How Greenwich went back on its word
Following opposition to the original 2020 West Greenwich Scheme, and the rejection - via a Consultation - of proposals for East Greenwich, the Royal Borough of Greenwich took decisions to end the experimental West Greenwich Scheme and not to pursue plans for East Greenwich.
In all, the local community has rejected all five LTN schemes put forward for consultation since 2019.
The Council decisions in 2022 ruled out an East Greenwich LTN, and removed the dangerous 2020 West Greenwich scheme. But official promises to 'assess the Borough's needs' and wider impacts were shelved. The then Leader of the Council accepted the LTNs would lead to ‘displacement of traffic and pollution on to main roads, cutting off or causing longer journeys to local amenities/services, and displacement of traffic and pollution onto other local roads.’
The 2022 Decisions included undertakings to consult and monitor on future attempts to ‘manage’ traffic to achieve objectives that included assessing the Borough’s needs, considering wider impacts and further consultation on the proposed ‘replacement’ LTN. None of these was fulfilled.
Paragraph 7.2 of the January decision on East Greenwich undertook officers’ consideration of ‘appropriate traffic calming measures on Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Hill and Westcombe Hill [to] address specific issues’.
Instead, on 10 October 2022, the Authority issued an ‘Invitation to Bid’ document to commercial consultants to ‘design’ and deliver’ an East and West Greenwich traffic reduction scheme. On 7 November 2022, an email was circulated within the council saying: ‘Traffic and Transport officers held an inception meeting with PJA who have been appointed to assist in delivering the West and East Greenwich LTN (we're working on the title). The objective is to deliver a data-led traffic reduction programme withing (sic) the West and East Greenwich areas (AKA Hills & Vales and Westcombe LTN) under an experimental TRO in March/April, 2023.’ (PJA is a commercial traffic consultancy which has been hired numerous times by the Authority.)
Greenwich has taken advantage of TFL funding for LTNs to create the current scheme. Although the scheme is in fact two schemes, one in East Greenwich and the other in West Greenwich, legal technicalities have allowed a second ‘experiment’ in West Greenwich.
The Decision made in 2022 - long before any public consultation - was to to bring in the giant scheme that had already been decided against earlier that year. This pre-empted engagement and consultation about it. It defied the overwhelmingly high level of community rejection in 2023 and all future Decisions of the local authority.
Following opposition to the original 2020 West Greenwich Scheme, and the rejection - via a Consultation - of proposals for East Greenwich, the Royal Borough of Greenwich took decisions to end the experimental West Greenwich Scheme and not to pursue plans for East Greenwich.
In all, the local community has rejected all five LTN schemes put forward for consultation since 2019.
The Council decisions in 2022 ruled out an East Greenwich LTN, and removed the dangerous 2020 West Greenwich scheme. But official promises to 'assess the Borough's needs' and wider impacts were shelved. The then Leader of the Council accepted the LTNs would lead to ‘displacement of traffic and pollution on to main roads, cutting off or causing longer journeys to local amenities/services, and displacement of traffic and pollution onto other local roads.’
The 2022 Decisions included undertakings to consult and monitor on future attempts to ‘manage’ traffic to achieve objectives that included assessing the Borough’s needs, considering wider impacts and further consultation on the proposed ‘replacement’ LTN. None of these was fulfilled.
Paragraph 7.2 of the January decision on East Greenwich undertook officers’ consideration of ‘appropriate traffic calming measures on Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Hill and Westcombe Hill [to] address specific issues’.
Instead, on 10 October 2022, the Authority issued an ‘Invitation to Bid’ document to commercial consultants to ‘design’ and deliver’ an East and West Greenwich traffic reduction scheme. On 7 November 2022, an email was circulated within the council saying: ‘Traffic and Transport officers held an inception meeting with PJA who have been appointed to assist in delivering the West and East Greenwich LTN (we're working on the title). The objective is to deliver a data-led traffic reduction programme withing (sic) the West and East Greenwich areas (AKA Hills & Vales and Westcombe LTN) under an experimental TRO in March/April, 2023.’ (PJA is a commercial traffic consultancy which has been hired numerous times by the Authority.)
Greenwich has taken advantage of TFL funding for LTNs to create the current scheme. Although the scheme is in fact two schemes, one in East Greenwich and the other in West Greenwich, legal technicalities have allowed a second ‘experiment’ in West Greenwich.
The Decision made in 2022 - long before any public consultation - was to to bring in the giant scheme that had already been decided against earlier that year. This pre-empted engagement and consultation about it. It defied the overwhelmingly high level of community rejection in 2023 and all future Decisions of the local authority.
