Cedarhurst Drive Eltham is 'accident waiting to happen'

Cedarhurst Drive sits just west of Eltham in Greenwich borough.

Miriam Crozier, 78, has lived on Cedarhurst Drive with her husband Andrew, 79, for the past 22 years.

The couple claimed that parking on their road has become a recurring issue since the nearby Sutcliffe Park Sports Centre opened, as well as the rising popularity of the park itself.

Cedarhurst Drive

She said drivers regularly park on both sides of the narrow road, sometimes leaving locals ‘imprisoned’ in their driveways.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It’s inconsiderate parking, so we’ve had people park across driveways or blocked it so people can’t get out… We get people from over there who come and leave the car for two or three weeks because they have gone on holiday.”

The local said that the street’s location between Eltham Road and the South Circular Road has also led to it being used as a rat run by drivers.

She claimed that speeding cars alongside the lines of parked vehicles has led to a number of near head-on collisions on the road.

She said: “We’ve been saying for a long time that because we get this channel of cars parked on either side of that stretch of the road and you’ve got people charging through here, it’s waiting for an enormous accident to happen.”

Ms Crozier has sent a petition on the issue to Greenwich Council, asking for a 20 mile per hour zone and a residents-only parking scheme on the street.

Labour Councillor Rachel Taggart-Ryan, who represents the Middle Park and Horn Park ward, said at a council meeting on July 24 that all 47 households on the street had signed the petition.

Cllr Taggart-Ryan said at the meeting: “It has recently been completely blighted by excessive speed, commuter parking and parking for Sutcliffe Park, which has reduced access for residents to their own streets, and the danger of people going down this very small residential street at speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour.”

Ms Crozier claims she has since received a response from Greenwich Council that confirmed it would be moving ahead with plans to introduce a 20 mile per hour zone.

The move would see speed bumps being added along the road as well as speed limit signs.

The resident said she was pleased with the result but would like to see action taken to curb the excessive parking too, such as a controlled parking zone or similar scheme.

She added that she plans on starting a residents’ association to tackle other issues that have arisen on the street, which included excessive weeds and litter.

She said: “They come into our road, they need a pee so it goes in a bottle and it’s chucked out of the window [of the car]. All the rest of their sandwiches and bits of detritus is just chucked out the window and left… The people in the end houses say that they frequently have rubbish just chucked into their gardens.”

She added: “Our road just isn’t clean, our paving stones are in a terrible state. We just feel totally neglected.”

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the excessive parking on the street did not particularly irritate them.

However, they said they were happy to hear the council was reportedly looking into adding speed bumps in the area, claiming a large volume of drivers use the road as a rat run.

They told the LDRS: “That’s a real issue because they come in and it’s like a racetrack honestly. There’s kids that play outside and it’s just really seriously dangerous.”

He added: “When you get around the corner you can’t see what’s coming, so speed bumps are welcome from our point of view.”

Chris Palmer, 40, has lived on Cedarhurst Drive for 20 years. He said parking on the street has become more difficult since the pandemic, especially on weekends, but also maintained that speeding was of a greater concern to residents.

He told the LDRS: “[It’s a worry] because we have kids that play on the close. It’s a concern.”

A Greenwich Council spokesperson told the LDRS that the authority could not prevent individuals who chose to drive over the speed limit and encouraged residents to report speeding vehicles to the police.

They added that the council inspects all roads and footways on a rolling three-month programme to ensure safety issues are identified and to allow repairs to be carried out.

They said: “It’s our mission to make sure that our borough is full of vibrant, attractive areas that make people feel proud to live in.

"We sympathise with the residents of Cedarhurst Drive and thank them for raising these issues – we will review the points made in their petition before responding directly when appropriate.”

They added: “But, in line with our Transport Strategy and Road Safety Policy Framework Action Plan, we are committed to Vision Zero: for all deaths and serious injuries from road collisions to be eliminated from our streets.

"We are prioritising safety measures in residential streets to reduce traffic, including introducing 20 miles per hour zones and speed humps, as well as warning signs against fly-tipping.”

The spokesperson said that highway issues could be reported to the authority online and that the authority’s new borough-wide Sustainable Streets Programme will consider new and existing permit parking schemes. 

They claimed this would ensure on-street parking was prioritised for residents and businesses, and said Cedarhurst Drive will be considered for inclusion in the next phase of the scheme.