Main road, or boundary residents are more likely to live in social deprivation than other residents in the area. During live interactive consultations in 2023, community members complained about the state of congestion and pedestrian facilities on Trafalgar Road, unaware that this vital street is not part of the scheme and not considered in LTN consultations. The Council should not maintain its silence on these vital problems.
The East-West Scheme now creates a 1.5 miles line of 'severance' on the A2 and A206 - roads that are not in the scheme. They include Blackheath Hill, Shooters Hill Road, Trafalgar Road and Greenwich South Street. The effect of avoiding closures will multiply essential journeys, cause delay and add to congestion and toxicity on those excluded streets. Multiplying the distance driven to avoid fines inevitably adds to vehicle miles and pollution.
Supporting LTNs does not support pollution reduction, even for the minority of residents who benefit from a small reduction in traffic.
Research shows that the poor produce the least emissions, but are polluted the most, suffering the most ill-health from vehicle exhaust as well as the safety risks of negotiating busy roads. Pollution effects are imposed by the rich on the poor, increasing the vulnerability of children growing up in poverty. Young people are most susceptible to the effect of pollution, but have the least say over where they live.
'Emissions vs exposure: Increasing injustice from road traffic-related air pollution in the United Kingdom', by Joanna H. Barnes, Tim J. Chatterton, James W.S. Longhurst examines trends explaining that 'social inequalities in traffic-related pollution exposure are [now] clearer and stronger, young children, adults and households in poverty have highest levels of exposure, and
a strong inverse relationship was found between poverty and emissions generation'. * https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2019.05.012
It is the case that
Trafalgar Road
Woolwich Road. With the addition of the huge East Greenwich area, pressure on Woolwich Road has increased. The Woolwich flyover area has long been designated as a pollution black spot, blighting nurseries and the homes located in its shadow. Special studies of nurseries in the area dating back to 2017 nevertheless increase the exposure of very young children from local social housing estates.
Blackheath Hill (A2). The concentration of social housing on Blackheath Hill and Dabin Crescent is on the narrowest section of the A2, where two lanes of heavy traffic merge to a single lane all day long. Just a few metres separate the neighbourhood’s biggest permanent traffic jam from our largest agglomeration of social housing. Nearly 1,500 (1,430) social homes are registered on Blackheath Hill, (according to UK Social Housing). Blackheath Hill is an accident black spot, official statistics show. Although 'Experimental Traffic Orders' (ETO) are used to force through the controversial schemes, the official criteria put safety first. Pedestrians are the main victims of unsafe roads. Intensification of danger on the boundaries is unacceptable.
Blackheath Hill averages 33,000 vehicles per day. The pollution effects do not stop at the roadside. A wide margin of homes on each side of the A2, A102, Trafalgar Road and Greenwich South Street experience measurable pollution effects. Worse, traffic is also transferred to internal roads feeding into 'severance' (exits/access) roads to the area.
Exposure to high levels of traffic pollution, especially particulates emitted by HGVs using brakeware on steep hills is known to increase the likelihood of asthma, dementia, certain cancers and other serious illnesses.
The picture contrasts sharply with 2021 Census information indicating extremely high levels of second home and car ownership within the West Greenwich LTN.
The East-West Scheme now creates a 1.5 miles line of 'severance' on the A2 and A206 - roads that are not in the scheme. They include Blackheath Hill, Shooters Hill Road, Trafalgar Road and Greenwich South Street. The effect of avoiding closures will multiply essential journeys, cause delay and add to congestion and toxicity on those excluded streets. Multiplying the distance driven to avoid fines inevitably adds to vehicle miles and pollution.
Supporting LTNs does not support pollution reduction, even for the minority of residents who benefit from a small reduction in traffic.
Research shows that the poor produce the least emissions, but are polluted the most, suffering the most ill-health from vehicle exhaust as well as the safety risks of negotiating busy roads. Pollution effects are imposed by the rich on the poor, increasing the vulnerability of children growing up in poverty. Young people are most susceptible to the effect of pollution, but have the least say over where they live.
'Emissions vs exposure: Increasing injustice from road traffic-related air pollution in the United Kingdom', by Joanna H. Barnes, Tim J. Chatterton, James W.S. Longhurst examines trends explaining that 'social inequalities in traffic-related pollution exposure are [now] clearer and stronger, young children, adults and households in poverty have highest levels of exposure, and
a strong inverse relationship was found between poverty and emissions generation'. * https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2019.05.012
It is the case that
Trafalgar Road
- contains key destinations for all the community. Local residents are likely to live in social or private rented housing, lacking open space, and many match key social deprivation variables - facts acknowledged in the PJA Baseline study. Floating bus stops, isolated between an empty cycle lane and dense traffic often contain a crowd of waiting pedestrians. The Scheme and related TfL bike lane has placed much more pressure on this busy pedestrian street.
- TfL analysis has found that cyclists are predominately white, male, aged in their 30s-50s and able to afford bikes: they are a minority demographic, taking a disproportionate share of valuable road space - developed with a disproportionate share of taxpayer resources - on Trafalgar Road and Woolwich Road. At the same time, transport users, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles are more vulnerable to overcrowding and hold-ups.
- Emergency vehicles stuck in traffic are a common sight on Trafalgar Road. While delayed buses and overloaded bus-stops add to the problems confronting pedestrian shoppers and those needing public transport to get around. Many are 'active' travellers out of necessity, rather than choice.
Woolwich Road. With the addition of the huge East Greenwich area, pressure on Woolwich Road has increased. The Woolwich flyover area has long been designated as a pollution black spot, blighting nurseries and the homes located in its shadow. Special studies of nurseries in the area dating back to 2017 nevertheless increase the exposure of very young children from local social housing estates.
Blackheath Hill (A2). The concentration of social housing on Blackheath Hill and Dabin Crescent is on the narrowest section of the A2, where two lanes of heavy traffic merge to a single lane all day long. Just a few metres separate the neighbourhood’s biggest permanent traffic jam from our largest agglomeration of social housing. Nearly 1,500 (1,430) social homes are registered on Blackheath Hill, (according to UK Social Housing). Blackheath Hill is an accident black spot, official statistics show. Although 'Experimental Traffic Orders' (ETO) are used to force through the controversial schemes, the official criteria put safety first. Pedestrians are the main victims of unsafe roads. Intensification of danger on the boundaries is unacceptable.
Blackheath Hill averages 33,000 vehicles per day. The pollution effects do not stop at the roadside. A wide margin of homes on each side of the A2, A102, Trafalgar Road and Greenwich South Street experience measurable pollution effects. Worse, traffic is also transferred to internal roads feeding into 'severance' (exits/access) roads to the area.
Exposure to high levels of traffic pollution, especially particulates emitted by HGVs using brakeware on steep hills is known to increase the likelihood of asthma, dementia, certain cancers and other serious illnesses.
The picture contrasts sharply with 2021 Census information indicating extremely high levels of second home and car ownership within the West Greenwich LTN.
