Request ID: FOI-4020-2324 Date published: 27 February 2024
You asked
Follow-on from FOI-2917-2324 :Dear Sirs
Following the response from Eva Hextell, I would like to ask the following:
1. If the inclination is between 5-10% leading up to the BP garage on the A20 from Cookham Road (West-East) - a distance of 150 meters - how is the water collecting above this point. There is clear drainage on the forecourt, which should be the responsibility of the Freeholders and not TFL if their complaint is that vehicles are colliding with petrol pumps?
2. The following is an extract from London Borough of Bromley - "the A20 is a TfL road. They maintain it and repair it, including the drainage issues. The LBB's responsibility and agreement is that we clean the road from Crittalls Corner to the Kent boundary, i.e., McDonalds. The verge areas are litter picked monthly and the central reservation is litter picked roughly every 6 months However, this period varies because of the danger to operatives working on a central reservation on a dual carriageway and the contractor does this central area when TfL have their occasional road /lane closures. This week TfL are having overnight lane closures and we will be joining them. On Wednesday 16/10/13 our contractor will use a mechanical sweeper to clear the channels of detritus from the hard shoulder and on thursday 17/10/13 our contractor will litter pick the central reservation. As for weeds, there are numerous weed areas along the A20 which virtually form a verge area. No-one uses this as a pedestrian area and is virtually impossible to weed spray and will not be done. I hope this answers all your questions."
3. Will TFL liaise with London Borough of Bromley to alleviate the flooding you are suggesting, in order to finalise the situation?
4. If flooding is the cause of the reduced speed restriction, then why has to East-West road had the same restriction?
5. When will there be lane closures to carry out this work sometime in 2024?
6. Will the speed restrictions be lifted, along with your speed cameras after the completed work to comply with the normal Highways Agency speed limits?
Yours faithfully
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-4020-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 4 February 2024 asking for information about repairs to the A20.
If the inclination is between 5-10% leading up to the BP garage on the A20 from Cookham Road (West-East) - a distance of 150 meters - how is the water collecting above this point. There is clear drainage on the forecourt, which should be the responsibility of the Freeholders and not TFL if their complaint is that vehicles are colliding with petrol pumps?
We had a number of very serious incidents leading to the requirement to mitigate the surface water flooding on our network. That combined with onsite surveys necessitated immediate action to lower the risk to the public. A number of remedial measures have been undertaken by our operations team to try to improve the flow of water away from the site and prevent aquaplaning. However, until more significant works can be designed and undertaken it was decided that the speed limit needed to be temporarily reduced and enforced with safety cameras to bring the risk down to a suitable level.
The standing water can be seen in the attached image during a moderate weather event. At night, during a severe weather event, this situation is much worse, difficult to see and focused around the “fast” lane.
The following is an extract from London Borough of Bromley - "the A20 is a TfL road. They maintain it and repair it, including the drainage issues. The LBB's responsibility and agreement is that we clean the road from Crittalls Corner to the Kent boundary, i.e., McDonalds. The verge areas are litter picked monthly and the central reservation is litter picked roughly every 6 months However, this period varies because of the danger to operatives working on a central reservation on a dual carriageway and the contractor does this central area when TfL have their occasional road /lane closures. This week TfL are having overnight lane closures and we will be joining them. On Wednesday 16/10/13 our contractor will use a mechanical sweeper to clear the channels of detritus from the hard shoulder and on Thursday 17/10/13 our contractor will litter pick the central reservation. As for weeds, there are numerous weed areas along the A20 which virtually form a verge area. No-one uses this as a pedestrian area and is virtually impossible to weed spray and will not be done. I hope this answers all your questions."
Will TFL liaise with London Borough of Bromley to alleviate the flooding you are suggesting, in order to finalise the situation?
TfL are working with stakeholders, including the London Borough of Bromley on the permanent drainage works. We work collaboratively with the borough during block closures to ensure access is provided to carry out cleaning duties where possible.
If flooding is the cause of the reduced speed restriction, then why has to East-West road had the same restriction?
The speed restrictions have only been introduced on one side of the carriageway, as the safety issue only affects one side, and dual carriageways can have different speed limits in opposite directions. We have taken a proportionate view to balance the needs of drivers while minimising risk. This is consistent with our traffic management across London.
When will there be lane closures to carry out this work sometime in 2024?
The traffic management layouts for the permanent drainage remedial works are still to be developed for the works to start in May. The works are complex and are likely to involve lane closures to complete the works efficiently.
Will the speed restrictions be lifted, along with your speed cameras after the completed work to comply with the normal Highways Agency speed limits?
Once the drainage remedial works are complete, the safety risk posed by surface water flooding and water sheeting should be mitigated, and the temporary speed restriction can be removed.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Abidakun FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
