Merton and Sutton Councils, along with Transport for London, are consulting residents on an extension to the Tramlink service. The extension would potentially go from South Wimbledon station to Sutton town centre via  Morden and St Helier Hospital. There are some variations in the proposed route, but it would travel along the main roads as well as some limited amounts of green space. The consultation is explained via the website: www.suttonmertontramlink.co.uk

We support increasing investment in the borough’s public transport, as well as making the already very popular and successful Tramlink service more useful for people. Such investment is also an opportunity to improve some of the local ‘streetscapes’, such as the intersection outside of South Wimbledon station and generally through Morden. It would also potentially provide direct access to St Helier Hospital from Wimbledon. This support is subject to examining the detailed local design and traffic impact issues.

However, Merton has pushed forward with this consultation in August in the midst of the Summer holiday season. This doesn’t really provide a chance for a wide range of local residents to find out about the proposals, understand their impact and provide comments – or even support!  This round of public consultation now only runs until Sunday, August 17^th. The only public forum in Merton was on July 31^st at Merton Civic Centre. While some leaflets are being delivered in the South Wimbledon area and residents can respond via email – this is not providing the broad based consultation that such an important proposal deserves. Merton needs to increase the level of consultation offered for this scheme and ensure the community’s voice is clearly understood.