Changes are being made to the controversial 'low traffic neighbourhood' in West Greenwich after concerns were raised over delayed response times for emergency services due to the blocked roads.
The council said that from July 21, they have adjusted the experimental traffic closures on Crooms Hill, Hyde Vale and Winforton Street by widening the distance between the planters and installing cameras which will allow these vehicles through.
The LTN traffic measures were brought in as a trial in August 2020, with planters placed in strategic locations to close the road to drivers taking shortcuts through residential roads with the aim at cutting down extreme levels of congestion.
Amongst other controversies, emergency services have since complained that the measures increased response times to serious life-threatening situations, so the new changes will allow access the emergency vehicles.
However, cameras have now been set up and any vehicles passing through the camera filters which don't belong to emergency services will receive a penalty charge notice (PCN).
A recent consultation on the LTN in West Greenwich reportedly received mixed responses, but many raised concerns that the closed roads would make traffic on other roads even worse and some have called the schemes "unpopular and damaging."
The low traffic neighbourhood trial was implemented using an Experimental Traffic Order, which allowed only for public consultation once the trial was in place so people could provide feedback based on their actual experiences of the changes.
In newly released data, of those who responded 52% made positive comments and 48% made negative comments about the scheme.
However, there were concerns and written objections about the area being made less accessible to cars and the perceived impact on neighbouring roads such as the A2, and Maze Hill and Westcombe Park area.
Greenwich Council said they were still considering the responses alongside the responses to a consultation on proposed measures in East Greenwich.
A decision on the next steps will be made in the coming weeks.
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