News on Newham Waltham Forest LTN

As communicated by post and e-newsletter update in mid-October, the modal filters at the junction of Windmill Lane and Maryland Point in Area 1; and at the junctions of Bective Road/Woodford Road and Forest Road/Woodford Road in Area 2, are now planned for implementation from Thursday 3 December 2020. Letters will be dropped to residents in the immediate vicinity of the modal filters giving notice of the works.

Following resident feedback during the consultation, officers are investigating the potential for re-opening the right turn from Woodford Road to Dames Road at the signalised junction to the south of the Sidney Road area.

Since launching the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) in Newham and Waltham Forest, a common concern raised by residents is the long-term affect LTNs will have on our main road network. Although the measures introduced focus on reducing traffic volumes and air pollution on residential streets within the LTN, improving traffic flows and air quality on main roads, and the boroughs overall, is a key priority for both councils.

LTNs are part of a range of measures available to reduce overall traffic volumes and encourage a shift to sustainable and active travel. Reducing traffic levels in residential streets so that they are sufficiently low helps many users feel safe and comfortable to use local roads for walking and cycling without the need for dedicated, high cost infrastructure such as formal crossings and segregated cycle tracks, etc. LTNs can then work together with other measures such as segregated facilities on main roads, wider pavements, improved crossings, increased cycle parking and cycle training to deliver behaviour change in the longer term.

We understand that traffic and air pollution on main roads is a real concern for a lot of residents. This is why data and monitoring is such a vital part of this scheme, to help us understand to what extent the measures have reduced rat running traffic without negatively impacting the wider road networks.

Before the scheme was launched, we collected data from the area using licence plate recognition to identify the number of vehicles which were residential and/or rat running. This data, along with traffic counts and bus journey time data, is being collected periodically to help us build a picture of what is happening across the area.

Alongside data and monitoring, feedback collected via the map-based survey helps us understand where and what additional improvements are needed to tackle pollution, congestion and road safety issues. This is one of the reasons why we’re running the Commonplace engagement site for at least six months, to capture the views of as many people in the area as possible and have an in-depth understanding of what changes local people would most like to see. This can then be used to develop preliminary plans for future improvements should additional funding become available.

As well as this, your comments are helping us pick up any urgent issues. A good example of this is your comments regarding the timing of the traffic signals at the Crownfield Road/High Road Leyton junction; and we have responded by raising this issue with Transport for London (TfL), who have confirmed that there was a fault with the signals detection system, meaning the traffic signals weren’t operating properly and responding to fluctuating traffic demand in real time.

Similarly, you highlighted the long traffic queues near Maryland Station which we have investigated and established that these were due to the temporary traffic lights as part of the ongoing works for the public realm improvements near Maryland Station. The permanent traffic lights have now been installed and the traffic flows at this location have vastly improved.

The measures are still very new for the area, therefore we kindly ask that you bear with us while the changes settle in and people get used to the new layouts. Please rest assured that we are reviewing all comments submitted and emailed, addressing urgent issues as quickly as possible, and will continue to analyse data and keep all measures under review before developing a permanent scheme.

Therefore, even if you’ve already shared your feedback at the start of the scheme, please continue to share your views as the scheme progresses, so that together we can build a scheme which is right for the whole community.