I have probably missed something on the forum about it some time ago, but have to ask.

What is with TfL taking out all the roadside railings? London Road, Stansted Road , Waldram Park Road and so on.

Just wondered if there had been a safety issue, or a sudden change of heart about them all.

Anyone else noticed them slowly disappearing?

It could be part of TFL's desire to declutter streets as is happening in some areas of London. It is supposed to lead to safer streets wuthe road usears being more aware of pedestrians.

I dont think they have factored in the "quality" of driving in SE London though.

I assumed it was to make space for the growing numbers of street hurdles (cycle racks) that keep blocking my path down the London Road obstacle course.

Cheers for the replies guys.

lol @ the hurdles Michael, I know exactly what you mean!

Londondrz, I think you are probably right about the reasoning behind it. Sadly all I have noticed so far is pedestrians throwing themselves into the road in front of cars from a wider range of places now lol.

While I dont agree with the herding of pedestrians, at times I do think some need a little guidance.

There are some places, like at the crossing by the Co-op that they made sense to have there.

Just have to see how it all turns out I guess

I'm, on balance, in favour of barriers.
They regularly get crumpled and hopefully are doing their job of bringing drunk/mad/asleep drivers to a safe stop, without killing anyone.
They stop parking on the pavement too.

But perhaps pedestrians(/cyclists) are getting caught on the wrong side and getting crushed as they have no-where to go.

I'm sure tfl have done loads of research ..... then picked the cheapest option.

They could use bouncy barriers like the keep left signs up Perry Hill!
If they get knocked down, I just push them back up.

How very Chumbawamba

This Christmas classic by Juan Schwartz is more relevant:
dead dead dead

"So look long at that Christmas tree
It may be the last one that you see...."

I like the view from one side of the barrier there lol.

The barriers are also there to stop pedestrians running out in the road at random and dangerous points, to stop kids running out of parks straight into the road, and also of shops etc.

IF pedestrians are getting caught on the wrong side of them, that suggests they are crossing the road in the wrong places

I agree, there is an element there to prevent cars mounting pavements for parking and if losing control, but lets see both sides of the fence here eh

lol @ TfL researching then going for the cheap option.
That makes me wonder if the price of scrap steel is still high, maybe they are getting funds together bu scrapping them

Barriers are being removed all across London, HOORAH!!

Barriers are counter productive in terms of safety. They lull people into a false sense of security, and drivers tend to drive faster and not look out for pedestrians.

Rid London of all barriers!!

Let's go the whole hog!!

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/a...-reborn.do

I agree a lot of barriers are counterproductive. A person vaulting into the path of a car is less predictable than one running.

But im not sure about barriers causing drivers to drive faster though. I certainly dont feel safer to drive fast because there are barriers. Although I guess it would lower peoples alertness, not expecting people to appear in the road if the pavement and road are divided.

As a cyclist I am thrilled that barriers are being removed. The vast majority of cycling fatalities in this country happen on left turns where the cyclist gets crushed by lorry where the driver couldn't see them. For the record, I'm not having a go at lorry drivers - it's not their fault if a cyclist is in their blind spot - undertaking on a left turn is asking for trouble.

However, if the cyclist can get off the road before getting squished then everybody's happy - a cyclist can't get off the road if there's a barrier between them and the pavement.

I had to haul back a young lady who decided to cross at the lights outside FH station yesterday. She decided that even though the pedestrian light was red there were no cars coming down the hill. Grabbed her just before she was squashed by a motorcycle coming from the Dartmouth Road side.

Muppets like that will allways be Darwin Awards winners.

I'm in favour of the removal of barriers, however, there still needs to be sufficient tactile areas near road crossings so that blind people and guide dogs can identify the safest places to cross.

One of Boris' pet projects, shared streets, is being opposed by Guide Dogs for the Blind, Action for Blind People and RNIB. That is where the pedestrianised areas are created that still allow traffic through, with the effect that VI people can't tell where the pavement ends and the road begins. That's a step too far.

We went to central london yesterday and Oxford circus has had all the railings removed. It's much easier to use and feels bigger and less congested.

As for blind people, there are still the dimpled edges to the pedestrian areas. Having been down Kensington High street it's much better without all the street clutter everywhere.

I think this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Oxford Circus had more than just the rails removed, and for the best I think.
The Cross Walk was the best solution for up there, and I think a few more junctions like that could benefit from that.