Objections regarding traffic congestion |
This page is part of the campaign to
Save the Epping Forest Act.
It was hastily compiled from comments by
David Bowden (a Chartered Building Surveyor),
Tot Brill (whose house is immediately adjacent to the site),
Kath Lee,
Paul Taylor,
Cilius Victor,
Newham Council and a
local solicitor.
The traffic plans assume that the Police “traffic will primarily use the A12, where the Olympic Route Network will be in operation, to get to and from the site and to and from the Stratford area. The traffic will use the Green Man Roundabout, Bush Hall Road and then Centre Road to access the briefing centre.”
There is no “Bush Hall Road”, so plainly the author of this document is not familiar with the local roads. Between Centre Road and Blake Hall Road there are two roundabouts that are in normal circumstances generally congested. Then there is a turning to Bush Road and finally there is the Green Man Roundabout, where the traffic will be horrendous.
As part of the assessment, a site visit was carried out and an assessment made of the amount of traffic during a “normal” day. It was found that there was a reduction in traffic during school holidays which is when the Olympic Games is to be held. A reduction in traffic of between 2% and 6% is attributed to this factor.
The traffic analysis relies on a predicted reduction in traffic to match the increase from the proposal, yet the predicted decrease is not justified. It also ignores the closest accident black spots.
The Transport Assessment is based on plans for all Police vehicle traffic to turn north from the Wanstead Flats site along Centre Road towards the Green Man Roundabout and then along the Leytonstone Bypass towards the Olympic site in Stratford.
However, Centre Road is vulnerable to disruptions elsewhere in the local network, and traffic often backs up the length of the road. Residents are concerned that they will be stuck in frequent traffic jams when they travel north to Wanstead and Woodford. The traffic management plan says that there is no impact on designated cycle routes, but the site cuts across two bridle paths much used by cyclists (see my comments on the closure of public rights of way).
Woodgrange Road, Woodford Road and Centre Road are already heavily congested and it is common to see queues stretching from the mini roundabout at Blake Hall Road right back to Dames Road E7. The additional traffic and congestion resulting from the will add enormously to this and the planning application states that this is the preferred route for all traffic resulting from the development. In addition to the problems resulting for residents and road users, it is likely to be exceedingly difficult for the police to get their staff from the development to wherever they are headed in a timely fashion.
The Traffic Assessment also conveniently omits any reference to the two mini-roundabouts that constitute the junction of Centre Road, Lake House Road, Blake Hall Road, and Aldersbrook Road, which are always difficult. These roundabouts omitted the highest density of accidents shown in the report.
What assurance do we have that Police vehicles they will stick to the route stated? The document includes a question to this effect by Peter Foley of Redbridge Planning Department, but not any reply to his letter.
The direct routes from this site to Stratford turn south via Cann Hall Road or Woodgrange Road.
It is simply not plausible that the operational manager of the site will stick to the circuitous route stated when these roads are far more obvious. No doubt Police vehicles will amplify the disruption by using their blue lights at the least excuse.
Reference is made to another entrance, one not referred to in the application form, which is to be used in the event of an incident occurring that prevents access from Centre Road. This would be extremely tempting to anyone leaving the site and going towards the Olympics, the site of which is visible to the west along Lake House Road, as opposed to the stated access via the generally blocked roads to the Green Man roundabout and down the A12. It is also perhaps noteworthy that significant work is being carried out along Cann Hall Road and Crownfield Road (which link Lake House Road and the Olympics site in pretty much a straight line). This work includes the removal of chicanes and other traffic calming measures that hinder use of the route.
It is claimed that “The second criterion related to direct access from an A Road. This would ensure access to key arterial routes, avoid more localised residential roads, allow for access without traversing land in other ownership and is not subject to narrow or traffic calmed routes.”
Is this perhaps why traffic calming is being removed from Cann Hall Road, despite the claim elsewhere that access to the Olympic site would be via a circuitous route via the Green Man roundabout and the A11?
It is difficult to believe that this is not the truly intended route.
