wood into
Bexleyheath in much under 40 minutes.
My regular car journey from Abbey Wood to Bromley offers only three routes. Via
Sidcup’s Elm Road with the option of a short cut through The Green, via Sidcup
Hill and Footscray or though Bexley Village and North Cray Road.
At the time of writing North Cray Road and The Green are completely blocked by
Thames Water while Elm Road has been partially blocked by them since January
with no prospect of relief until April 2027. Meanwhile Footscray is blocked by
temporary traffic lights at its only crossroads. Thames Water again. Everywhere you go you hit a
tailback that extends over traffic light junctions which get blocked and no one goes anywhere.
On top of which Bexley has a Highways Department that believes restricting road
widths and parking bays opposite bus stops is the way forward.
It is not much better in Bromley where a cash strapped Council has installed
five Yellow Box Junctions on my route within the past eight months or so.
Note: The Footscray disruption is due to be suspended this
afternoon.