Greenwich town centre pedestrianisation: Plans still being worked up
Remember those ideas of pedestrianising Greenwich town centre over the past 15 years – at least?
A fair few ideas have been and gone over the years including awarding £5.4 million seven years ago which didn’t lead anywhere. As far back as 2009 consultation was being undertaken.
Well it’s still bubbling away and looking through a recent Greenwich Council document showed that £197,748 had been secured from Transport for London for the town centre project.
A Contract Standing Orders report states Arcadis Consultancy (UK) Limited will see funds which covers a period between 10/06/2024 and 10/09/2025 for “continuation of Modelling Work on Greenwich Town Centre Liveable Neighbourhood Project”.
The Liveable Neighbourhood Project according to this Transport for London page, is for:
- Improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Greenwich Town Centre by closing two arms of the gyratory to provide a more pedestrianised environment, in particular on the approach to the World Heritage Site
- Improvements will also provide a safe cycling route through Greenwich Town Centre
According to previous proposals, the two sections of gyratory to be closed included College Walk which runs past an entrance to the Old Royal Naval College:
Also set for pedestrianisation is King William Walk.
This road includes bus stops and bus stands beside two lanes of general traffic.
In turn shop-lined Nelson Road would become two-way traffic.
Before all that though came a potty plan to great one giant one-way system around the town including Norman Road which would have turned various other parts of the town into one-way streets.
One of those “what ARE they thinking?” ideas that was pretty quickly dropped around 15 years ago. Plans though to do something have been around for a long, long time.
Funding
Previous proposals were to be funded via TfL’s Local Implementation Plan.
This is a fund that each London borough receives annually from TfL which boroughs can supplement. Alongside the annual component it included a “major schemes” section which happened generally every four years until covid intervened.
Eltham town centre’s upgrade was funded via this method.
LIP Major Schemes were renamed some years ago though annual funding to each London borough remains. This project is continuing under the now-closed Liveable Neighbourhoods programme.
How it will work in practice remains to be seen. Bus stops and stands on King William Walk would need to be shifted. Not an easy task.
What emerges remains to be seen. Will we still be paying consultants and talking about it in another five years?
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It would be great to have more pedestrianised areas. It would be so much nicer to walk around without cars buzzing around. I’m hoping Greenwich Market will be able to have more seating areas on College Approach, as well as the likes of Paul Rhodes, being able to provide outside seating.
There was also talk of pedestrianising a section of Montpelier Vale in Blackheath but that never materialised.
Sounds about right, pedestrian the section of Greenwich town centre with very little retail and have traffic clog up the roads with all the shops and eateries.
Best place for the bus stands is between the town centre and Depford Creek so close to the DLR and mainline railway station plus miner bus stops along by the Museum.
As is now anything over 7.5t is restricted from the area so making the area a car free zone at weekends and bank holidays with only buses and residents with permits could access could help solve the issue.
So if Greenwich wishes to talk to me I will only charge a £10 per hour and get it sorted in one day.
I remember a semi-serious plan for an underground bypass running the length of the river as one of the solutions to both traffic and pedestrianisation of the town centre. How will the traffic to the underground car park be controlled, or will that be shut off entirely? (it’s quite difficult using only the side road) Also, will the disabled spaces by Starbucks be moved? The traffic around the gyratory is almost leisurely at times, as the number of people making the dash from the Oxfam bookshop will attest. It looks like a good idea but I’d rather Greenwich spent their efforts sorting out the rotten parking around the rest of the borough.
Like the giant Eltham signs now gently rotting at the top of the high street, it’s not something in need of an urgent answer, unlike the simple nightmare of Trafalgar Road at 7am when Iceland and Tesco are both getting a delivery at the same time.