Malden Rushett residents will 'keep fighting' to make sure TfL does not forget them (From Kingston Guardian)

Malden Rushett residents will 'keep fighting' to make sure TfL does not forget them

4:08pm Thursday 10th March 2011 in Your Say

MRRA MALDEN RUSHETT RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION NEWSFLASH Dear Residents Recently you will have received an urgent flyer from the MRRA committee informing you about Transport for London coming to The South of Borough meeting at Southborough School, Hook Road, Surbiton. This meeting took place on the 9th March and David McKenna, regional planning manager (South) for Transport for London, came along with a colleague to give the audience a presentation on a new interim design for the Malden Rushett road junction.

Mr McKenna gave a very detailed presentation on the mechanics of the proposed interim design for those who may have been in the dark about the procedures adopted by TFL. For those of you who like me are somewhat ignorant of the procedures they use it would seem the case flow would be idea, commission, supplier, internal approval and last of all consultation.

In the case of the original scheme back in 2008 when we all thought our aspirations had in some part been met, this process had been worked through resulting the Kingston Council’s Planning department granting planning permission for the scheme to go ahead. Sadly, due to budget restraints (where have I heard that before) the scheme was not implemented and we were again left high and dry and no further forward.

As you know, the MRRA has been lobbying TFL and anybody else who would listen for the new design to be implemented. So, it has come to pass that TFL have now come up with a cheaper interim design they now want to start consultation on. Unfortunately this interim design does not include a pedestrian crossing for Fairoak Lane, as apparently they cannot afford it and we will have to now wait for the original scheme to be implemented for the pedestrian crossings to be put in place. No time span has been given for this and even should they resurrect the original design, it is now out of time and will have to go through the whole consultation process again, again costing the taxpayers (you and me) millions of pounds.

TFL are now starting a new consultation process whose objective is to ‘aid the flow of traffic’. No consideration has been given to a pedestrian crossing over Fairoak Lane as David McKenna explained to the audience that TFL’s main remit is to ensure the flow of traffic on TFL roads. It would seem from TFL’s point of view, pedestrian’s lives are secondary and less important than keeping the traffic moving! One very interesting point mentioned at the meeting is that David McKenna is head of Safer Routes for Schools at TFL! This is of course rather unfortunate for him as we have school children as well as other residents who have to cross over Fairoak Lane to Chessington and back again on a daily basis. There you have it and as one Malden Rushett resident asked at the end ‘What happens now’? Well, I can assure you as chairman that the MRRA will keep fighting on behalf of all our residents to make sure that TFL do not forget their obligations to Malden Rushett and in particular the monetary contributions our residents are required by law to give them.

Beryl Gibson 10th March 2011 Chairman Based on information supplied by Beryl Gibson.