FOI release
Speed Cushions on Belmont Hill and Lee Terrace SE13: Consultation, Response Routes, and Op
This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.
Case reference FOI2026/00460
Received 23 April 2026
Published 29 June 2026
Request
I request copies of all information held by the London Fire Brigade (LFB) relating to the speed cushions installed on Belmont Hill and Lee Terrace, SE13 (hereafter 'the scheme'), and the matters set out below. 1. STATUTORY CONSULTATION a) Any consultation conducted by the London Borough of Lewisham with LFB prior to or during the installation of the scheme, including the date(s) on which any such consultation was carried out. b) LFB's formal response, if any, to that consultation, including any objections, conditions, or recommendations made. c) Any records showing whether LFB was consulted specifically as a statutory consultee in connection with any Traffic Regulation Order or Road Humps Order made for the scheme, as required under Regulation 3(b) of the Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1999. d) Any consultation conducted by the London Borough of Lewisham with LFB prior to the subsequent enlargement of the speed cushions, as required under section 12.4 of LFB Guidance Note GN29 (Access for Fire Appliances), and LFB's response to that consultation. e) Any subsequent correspondence between LFB and the London Borough of Lewisham regarding the scheme at any stage. 2. LFB POLICY ON ROAD HUMPS AND SPEED CUSHIONS a) LFB's current policy or standing position on the installation of road humps or speed cushions on roads forming part of fire appliance response routes, including any standard objection criteria. b) The equivalent policy that was in force at the time the scheme was installed. c) Any LFB guidance on the maximum height of road humps or speed cushions considered acceptable on fire appliance routes, and the basis for that parameter. I note that GN29 section 12.6(b) states that humps of 50mm high are preferable to those of 75mm or 100mm high, and would be grateful for confirmation of the current position, given that the cushions in the scheme are 75mm or higher. d) Any LFB policy or guidance on the maximum width of speed cushions on fire appliance routes, including whether LFB's position distinguishes between cushions that allow appliances to straddle and those that require wheels to mount the cushion, and the implications of each for appliance performance and crew safety. e) Whether GN29, or any successor or supplementary document, contains or has contained any specific requirement or recommendation regarding speed cushion width in relation to fire appliance rear wheel track dimensions, and if so, the details of that requirement. 3. FIRE APPLIANCE REAR WHEEL TRACK WIDTHS AND STRADDLING a) For each class of fire appliance currently operated by LFB, including as a minimum the standard pumping appliance and aerial appliances (turntable ladders and hydraulic platforms), please provide: (i) The distance between the inner edges of the innermost rear tyres, this being the critical dimension that determines whether a speed cushion can be straddled without the rear tyres contacting the cushion; (ii) Confirmation of whether current pumping appliances run dual rear wheels (two tyres side by side on each side of the rear axle), and if so, the clear gap between the inner faces of the innermost rear tyres on each axle configuration. I note that GN29 (Rev 15, 2023) does not include these figures in its current Table 1, and request that LFB provide them from its current vehicle specifications. b) Based on that inner tyre gap, the maximum speed cushion width that LFB considers would allow each class of appliance to straddle a cushion without the innermost rear tyres contacting it, taking into account any necessary clearance tolerance. c) Whether, in LFB's assessment, speed cushions of 1,900mm width (or any width exceeding the inner tyre gap of LFB pumping appliances) would result in the rear tyres of those appliances contacting or mounting the cushion, and if so, what LFB's position is on the installation of such cushions on fire appliance response routes. d) Any LFB assessment, guidance, or correspondence addressing the operational and safety consequences of fire appliance rear wheels being required to mount speed cushions rather than straddle them, including any impact on: (i) appliance speed and response times; (ii) crew safety and comfort; (iii) vehicle handling, including the effect of water movement in tanks when traversing cushions at speed; (iv) wear or damage to the appliance. 4. RESPONSE ROUTES AND REROUTING a) Whether Belmont Hill or Lee Terrace, SE13, forms part of a designated primary or secondary fire appliance response route for any LFB station. b) Whether LFB has altered, reviewed, or considered altering any response routes in the SE13 area as a result of the scheme. c) Any records of fire appliances being rerouted to avoid the speed cushions on this road, and any assessment of the impact of such rerouting on response times. 5. RESPONSE TIME IMPACT a) Any data held by LFB on response times to incidents on or near Belmont Hill and Lee Terrace, SE13, for a period of twelve months before and the period since the installation of the scheme, and separately following the enlargement of the cushions. b) Any LFB assessment or correspondence attributing changes in response times in this area to the scheme or to road calming measures more generally on this corridor. c) Any analysis carried out by LFB on the cumulative impact of road humps or speed cushions on response times across the London Borough of Lewisham, or any borough-level report in which this road or scheme is referenced. 6. VEHICLE DAMAGE, CREW SAFETY, AND OPERATIONAL INCIDENTS a) Any reports of damage to LFB vehicles attributed to the speed cushions on this road. b) Any reports of injury to, or complaints from, LFB crew members relating to the traversal of the speed cushions on this road, including any musculoskeletal or impact-related concerns. c) Any incident reports or near-miss records in which the speed cushions on this road are identified as a contributing factor. d) Any records relating to the effect of traversing speed cushions or road humps at speed on water movement within fire appliance tanks, and any associated vehicle handling or safety concerns raised by crews operating on this road or in this area. 7. OPERATIONAL CONSEQUENCES a) Any records of LFB raising concerns, formally or informally, with the London Borough of Lewisham or any other body about the operational impact of the scheme. b) Any internal LFB communications, meeting notes, or reports discussing the scheme or its impact on emergency response in the SE13 area.
Response
Please see the response in the link below.
Documents
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