Disabled and elderly people could be forced to walk long distances if Southwark Council decides to make Rye Lane one-way, say local campaigners.
The proposal, one of two options being suggested, would see Rye Lane become a one-way route, reducing bus services but also creating more space for pedestrians.
Eileen Conn, founder of local campaign group Peckham Vision, said: “One way for buses would be quite wrong. It’s one of the heaviest used stations in the country and Network Rail are going through the process to make it step free access only for the council to consider removing all the buses one way from the interchange with the station.
“Doing that would mean a long distance between the station and the bus on one half of the journey. People with walking difficulties, children, heavy luggage, or those walking late at night, do not want to be walking long distances.”
Southwark Council began consulting on July 18 and has been asking residents to consider two options through an online survey.
Option A would mean buses, taxis and bicycles are permitted in both directions – the current situation – and buses would operate as usual.
Option B would make Rye Lane a one-way route, reducing bus services but offering a chance to widen pedestrian footways. If approved, the scheme would go live in March 2023.
The council says buses travelling in the opposite direction would be rerouted around Rye Lane as they were during the pandemic.
But depending on which direction was closed, bus users would have to walk 600 metres from either the Nigel Road or Peckham Library bus stops to the station.
Ian Johncock, 69, a retired education consultant, said: “I live in East Dulwich and use the bus irregularly to go to Peckham Rye Station and this would mean the buses would only go one-way so the distance from the station to the bus-stop would increase.
“Some people will have to be faced with this walk every single day – it’s a seriously compromised proposal.”
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He believes that while people living near Peckham Rye station have been consulted, people living in Nunhead, Honor Oak and East Dulwich have not.
He says this is an oversight because people living in these areas also use buses that feed into Rye Lane.
To help social distancing during the pandemic, Rye Lane was closed to buses, cars and other vehicles except bicycles on July 6, 2020.
On October 18, 2021, the road was reopened to buses, taxis and bicycles travelling in both directions under.
Southwark Council says it re-opened Rye Lane under an eighteen month experimental traffic order. It says it is consulting on changes because the trial has been in place for nine months.
While the Peckham Rye Station Upgrade is a Network Rail project, the consultation on a one-way Rye Lane is a Southwark Council initiative.
Southwark Council said it would not comment given the consultation is live but invited people to come and speak to a member of the highways team at their pop-up session on Monday, September 5 2022, 2pm to 7pm at Rye Lane Baptist Chapel Hall, 59A Rye Lane, SE15 5EX. The hall is out the back of the Chapel up the side passage.
People can offer their views on the proposal here: https://consultations.southwark.gov.uk/environment-leisure/rye-lane-traffic/?fbclid=IwAR3C9uGUKKiKOXlpiko-qFyNFXx8jFLk7kA0VV9PYWx7B89BLz7NFulE6yE