Trafalgar Square - Eat Yer Heart Out
This one's all a bit last-minute; if it's been planned for much longer than a week I certainly haven't known about it. But hey - it's all over the place now, and, despite the council having chosen what is probably the least convenient time to have a consultation, it might be a wise idea to hove your way down to Devonport House at some point this weekend (between 19th and 21st December) to see all five possible options (six if there;s a 'do nothing' button) for the pedestrianisation of Greenwich town centre.
Now - I have to say that in principle I have no objection to this. In fact I rather like it. I'm guessing that few Greenwichians would object to the idea - and it would do the place no harm at all for encouraging tourists. It's the guys from outside the area who use us as a rat-run between further into town and the Blackwall Tunnel that will be getting hot under the collar - but there are levels of pedestrianisation and it would do us all good to decide exactly how far we'd want to go with it.
The options range from just cutting off College Approach and making Nelson Road two-way (easiest but a potential log-jam) all the way through to a giant one-way system just outside the centre (elegant but making you go a long way round - which might not be so bad at that), with various permutations along the way.
Those of you in the Greenwich Society will have received a letter about this - it's been forwarded to me several times (thanks, guys) but it's all a bit complex to explain here.
There's only a small window of discussion here as the council want the new system in for (surprise, surprise) the Olympics, hence the awkward date of the consultation. Do try to get along if you can...
Now - I have to say that in principle I have no objection to this. In fact I rather like it. I'm guessing that few Greenwichians would object to the idea - and it would do the place no harm at all for encouraging tourists. It's the guys from outside the area who use us as a rat-run between further into town and the Blackwall Tunnel that will be getting hot under the collar - but there are levels of pedestrianisation and it would do us all good to decide exactly how far we'd want to go with it.
The options range from just cutting off College Approach and making Nelson Road two-way (easiest but a potential log-jam) all the way through to a giant one-way system just outside the centre (elegant but making you go a long way round - which might not be so bad at that), with various permutations along the way.
Those of you in the Greenwich Society will have received a letter about this - it's been forwarded to me several times (thanks, guys) but it's all a bit complex to explain here.
There's only a small window of discussion here as the council want the new system in for (surprise, surprise) the Olympics, hence the awkward date of the consultation. Do try to get along if you can...
Labels: Debates, Events, Greenwich news
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
07:35
12 Comments:
Is this a permenant plan for pedestrianisation or just for the Olympics? Does anyone know what the 5 options are yet?
On first look I'd have to say I'm tentatively FOR the partial pedestrianisation of parts fo the town center. Not to the extent where it stops visitors or damages trade but it would be nicer to have less thru traffic.
http://www.greenwich.co.uk/news/02432-council-consults-on-pedestrianisation-proposals/
The details are here...though I'm sure they could have worded these options slighly more clearly!..I think you need to go to Devonport house over the weekend to understand what they are talking about.
Havent seen the plans but I am fed up with having to plan with military precision a route round back streets just to get home. The tunnel seems to be blocked about 4 days a week just lately and the queues along trafalgar road and creek road into the town centre are unbearable. Public transport is no better, the buses are stuck so you cant get home reliably from North Greenwich. I'd go for anything that ensures a free flowing route through the town centre.
Total pedestrianisation will be cool. It will stop the lorries running red lights at Pelican crossings, like I saw this morning and every morning; and it will force all the fat people sitting in their cars in traffic to get out and walk to the train station.
Now we actually have decent public transport in Greenwich, this is feasible, altho my favoured option would be to allow buses (not taxis, not police, not John Prescott) through the centre.
Found the details here if not yet seen: https://consultations.greenwich.gov.uk/uploadedfiles/10292_4%20Town%20Centre_3%20(2).pdf
Or even here...
Will be interestnig to see how they deal with the displacement of traffic and rat-runners using the back streets to get home.
Having read the questionnaire, it is good to see Greenwich following the Yes, Prime Minister principles: Do you (a) support us in the improvements or (b) support us.....
A lovely idea but I do really hope they don't do it; just look at the chaos caused by minor roadworks on the Trafalgar Road.
It's all very well dreaming up these utopian schemes but human nature errs toward ease of passage and to do this without a practical alternative route for traffic is mindless.
Build a Blackheath Tunnel! Send traffic along to Deptford Bridge and then shove it all underneath the Heath, pooping out at the Sun in the Sands roundabout.
I went along today - there are pros and (mainly) cons to the various options for re-routing traffic, but bizarrely there's no information on the backgroud - i.e. why pedestrianise? what are the benefits?
Greenwich town centre is heavily geared to tourists, and this is not easy to change. If the pedestrian areas are taken over by the tourist trade, I can see them becoming dead and unwelcoming at night. Especially if the council has no clear idea of how to use them - I mean, look at Cutty Sark Gardens, a pedestrian space that's more of a liability than an asset.
The exhibition does not present 'do nothing' as an option, and the questionnaire starts with a very loaded question - you almost feel accused of being against any improvement if you do not agree with the scheme.
This suggests the Council want to get it through no matter what. So if you have any objections, make yourself heard.
It does allow for your to have an option for doing nothing - the very fist question on the questionnaire says something along the lines of 'do you agree with the need for pedestrianisation?' There is then lots of space for comments on the form. And you're allowed to be anonymous on the form as well as here...
All the options numbered 2 involve Norman Road becoming 2-lane northbound traffic. Which means that cyclists using the Ha'penny Hatch from Deptford can't get to the Ashburnham Triangle without either passing via a dangerous narrowing section of the A2 or by going all around the back-streets and then tracking back along the main road from the Mitre pub. A journey from the Creekside Centre to the Ashburnham Arms is currently a quiet half-mile ride. The new shortest option will mean 3/4 mile taking in a very busy Deptford Broadway or slightly quieter 1.15 miles via Straightsmouth with only twice having to cross 2-lane traffic on bends.
And yet, surely a solution should be making it easier to encourage cyclists because that way, you reduce road congestion. And what do they do? They issue a consultation map which doesn't show cycle routes and which doesn't even have the Ha'penny Hatch, they put up a sham proposal, 2c, to put in a contraflow cycle path that will tick the alternative transport box yet prevent cyclists actually getting to it without sending them first onto the A2! And the person I spoke to at the consultation admitted that they hadn't considered the Ha'penny Hatch at all in the proposals. ''We'd need to think about it.'' was his expression.
Bikes aren't the problem - vehicular traffic is - so why should bikes have suffer once again in favour of vehicles in the ''solution?''
Joined up planning?
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