Brockley: Rain gardens bring traffic calming to Malpas Road
The well-tended rain gardens at the intersection with Vulcan Road are helping reduce vehicle speeds and improve road safety.
It would be easy to stroll along Malpas Road, admire the new gardens on all four corners of the intersection with Vulcan Road and consider them nothing more than a beautification project.
Red and orange echinacea erupt next to dramatic kniphofias where not too long ago metal railings were bolted into pavements to prevent pedestrians crossing the B128.
But in only a short time, these gardens have slowed the vehicle traffic flowing through, increasing the number of vehicles complying with the speed limit by more than four percentage points.
Data collected by Lewisham council at the intersection has shown an average drop in speed of more than two miles per hour for vehicles travelling northbound, and more than one mile per hour travelling southbound.
Looking at the percentage of vehicles that comply with the 20 mph speed limit, the increase is more than 20 percentage points northbound and more than 10 percent southbound.
Although an average drop of just over one mile per hour might not seem dramatic, consider that the government found that a speed-related factor occurred in over 50% of fatal collisions.
Transport for London (TfL) research looked at 150 cases, examining the three year periods during which roads were converted to 20mph, and found the lower speed limit reduced fatalities and serious injuries by 34%.
Even a 1mph reduction in speed can increase the likelihood of surviving a collision. A 2011 study in the US found that risk of death for a pedestrian was 10% at an impact speed of 23 mph, but more than doubled to 25% at 32 mph.
According to the Healthy Streets Scorecard, Lewisham had a pedestrian casualty rate of 5.2 per 100,000 daily walking stages in 2025. Neighbouring boroughs Greenwich and Southwark both scored better, with a casualty rate of only 4.6.
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Safety improvements include a new zebra crossing on Malpas Road. Image: Tomilyn Hannah Rupert
The traffic calming measures on Malpas Road are part of Lewisham Council’s scheme to improve Brockley corridor, from Brockley Cross to Brockley Rise.
The scheme has seen residents' groups from neighbouring roads asking to be included.
El Fry, councillor for Brockley ward, was enthusiastic about the Malpas Road changes, saying “I love seeing holistic solutions like this, particularly ones where the local community is involved.
"It’s always exciting to see plans that have taken the time to address the overall wellbeing of the people.”
More than just pretty flowers
Though the gardens being nice to look at is a positive, they are also part of a network of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems - or SuDS.
The rain gardens work by reducing surface water in times of heavy downpour, aiming to filter pollutants from the water before it enters the sewage system.
A 2018 report for councils noted that SuDS began to be introduced in the 1990s to address the historic legacy of industrialisation across the UK where “pipe systems are at capacity, or surcharge in heavy rain, washing everyday contamination from hard surfaces directly into our watercourses.”
The rain gardens add capacity, reducing the amount of water that flows from hard surfaces into pipes unfiltered. They also support new planting and biodiversity.
In Malpas Road, traffic safety and environmental efforts have been married to find one solution to both problems. The rain garden has a personal touch: planting by the council was aided by a community volunteer.
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