Measures to combat "serious road safety concerns" raised by residents in West Greenwich are to be trialled from next week.

Excessive traffic and dangerous driving has been a long-standing issues for residents living to the west of Greenwich Park, with the narrow residential streets not designed to accommodate the current volumes of traffic.

Greenwich Council has now said that documented incidences of vehicles dangerously driving on footpaths has compelled it to take action.

The measures will be brought in on a trial basis from Thursday, August 20, and are based on a number of consultations, and on the potential impact on travel caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2018, Greenwich Council consulted on proposals to reduce traffic on Burney Street but the feedback it received demanded an area-wide approach to traffic reduction. A further consultation was held by the council late last year, aimed at reducing traffic in West Greenwich.

The trial's goal, using modal filters, one way systems and more, is to enable residents of all ages to safely walk and cycle in the area by reducing traffic and reliance on private cars, especially post-lockdown

It also aims to address safety concerns causes by large volumes of cars using the narrow streets, and improve public health, air quality and noise pollution in the area.

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The trial will be done using an Experimental Traffic Order, meaning that public consultation will take place once the trial is in place, allowing people to provide feedback based on their experiences with the changes.

This will open on the council website from September 3.

For the first two weeks, the measures may be amended if significant operational issues arise.

After that, a six-month public consultation period on the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order will begin, allowing feedback to be provided based on people’s actual experiences of the trial. To provide your feedback on the trial, please complete our online survey. The survey will be available from 3 September.

The council said that it had received a number of complaints over several years from residents of West Greenwich, concerned with excessive and dangerous driving caused by drivers using the residential streets to avoid the A-roads.

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High volumes of through-traffic are particularly concerning for an area with narrow streets and high footfall, due to Greenwich Park, two schools and other local amenities.

The Metropolitan Police also recently wrote to the Council raising safety concerns and suggesting action needs to be taken.

This part of West Greenwich is one of the last remaining neighbourhoods in the area without robust traffic reduction measures.

The council said: "The current situation cannot continue, especially with the risk that traffic volumes increase as commuters switch from public transport to cars due to the COVID-19 pandemic."