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An accident waiting to happen: national road safety measures to be put 'on hold' during the trial unless there is 'evidence of safety need'
Safety does not come first for Greenwich Council, according to Cllr Lekau's confused explanations for scrapping of Department of Transport safety measures, and advance warnings to drivers. The additional orders, intended "to ensure safe and efficient navigation" will be "put on hold", according to Cllr Lekau's confused explanations for scrapping of the national safety measures.
The Council made extra Experimental Traffic Orders on 20 November, withdrawing resident parking and increasing 'no waiting’ measures in 70 places. None was advertised or consulted on in advance. The measures were explained by Cllr Lekau at the 4 December Council Meeting as being “designed and installed to comply fully with national road safety regulations.” She also said that the modifications were required to meet the specific needs of this scheme and had been "authorised by the Department for Transport, to ensure the signs meet both national standards and the unique requirement of the scheme."
Some legacy modal filters remain, but the new modal filters (road blocks) and bus gates are ‘invisible’. Vehicles accessing homes and other destinations, such as schools, in the West and East areas must make unsafe three-point turns in narrow roads because of the severe and, in places, confined compartmentalisation forced by the schemes. Turning is usually surrounded by other moving traffic.
The Council’s confusion on safety was clear at the Full Council Meeting on 4 December 2024 – with Cllr Lekau veering wildly between different versions of the Council's safety policy in the space of minutes. Answering public and members' questions Cllr Lekau affirmed that the measures were to “ensure safe and efficient vehicle navigation in areas where traffic restrictions are being enforced”. But she said, immediately contradicting her response, that “the Council has decided to put these works on hold during the trial period” in order to monitor “traffic behaviour” and turning movements “under real-world conditions”. The measures were, she said, “unnecessary disruptions to parking availability for residents and businesses”.
Breaches of statutory traffic regulations mean that the scheme is not lawful.
The Council made extra Experimental Traffic Orders on 20 November, withdrawing resident parking and increasing 'no waiting’ measures in 70 places. None was advertised or consulted on in advance. The measures were explained by Cllr Lekau at the 4 December Council Meeting as being “designed and installed to comply fully with national road safety regulations.” She also said that the modifications were required to meet the specific needs of this scheme and had been "authorised by the Department for Transport, to ensure the signs meet both national standards and the unique requirement of the scheme."
Some legacy modal filters remain, but the new modal filters (road blocks) and bus gates are ‘invisible’. Vehicles accessing homes and other destinations, such as schools, in the West and East areas must make unsafe three-point turns in narrow roads because of the severe and, in places, confined compartmentalisation forced by the schemes. Turning is usually surrounded by other moving traffic.
The Council’s confusion on safety was clear at the Full Council Meeting on 4 December 2024 – with Cllr Lekau veering wildly between different versions of the Council's safety policy in the space of minutes. Answering public and members' questions Cllr Lekau affirmed that the measures were to “ensure safe and efficient vehicle navigation in areas where traffic restrictions are being enforced”. But she said, immediately contradicting her response, that “the Council has decided to put these works on hold during the trial period” in order to monitor “traffic behaviour” and turning movements “under real-world conditions”. The measures were, she said, “unnecessary disruptions to parking availability for residents and businesses”.
Breaches of statutory traffic regulations mean that the scheme is not lawful.
