Should Mermaid Court be closed to through motor traffic?
Southwark Council has launched an online survey to gather views on a proposal to close Mermaid Court to through motor traffic.
Mermaid Court – an alleyway off the east side of Borough High Street – is home to The Art Academy which has been working with the council and Better Bankside on the proposal.
"Mermaid Court is currently one-way from Borough High Street, and many of the vehicles that access the street use it to avoid the junction with Great Dover Street by St George the Martyr Church," says the council in its online consultation materials.
"Analysis of the different modes of traffic in Mermaid Court undertaken in late 2019 showed that 85 per cent of total movements through the Mermaid Court were people walking through the street.
"A traffic study of the street has been carried out to see how it can be closed to through traffic between Borough High Street and Tennis Street.
"The benefits of doing this include freeing up space to make it a safer space for people to walk or cycle through, allowing more space to support physical distancing, providing more space for on-street greening, cycle parking or seating."
The online survey is open until Monday 31 May.
