Beckenham improvements work update week beginning 26 March 2018

Improvement Works Update courtesy of F M Conway, contractor for the works.

Phase 4 works 116 to 180 High Street.

Completed works

• Paving and kerbing has continued towards Leather Alley. Bus Stop J near the junction of Fairfield Road and the High Street has undergone a temporary treatment until bespoke materials are installed.

Next week’s works.

• Footway work will be continued between Specsavers to the Lidl pedestrian crossing traffic lights.

Hours of Operation

In order to maintain access to all shop entrances pavement laying will have to be conducted out of normal hours between 18pm and 20pm on some days. We do understand that this can be a nuisance and FM Conway will endeavour to keep noise disturbance to a minimum during these times.

During the Easter weekend FM Conway’s contractors will be working on the Friday and Saturday but not Easter Sunday or Monday.

Work by other contractors in Beckenham

Contractors not connected with the project have been working outside Card Factory and the side alley. Thames Water will be on site 3/4/18 to 6/04/18 to connect the new water to the flats above The Card Factory. UKPN have some extra work to complete in the alleyway between Miso and the Card Factory. The reinstatement of the paving outside The Card Factory will be completed by FM Conway.

Traffic Management

Two directional traffic from the junction of Bromley Road / Church Avenue / High Street south to Thornton’s Corner cannot resume because of safety concerns. If it were to be reintroduced some vehicles would be forced on to Burnhill Road and Kelsey Square. This would potentially include HGVs which would be particularly unsatisfactory.

The completed scheme

Feedback from the community has revealed that there are some incorrect preconceptions about the scheme.

• The High Street will not be pedestrianised. Improvements will however greatly improve the pedestrian environment with wider pavements, improved lighting and more and better road crossings.

• After the improvements are complete the High Street will revert to two way traffic as prior to the improvements. The larger widenings such as the North-West corner of Thornton’s Corner have been designed to enable the largest road vehicles to comfortably navigate the corner in both directions. Changes to the vehicle stop lines and traffic signalling will enable vehicles to use the reduced road space with minimal impacts on traffic flows.

• No existing bus stops will be removed from the High Street. All bus stops will however be improved and will become fully disabled accessible. In order to create sufficient waiting space for passengers some bus stops will be located on what is the highway at present.

• The scheme will not introduce shared surfaces where the footway and road surface will be on the same level. Throughout the scheme a kerb will be retained between the pavement and the road and the pedestrian areas will be a traditional pavement above vehicular areas except at crossing places.

• Many of the parking spaces are inset into the paving (achieved by widening the paving not reducing it). They are flush with the pavement to avoid a trip hazard kerb.

Further information can be found at www.bromley.gov.uk/beckenhamimprovements