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The Council has held two phases of engagement with residents businesses, community groups and schools since October 2022, to help shape proposals for the west and east Greenwich neighbourhood management project to create a safer, healthier and greener place to live.   

A council spokesperson said: “How we all choose to move around our borough can impact whole communities in positive and negative ways. We have the fourth highest number of babies being hospitalised with respiratory tract infections as well as one of the highest levels of childhood obesity in London. Traffic is one of the main causes of air pollution and 31% of the borough’s carbon emissions. By reducing it we can make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle. This is one of the aims of our transport strategy, alongside calling for improvements to public transport and encouraging a shift to low emission vehicles.” 

Both neighbourhoods suffer from high levels of traffic passing through and poor air quality, despite the fact many local residents do not own cars. The Council wrote to over 9,200 households and businesses in the area and held seven events attended by over 400 people. In total over 8,000 responses were received across both phases, including 3,000 in the second phase.    

The Council recognises that local people agree that there is an issue and were supportive of the vision for improving the environment, with less through-traffic, and better air quality but had concerns about the proposals the Council consulted on during phase two. Following what residents said, big changes have been proposed – including part time closures and significantly extended exemptions.  

The consultation responses have now been analysed and a report has been prepared that was uploaded to the Council's website on Thursday 29 February for consultation. Councillor Averil Lekau, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, will consider the report and aims to make a decision on 8 March 2024. After Councillor Lekau has taken a decision there will then be a call-in period before the decision takes effect. If there is no call in the decision will take effect on 15 March 2024. 

The Report recommends the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, to trial:   

• part-time camera-controlled restrictions on weekdays at peak hours only to stop through traffic on certain roads in the west and east Greenwich area; and   
• extended exemptions for blue badges holders, taxis, private hire vehicles, council refuse vehicles and individuals with individual circumstances exemptions.      

If the recommendation option is agreed by Cllr Lekau, a trial, known as an experimental traffic order, will begin in summer 2024 and continue for up to 18-months. Residents will have the opportunity to feedback during the trial – during which they will have had first-hand experience of how it is working in practice. The Council would closely monitor the impact of the measures, and further changes could be made if necessary.  

Roads with restrictions would still be open to people walking, cycling, and using wheelchairs and every address will still be accessible by car - however in some instances people driving may have to take a different route. 

It is important to stress that the this is an experimental order and that no final decision will, be made without consideration of the information/ feedback provided by residents of their experiences during the experimental period. At the end of the trial a decision would then be made to keep, remove, or change the trial scheme based on resident feedback and the monitoring data that will be collected at the same time.  

Remember to share your views on proposals to help tackle congestion, poor air quality and improve safety in West and East Greenwich before phase two of our consultation closes tomorrow.

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Join us at our next in-person event. Meet our team, ask us questions, and share your thoughts on the design proposals for West and East Greenwich neighbourhood improvements.

You can meet our team tonight Tuesday 26 September, 7pm to 8.30pm – West Greenwich Library (146 Greenwich High Road, SE10 8NN) ) to ask questions and give your views on the design proposals for neighbourhood improvements in West and East Greenwich.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has given an extra week for people to have their say on improvements in West and East Greenwich design proposals to help create a safer, greener transport network for the local community.

The consultation will now be open until to 6 October at 5pm.

What happens next?

Following the consultation, we will consider the feedback received to date, including that received during the earlier trial and Stage 1, before selecting what measures to trial in each neighbourhood in 2024. There will be more opportunities to give feedback during any proposed trial.

We're inviting local people to share their views on design proposals for West and East Greenwich which will help create a safer and healthier environment for residents and businesses.

The proposals have been designed using the detailed feedback received from local community during the first stage of consultation undertaken earlier this year, and include measures to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

Cllr Averil Lekau, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment, and Transport said: “We believe that by working closely with the community, we can create an effective, well-balanced design that addresses their concerns about congestion, safety and poor air quality, and builds a sustainable, inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

“This next stage of consultation marks an important milestone, as the community’s feedback is critical. The health and wellbeing of our residents is at the heart of this project, and their invaluable input will help shape a safer and more vibrant future for West and East Greenwich.

“All addresses would be accessible by vehicle at all times in every option, however drivers may have to take a different route. This includes deliveries, taxis, emergency vehicles and waste collection vehicles."

Residents and businesses can share feedback in a number of different ways:

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has given an extra week for people to have their say on improvements in west and east Greenwich to reduce congestion, improve air quality and tackle safety concerns.

The consultation will now be open until Friday 31 March at 5pm.

You can meet our team tonight (Tuesday 28 February, 7pm to 8.30pm) at Greenwich Centre library to discuss potential neighbourhood improvements in west and east Greenwich.

In response to feedback from the community, the Council wants to consider a range of measures that will help to reduce congestion, improve air quality and tackle safety concerns which have a significant impact on local people.

We’re asking people to share their thoughts, ideas and concerns to help us co-design measures that best meet the needs for the local community. It offers the chance to highlight issues with traffic and also improvements to make our public spaces more attractive for people walking and cycling, like seating, greening, lighting and cycle parking.

