Petition at junction near Kidbrooke station where woman died

Residents have claimed they are scared to cross the road in the area and have labelled the crossing a ‘lethal trap’.

The junction sits at the intersection of Kidbrooke Park Road and Pegler Square, just beside Kidbrooke train station.

Flowers were left at the junction after the crash

A woman in her 60s died at the junction on October 1 after being hit by a motorbike, with the motorcyclist having since been arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving.

Data from Transport for London (TfL) shows there have been two other fatalities on Kidbrooke Park Road since 2022.

Charlie Fancy, 25, has lived in Kidbrooke just over a year and often uses the junction with Pegler Square to take her daughter to the park.

She said speeding is a common issue in the area and several crossings on Kidbrooke Park Road could be managed better.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It’s scary when you’re trying to cross the road, especially with a buggy because it’s just coming off of the [A2] motorway so cars come really fast around the corner.”

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said traffic in the area has become more prevalent as more homes have been built.

The junction

They said accidents can easily happen at the Pegler Square junction and she would like to see barriers being added to the road to protect pedestrians.

They told the LDRS: “The main problem is people coming off the motorway at 50 miles per hour straight into an area with a nursery and two schools so it’s a bit of a lethal trap.”

Labour Councillor Sandra Bauer, representing the Kidbrooke Village and Sutcliffe ward for Greenwich Council, started a petition last week following the tragic incident.

Cllr Baeur has started a petition to encourage speed calming measures to be added to the junction

The campaign calls on TfL, which manages Kidbrooke Park Road, to add speed reduction measures to the route’s junction with Pegler Square, with the petition having received over 300 signatures so far.

Cllr Bauer told the LDRS: “It’s just really frustrating that this is still as bad as it is. It’s always been bad but it’s just got so much worse… The residents in these blocks facing it – and there are a lot of them – will cite the noise of traffic, the screech of brakes a lot of the time – the noise that a speeding vehicle will make.”

The ward councillor said residents have frequently voiced their concerns to her on the danger that the crossing poses to families in the area.

She added that she would like to see the road narrowed in an effort to relieve the volume of traffic that actively passes through the junction.

She said: “We need action now and we can’t wait. People will come back and tell you that in the longer term this will change but lives are being lost and we can’t have another family lose a member. It’s just horrific.”

Penny Rees, TfL’s head of Healthy Streets investment and delivery, told the LDRS that the transport authority used a data-led approach to reducing danger and targeting investment in safety.

She said TfL continues to monitor roads across Greenwich and regularly meets with representatives of local communities to discuss proposed changes.

She said: “Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the woman killed after being hit by a motorbike in Kidbrooke.

Reducing danger on roads across the capital is a vital part of our Vision Zero commitment to eliminate death and serious injury and we will work with the police on their investigation into this collision to understand the causes behind it and learn any lessons.”