Greenwich Council just one of three London boroughs not to use CCTV for traffic issues
Issues with parking in bus lanes recently came to a head when around 130 London bus drivers threatened to cease stopping in certain parts of Greenwich borough due to poor driving and parking.
Many people have called for greater use of CCTV against those who block bus lanes or areas outside schools. I recently covered the issue.
Since then I’ve been seeking out more information and discovered that despite discussing adopting the use of cameras two years ago they still havn’t gained permission to use powers that have existed for at least 14 years.
This is taken from that Feb 2017 meeting:
Two years ago just three out of 34 authorities in London (32 borough councils plus the City of London and TfL) had not adopted the use of CCTV – the others being Bromley Council and Kensington and Chelsea.
Deficit
With problems endemic in Greenwich by 2017 and the authority’s parking services budget having at least an £8 million deficit from 2012-2017, one may have expected them to push ahead quickly.
As this shows they were £2 million below budgeted income in 2016/17 alone:
Delays
Fast forward two years and only now are the council seeking permission from London Council’s TEC group to adopt the use of CCTV for traffic infringements.
In the meantime the budget gap has extended to over £10 million – which is money that has needed to be taken from other pots to plug the gap and fund concessionary passes.
That’s £10 million not spent on better streets, public realm improvements and various other measures to improve the lives of residents and encourage healthy living.
It should be noted that CCTV can only be used for moving traffic violations – though that would still include some of the worst issues in the borough. In many cases vehicles are driving along bus or cycle lanes to then park.
It can also be used against vehicles stopping on KEEP CLEAR markings outside schools.
It could also be used to enforce against banned maneuvers. I’ve been contacted about drivers making illegal turns in Woolwich by a number of residents who claim they’ve almost been hit. That will be covered soon. As things stand – Greenwich Council have very few ways to act against issues such as this.
They should have a camera covering the bus lane which bypasses the width restriction poles at the bottom of Charlton Church Lane. It would raise literally thousands a day.
Plumstead High Street, Eltham High Street and Woolwich Town centre already have extensive CCTV cameras coverage so getting permission to then use for parking/traffic should be a no-brainer. The fact they never did in 15 years is mad!
They’d rake it in. The £10 million deficit would have been a £10 million surplus.
Absolute idiots in charge.
Add in CCTV camera cars near schools. Jobs done.
Camera at the top of Bannockburn Road where many do a right turn illegally most school mornings and beyond will bring in a large sum.
Crazy talk.
Why use modern methods that pay for themselves when one can simply install lots of street clutter at huge expense to blight a local area?
If the CCTV is already there then why not use it to manage traffic issues that can cause havoc around the Borough.
Eltham High Street can be a nightmare with cars double parking etc. The same as the problem with Plumstead Road by the Bus Garage.
Road safety should be a top priority for the Council at all times.
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