A safer Elmbourne Road & Dr Johnson Av - to improve walking and cycling conditions

There has been widespread talk for a significant amount of time by people who use Tooting Common about the possibilities of re-incorporating Dr Johnson Avenue back into the common. At present the road acts as a cut through for commuter motor traffic coming from Streatham heading to Balham and beyond. At the weekends, when the weather is clement, it often acts as an overflow car park. This petition is asking for a trial to see if Dr Johnson Av can be re-incorporated into the common, and to see if we can stop rat-running along Elmbourne road. This will allow local residents an opportunity to experience their streets and the common in a different way and see if it delivers the proposed benefits. The dots on the picture represent where flower planters could be placed to act as a physical barrier to through motor traffic whilst still allowing, people on bikes, on foot, in wheelchairs or mobility scooters the opportunity to continue to pass through.

On the basis of experience elsewhere, the changed layout should:
Reduce volume of non-residential traffic using our streets, including Elmbourne Road.
Make it safer for local residents, and users of the common.
Reduce pot holes
Make a more quiet and pleasant local environment.

If towards the end of the trial local residents feel that it has not been an improvement then it will be easy to re-instate the current layout.

Important to note that this petition is supported by both Wandsworth Living Streets (http://wandsworthlivingstreets.org) & Wandsworth Cycling Campaign (http://www.wandsworthcyclists.org.uk). Also endorsed by Merton Living Streets, Merton Cycling Campaign and Merton Seniors Forum whose members do travel through the area.

It offers a practical way in which we can create Space for Cycling (#Space4Cycling), and improve the public realm for relatively little expense.