We are a group of local Residents in West Greenwich opposed to the closure of Winforton Street, Point Hill, Hyde Vale, King George Street, Royal Place and Crooms Hill.

We would urge Matthew Pennycook MP, Grant Shapps Secretary of State for Transport and Cllr Sizwe James of Greenwich Council to reverse all the closures of these roads for the following 5 reasons:

1. The public engagement exercise from 2019 was not a consultation or a democratic process. Key stakeholders including disability groups, key workers, delivery drivers and emergency services were not fully consulted on these road closures and their implications for access.
2. It is now taking far longer for emergency services to reach people above the modal filters; ambulances to reach those who are seriously ill in danger of a heart attack or stroke and police patrols to attend scenes of crime. As traffic is even busier now on the A2 and through Greenwich Town Centre, this can be a matter of life or death.
3. The vast majority of residents did not support either option 1 or 2 of the West Greenwich (Hills & Vales) Traffic Reduction survey but our views have been totally ignored in the feedback. Residents of a block at the top end of Hyde Vale who objected to the scheme, were excluded from the survey results. This is neither democratic nor inclusive and a deliberate gerrymandering of the outcome.
4. The Hills and Vales road closures are having wider traffic implications for congestion in East Greenwich and other parts of West Greenwich. They coincided with the closure of Greenwich Park to through traffic and the erection of barriers in the Greenwich Town Centre One Way System causing even more traffic gridlock in the area. The rush hour is now longer on the main roads. Increased pollution from stationary traffic is now building up on Blackheath Hill for more hours during the day and not just the rush hour. This in turn is having a negative effect for residents nearby.
5. Local residents who need freedom of access to reach their own streets are now being stereotyped as rat-runners and punished by these measures. It is not possible for all residents to walk or cycle, particularly those who are elderly or have a mobility issue. In any event some journeys do require a car, eg. for supermarket shopping. We pay for residents parking permits and should be able to access our local streets and move around the area where we live freely as was the case before the closures.

Please also give your feedback on the Council’s online form by selecting modal filters, West Greenwich and general feedback https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/xfp/form/549