Greenwich Low Traffic Neighbourhood now postponed until January
Plans for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood project in east and west Greenwich have now been postponed until January according to Greenwich Council.
After a somewhat shambolic start when signs weren’t in place upon the start date a three-week grace period was implemented.
Now it’s been put back further until 2nd January.
At this rate the 18-month trial will almost coincide with the opening of the Silvertown tunnel in spring 2025 which will throw any sort of result into turmoil.
Inept
If you ever wanted clearer proof that Greenwich Council’s Highways Department are utterly hapless this project makes it very clear.
Just look at the state of their streets on the edge of the LTN zone. Street design is stuck in the 1970s and pedestrian friendly it isn’t. About the only thing they can ever seemingly manage is installing wooden bollards at random locations across the borough.
The decision to postpone the LTN again was slipped out on Friday evening – which is always a sure sign things are going well.
Logistics
The LTN is supposed to cover both east and west Greenwich either side of Greenwich Park and was initially due to start on 27 November. Only problem was on the start date signs weren’t in place in a number of streets. Greenwich Council have blamed “logistical issues”.
Streets that are due to be covered – if it ever actually starts – include:
East Greenwich
- Westcombe Hill (junction with Station Crescent) – bus gate
- Halstow Road – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Vanbrugh Hill (junction with Dinsdale Road) – bus gate
- Maze Hill (junction with Tom Smith Close) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- St Johns Park (junction with Vanbrugh Park) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Langton Way (junction with Old Dover Road) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
West Greenwich
- Crooms Hill (junction with Burney Street) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Circus Street (junction with Royal Hill) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Royal Hill (junction with Royal Place) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Royal Hill (junction with Point Hill) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Winforton Street (junction with Point Hill) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Maidenstone Hill (junction with Point Hill) – Camera-enforced traffic filter
- Lindsell Street (junction with Greenwich South Street) – no entry (into Lindsell Street)
Earlier this week residents in Charlton had complained about displaced traffic from Greenwich heading east to bypass the LTN with a 700+ strong petition discussed at a full council meeting.
One issue is that Blue Badge holders can travel through the LTN but need to register in advance.
Could it be that for the Highways Department any sort of work over the Christmas period – outside of their normal modus operandi of installing ever more street clutter and wooden bollard installation – is too much effort?
I’ve certainly noticed an uptick in traffic along Trafalgar Road and the A2, particularly evening southbound traffic on the A2, but I remain sceptical that traffic is being displaced to Charlton (at least to any significant degree).
The council is filled with incompetents. The public service’s ability to allow people to fail upwards never ceases to amaze me, and our representatives at RBG are a perfect example.
The schemes are roundly rejected by residents in the consultation, the council pay lip service to the rejection by implementing a new scheme with plenty of lead time and then still are delayed with the signage, install signage in the wrong locations (effectively closing streets that weren’t part of the scheme) and install confusing and incorrect signage which seems to indicate that all blue badge holders are exempt rather than (as is correct) only those that have applied and been granted an exemption. And because of this complete incompetence there’s now an extended grace period.
It was the same last time when their previous failed experiment was removed – despite the 18 month trial period having a fixed end date they were still late in removing the signage and barriers.
These lot haven’t a clue what they are doing and we pay our council tax to them for them to waste more and more of it.
The scheme is already having the desired effect where I live, with fellow parents talking about buying electric cargo bikes to take their kids to school instead of driving up Maze/Vanbrugh/Crooms Hill.
Andy talking nonsense. There are plenty of LTNs all over London and people like them. Greenwich is not going to be different. Consultations aren’t referenda and they certainly aren’t polls either. Depending on who is being motivated to fill them in, you can get any result. It’s not a representative sample. Most people aren’t going to take the time to fill them in but that doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate less noise pollution, air pollution, and a safer and more pleasant environment.
Perhaps Tom can tell us what the point of consultations are if not to test the feeling of local residents in this instance
It was proudly championed by the deputy leader, who was ‘proud’ to be put their name alongside the scheme. This is the great sickness of the provincial politician: the pathological need to have their name associated with some exciting initiatives. This is how the likes of Birmingham Council bought into Oracle (a system as well-suited to running a council as Excel is at making birthday cards). Even the signs along Westcombe Hill blew off the other day, which sums up the entire approach thus far.
I live in the Westcombe Hill area and I am not happy about the LTN. All it’s going to do is make my journeys longer. LTN’s might work in some areas, but Trafalgar Road and Woolwich Road are main thoroughfares, always has been, always will be. It should not be forgotten, a lot of people have long, arduous journeys to work every day in places where public transport don’t go (or at least, would be a very difficult journey) and others who work a considerable distance from their work place also in places where public transport doesn’t go and if it does, it is prohibitively expensive. And I find it difficult to understand how Greenwich Council, who is claiming is has to make cuts due to 33million deficit, can still find money to impose LTN’s!
People keep voting in these juvenile virtue signalers so it is hard to be sympathetic. Good luck with pedalling up Maze Hill with two children and the shopping in a basket.
After driving through one of these earlier this afternoon I’m so glad your site has informed me I won’t be getting a ticket. The whole ltn situation is rubbish all over London just another way to make money. My car is electric and should be exempt from this shananagins