Active travel projects and traffic calming measures planned for Croydon have been announced.

Croydon Council published its three-year funding bid for Transport for London (TfL).

The proposals for £23 million of funding would see a continuation of the healthy streets concept and new infrastructure across the borough.

There is a particular emphasis on improving street safety, with a specific focus on areas with high collision rates. Accessibility of travel is another area where Croydon is calling for more TfL funding.

The council’s Local Implementation Plan (LIP), approved at a cabinet meeting last Wednesday, November 20, covers a range of areas and will work alongside the council’s existing Reconnect Croydon and town centre redevelopment project.

The bid is subject to TfL’s approval in March 2025.

Under the plans, areas like Addiscombe East and West will see more traffic calming measures.

Cycle routes between major green areas will also be improved, and the council is also seeking extra funding for cycle safety training.

After introducing the LIP, the Cabinet Member for Streets and Environment, Scott Roche, told the chamber: “The plan is about making our streets safer, healthier and more welcoming for all.

“It focuses on improving the safety of our roads, particularly near schools. Improving the safety of cycling through cycle training, helping to provide people with the skills they need to cycle safely on our streets.”

The council has insisted that while the TfL’s LIP grant will be used for significant transport improvements, it cannot be used for routine maintenance or renewal of highway assets, including fixing potholes. 

Here is a breakdown of the main projects targeted in the LIP and how they will look:

Healthy Streets Improvements

The council plans to further its healthy street initiatives in the coming years. The healthy street concept focuses on reducing traffic in residential areas and making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Addiscombe East and West will see the following improvements:

  • Improved footways (including zebra and signal-controlled pedestrian and cycle crossings and pedestrian crossings), continuous footways, level access for pedestrians
  • Public realm improvements, including tree planting, seating and on-street cycle parking
  • Sustainable drainage systems
  • Point closures to reduce traffic flows in local streets
  • Monitioring and modification

The council will also continue adjustments to existing healthy neighbourhoods to improve conditions in Wentworth and priority roads adjacent to the Sutherland Healthy Neighbourhood.

It will increase traffic reduction measures and include potential adjustments to two roads, which may include ANPR access restrictions or one-way systems to stem traffic flow to lessen congestion and improve conditions for both pedestrians and cyclists.

It will continue with its rolling programme, Healthy School Streets, and identify new areas to implement it. Healthy School Streets are roads with timed access restrictions for most motor vehicles at school start and finish times.

Walking and Cycling

Croydon has called on TfL for over £3m of funding to improve cycle and walking corridors between a number of key green spaces in the borough. These routes would include protected routes on busier roads, new cycle crossings (parallel or toucan crossings) and an upgrade of informal crossings to parallel or toucan crossings.

The three focus areas are:

  • Mitcham Common to Wandle Park 
  • Lloyd Park to Addington Park 
  • Lloyd Park to South Norwood Country Park

Croydon has also called for funding to deliver 10 cycle hangars across the borough each year for the next three years. They hope this will discourage bikes from being stored in inappropriate locations.

The Council has also asked for £228k to deliver cycle training for children and adults to increase confidence and improve road safety. This training would be available to council tenants and those in areas of deprivation, near traffic reduction areas, or near a strategic cycle network.

Safer Streets

During its pre-report consultation, the council identified several road safety priority areas across the boroughs. These areas have experienced several collisions in recent years. 

As a result, Croydon has called for nearly £2m for safer street improvements. These would include creating new crossings and improving junctions.

The four focus areas are:

  • Lower Addiscombe Road
  • Brigstock Road 
  • Portland Road 
  • Crown Point 

Bus improvements

Being an outer London borough with no tube stations to boast, it is unsurprising that Croydon has asked TfL for over £10m to fund bus improvements over the next three years. These improvement projects focus on two main areas.

Better Bus Partnership 

  • This will review bus operations (including stops, stands and routeing) in Croydon Town Centre. The initial area of investigation will be the alignment of Croydon’s SL5 and SL7 SuperLoop services to improve passenger interchange. 

Bus Priority: Kent Gateway

  • Improvements will be delivered at the Addington Village interchange (the Kent Gateway) to reduce bus journey time delays and improve access.

Along with these changes, Croydon has also asked for nearly £6m to fund the planned public realm improvements in the town centre and along busy areas. These improvements will complement the council’s existing Reconnect Croydon plan, for which it won a £18.5m levelling up fund bid last year.

In particular, the council has called for TfL funding to improve pedestrian and cycling connectivity between Croydon’s central hubs and more wayfinding. It has also called for funding for it’s existing connectivity and accessibility projects on Brighton Road and London Road.

In a statement announcing the LIP, Mayor Jason Perry said: “Residents really value Croydon’s excellent transport links and I want to make sure that everyone is benefitting from them, by improving connections right across our borough.

“Our proposals are about making it quicker, easier and safer for people to travel around by bus, bike and on foot, and improving our roads for all users.

“I also want us to work with partners to ensure these transport upgrades improve the look and feel of our public places, helping to make them safer, more accessible and more attractive for everyone.”