Bermondsey Street: 
speaking notes for use at Deputation to Bermondsey Community Council on 1 
February 2006. 

Thanks for hearing me tonight. 

Intro. Southwark Cyclists. 620 paid up members, rides all year, training, schools. 
Open to all free of charge.  We’ve been discussing Bermondsey Street. 

Everyone can see how Bermondsey Street has been changing fast.  

Bermondsey Square development to the south. 

More London and London Bridge to the north.

It’s time the traffic of Bermondsey Street was looked at hard. 

Bermondsey Street is essentially a oneway street going north. One way streets aren’t 
very friendly places, especially to pedestrians and cyclists. Motor traffic tends to over-
dominate what could be wonderful public spaces.  

We’re here tonight to ask the meeting to agree a look at the way all traffic uses the 
street. And by traffic I mean lorries, cars, vans, motorbikes, scooters and human-
powered traffic too…pedestrians and cyclists.

Here are 6 alternatives for Bermondsey Street. There will be more:  

1. Home Zone….where pedestrians rule and where there are no through vehicles at 
all, and where all other vehicles that either live or have business in the area creep 
about at walking pace.

2. Pedestrianised Zone. All paved over. Where only emergency vehicles are allowed 
most of the time.      

3. Slow Street……where the one-way system is abolished and vehicles allowed 
through both ways but at walking pace.

4. Access Only: so that motor vehicles only use the street to go home or make 
deliveries.  

5. Cycle contraflows: the only change is that cyclists are allowed to ride north-south 
as well. 

6. Do nothing. 
 
Southwark Cyclists have formally agreed to get this debate going. Southwark Living 
Streets agree. So does the 10,000 member London Cycling campaign who moved to 
Newham’s Row, Bermondsey Street late last year. So does West Bermondsey 
Community Forum. Another local organisation, Green Lanes, support this idea too. 

I see from the papers for tonight’s meeting that consultation on Southwark’s huge 
Local Implementation Plan has found a lot of support throughout the borough for 
Homes Zones. Somewhere needs to be first. Let’s be brave enough.  

My personal view is that the area should become a Home Zone but….
I’d very much like to hear the views of this meeting. 

I’d very much like this meeting to agree a simple request. That the meeting formally 
asks Southwark Council to study the various alternatives for Bermondsey Street, to 
talk to those affected and to report back to the next meeting with recommendations. 


BAM 
1 February 2006