Request ID: FOI-4078-2324 Date published: 19 February 2024
You asked
• Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request historical data on the number of traffic accidents in this area specifically during periods of flooding. This information would help assess the true risk posed by flooding and the necessity of the current measures.
I would like how to know how many times this section of the A20 has been flooded with surface water and how many accidents have occurred during say the last 5 years. Also since when the temporary average speed cameras came into force on this section of the A20 how many speeding tickets have been issued?
A20 between Sandy Lane and Cookham Road
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-4078-2324
Thank you for your request which we received on 23 January 2024, asking for information about traffic accidents and temporary average speed cameras on the A20. This part of your email has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.
Safety is our number one priority, and we have temporarily introduced a 40mph speed limit on the A20 Sidcup Road due to ongoing surface water flooding and water sheeting contributing to multiple collisions.
We had a number of very serious incidents, including a serious collision where a vehicle lost control and crashed into a petrol station forecourt. That combined with onsite surveys necessitated immediate action to lower the risk to the public. We have undertaken a number of remedial measures 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 collision data and a summary report for this location can be found on the TfL website, via this link:
The Traffic Management Order for the temporary speed limit can be found here.
In accordance with section 21 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply you with a copy of the requested information as it is already accessible to you elsewhere.
We don’t hold information on speeding fines. Speeding tickets are issued by the respective police force so this information would be held by the Metropolitan Police Service - please contact them directly:https://www.met.police.uk/foi-ai/af/accessing-information/
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
Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