If you’d like to share your feedback on neighbourhood improvements in west and east Greenwich, you can meet our team tonight (Wednesday 22 February, 7pm to 8.30pm) at West Greenwich library.

We’re keen for local people to share their thoughts, ideas and concerns to help us co-design measures that best meet the needs for the local community. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight other issues beyond traffic and transportation, such as seating, greening, lighting, cycle parking and much more. Your knowledge is key to making sure designs address the concerns and issues you face travelling around your borough.

A second drop in event will be held at Greenwich Centre library next week (Tuesday 28 February, 7pm to 8.30pm), if you can’t attend tonight.

Royal Greenwich is asking for feedback to help design improvements in west and east Greenwich that will create a safer and healthier environment for residents and businesses.

In response to feedback from the community, the Council wants to consider a range of measures that will help to reduce congestion, improve air quality and tackle safety concerns which have a significant impact on local people, as well as works to improve the area for pedestrians and cyclists.

A low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) has been on trial in West Greenwich since August 2020 to try to reduce traffic, improve air quality and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in the area.

We have been closely monitoring the scheme and listening to residents’ feedback throughout the trial. Changes were made to the scheme last summer, following feedback from local people about traffic being transferred to the east side of Greenwich Park and A2.

A report on the trial was published, assessing traffic data and feedback received up until 21 December 2021.

We have now considered all the data and feedback received up until 18 February 2022, including residents’ feedback, traffic counts and an equalities impact assessment (EQIA), and an addendum to the report has been published.

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainability & Transport has taken the decision to approve the removal of the West Greenwich LTN and consider options for an alternative LTN traffic scheme for West Greenwich by authorising Council officers to begin developing an alternative scheme in consultation with the Cabinet Member.

Monitoring data and feedback from local residents has raised concerns regarding the impact of transferring local traffic to other areas and the issues identified in the EQIA including how it could affect people with disabilities. Any future proposals will be subject to further consultation with local residents.

Restrictions that were in place before the experimental LTN will shortly come into force again when works to remove the current traffic measures are complete, including HGV restrictions and reinstatement of the one-way restrictions.

The Leader has taken the decision not to implement the scheme as outlined in the initial engagement, and to continue the monitoring of traffic levels in the area. The Leader’s decision is still subject to call-in* and it will not take effect until 4 February 2022.

The Council had consulted on proposals to introduce closures to stop cars from taking shortcuts through residential roads at strategic locations - Weigall Road, Abergeldie Road and Westhorne Avenue.

The majority of respondents within the area had disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposals.

Monitoring traffic levels in the area will allow the Council to assess the impact of external changes on streets in the area, in particular, the effect of changes to the road network in neighbouring areas (including in the London Borough of Lewisham), and changes to travel patterns due to the pandemic and subsequent recovery. Any traffic management that might be considered in the future, as a result of monitoring, would be brought forward as a new proposal.

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainability and Transport has taken the decision not to implement the scheme as outlined in the consultation.

The Cabinet Member’s decision is still subject to call-in* and it will not take effect until 4 February 2022.

The Council had consulted on proposals to introduce closures to stop cars from taking shortcuts through residential roads at strategic locations along the railway line - Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Hill, Halstow Road, Westcombe Hill.

The majority of respondents within the area had disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposals.

The Council will now explore the scope for alternative traffic calming measures on Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Hill and Westcombe Hill instead, to address specific issues on those roads identified during the consultation, including HGV traffic.

Following feedback from some residents, improvements have been made in Vanbrugh Hill: extra regulatory signs, warning signs and road markings to deter overtaking, as well as an increased amount of 20mph warning signs/road markings to reinforce the speed limit.

We are also exploring the option to provide a formal pedestrian crossing in Vanbrugh Hill, to provide a safe crossing point for people walking - as well as reducing the speed of vehicles.

We have already been improving pavements to make it easier for disabled people and buggy users to get around by installing tactile crossings, removing unnecessary street clutter and narrowing junctions to slow drivers down.

A statement from the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainability and Transport

Last year the Council consulted on proposals for a one-way system in Woolwich to stop people from taking shortcuts through residential roads by making part of Sandy Hill Road one-way from the junction with Crescent Road to the junction with Brookhill Road.

We have been listening to your feedback during the course of the consultation and having considered all of that feedback alongside other information we have collected, the following decision has been made.

The Director of Communities, Environment and Central has taken the decision to proceed with the implementation of the proposals as consulted on, without amendments.

The Director’s decision is subject to call-in (councillors have four days in which to request that a decision is reconsidered) and it will not take effect until the fifth day after publication on 2 February 2022.

The majority of respondents within the area had been supportive of the proposals.

A statement from Cllr Danny Thorpe, Leader of the Council, and Cllr Sizwe James, Cabinet Member for Environment, Sustainability and Transport, regarding low traffic neighbourhoods and cycle lanes: