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All change! Town centre one-way system to get re-opened

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Hold very tight: the one-way system introduced during the covid lockdown is to be unlocked

After repeated calls to unlock the poorly-implemented covid one-way system and the pedestrianised zone around Croydon High Street – including criticisms raised here on  Inside Croydon – the council has today announced a re-routing scheme for buses and cycle lanes in the town centre.

Roadworks are already underway, described by the council as “a raft of measures to improve journeys for all road users”. The council’s press release has been issued more than a week after the works began.

Bus stops on Croydon High Street for services heading southbound will be reopened and new one-way systems on Katharine Street and the High Street will mean shorter bus routes through the town centre.

“To make it safer and easier to walk and cycle around the area, a new crossing will be added to High Street by Robert Street, and the existing zebra crossing on Katharine Street will be moved to the end of the road, at the corner of The Spread Eagle pub,” the council announced this morning.

Time for change: how Inside Croydon raised the issue of the inconvenient town centre bus stops earlier this month

There has been much criticism of the pedestrianisation of the area of the High Street between Katharine Street and George Street, which has been done piecemeal over several years, was poorly conceived and implemented. With the stalled development on St George’s Walk having cleared out all the shops along one side of the road, it has been turned into something of a town centre no-go zone.

The council has a plan: how the road changes will be implemented

Today the council said, “For the part of the High Street that is already pedestrianised, access will be improved by levelling the pavement and removing the gates.”

The council is to trial two-way traffic on Fell Road, they say for “better vehicle access for local businesses and residents”.

From February 17, Fell Road, from Mint Walk to the Croydon Flyover, will become two-way for traffic giving access to drivers to turn left into the road from the Flyover.

Works are taking place now until February 17 with the following road closures in place:

The council is running a fait accompli public survey on the changes, but only after they have begun to implement them, rather than in advance, to be considered as proposals.

Further details of the project and details of the diversions in place while roads are closed can also be found at croydon.gov.uk/high-street-croydon.

Jason Perry, the part-time Mayor, claimed that he is “pleased that the new cycle lanes and crossings will improve road safety for everyone”, and that the changes will create a “vibrant town centre”.


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