Granting the MPA’s request will ensure that the serious traffic congestion already predicted for substantial parts of East and Central London will be near chaotic in the Forest Gate, Leytonstone and Wanstead areas to name a few.
The MPA expect to be transporting to and from the site several thousand police each day and throughout the day using a range of vehicles from coaches to saloon patrol cars and patrol bikes. They also expect a large mounted police presence with horses billeted on the site. Normal thru traffic already causes issues, especially at peak times. With the addition of ‘Olympic’ traffic also moving to and from the M11, A406, A13, A12 and A11 it is obvious that severe bottlenecks on the minor roads like Aldersbrook Road, Blake Hall Road, Centre Drive, Dames Road, Woodgrange Road, Cann Hall and Lake Hall will occur. General Olympic traffic will being using the minor roads leading to Stratford as a ‘rat run’ to get closer to an Olympic event or are just looking to park as near as possible to a venue.
The traffic modelling in the Transport Assessment relies on the assumption of an “Olympic Downturn Factor” that it says will reduce traffic by 8% compared to the norm.
This document cites page 209 of the Transport Analysis that was part of the planning application for the Olympic Games as a whole, but this page discusses railways, not roads. The supposed Downturn Factor is indeed mentioned, on pages 210-1, 222 and 236 (sections 6.9.5-8, 6.11.1-2 and 6.13.6).
The Olympic Delivery Authority failed to respond to our enquiries about what evidence there is for this.
(Here is an example illustrating the inadequacy of the time allowed for ordinary people to object.)
Maybe some people will indeed look to leave the area while the Games are on.
However, it is equally possible that visitors from other parts of the country will drive down to the area to take advantage of the permit-free parking which applies to most of the area around Wanstead Flats. Wanstead Flats is barely 1km away from the A118 Romford Road which is one of the main thoroughfares through East London, leading directly to Stratford and the Olympic Stadium. Anybody looking to drive to East London is likely to pass there.
Further, no consideration has been given to the possibility that the opposite of the Olympic Downturn Factor might apply — that people who might usually go away for the summer will choose in fact to stay in the UK for the reason of the Olympics. This will level out any drop in traffic caused by the Olympic Downturn Factor.
The Transport Assessment makes no mention whatever of the proposed use of 85 horses stabled on Wanstead Flats. The site was chosen to be within walking distance for the horses. Are they going to go out of their way via a road that has the status of a motorway, or are they going to take the direct route? Horses go very slowly in comparison to cars. They are going to cause huge tail-backs.
About 54 stables are expected to be sited within the MBDC, therefore at least an equivalent number of horses can be expected. This means that at any one time, there may be a total of 54 horses leaving the MBDC together. The Applicant has not revealed the routes which the horses will use, whether to get to the Olympic stadium in Stratford or elsewhere. It is unrealistic to expect that the horses are not going to affect the flow of traffic quite substantially given the speed at which they will be moving.
The Fairground Site at Wanstead Flats is located close to a very residential area. Even the smallest increase in traffic will have an adverse affect on local residents
There is no provision for pedestrians to cross to the other side of the Flats at the entrance of the development and there is no pavement on the other side of the road. How are we to get past the entrance of the site?
Police traffic to Wanstead Flats will further add to substantially elevated traffic levels effecting a much wider area than the immediate streets near Wanstead Flats. For those who rely on public bus transport especially routes 58, 101 and 308 which run closest to Wanstead Flats they may find these routes unusable during large parts of the day; find them diverted or terminating early as was the case for route 58 and 308 during the annual November firework display held on the same site.
The Traffic Assessment states that
There are areas of Centre Road that currently do not have parking restrictions. It is not expected that parking in these areas will occur in a manner to affect the MBDC operation. If any parking problem does emerge, the Police will be able to apply temporary parking restrictions to ensure the traffic flow along Centre Road is not unduly affected.
Effectively they are saying there will be no adverse effect on parking because they can restrict public parking if necessary, thereby further restricting the public’s use of the Flats.
We also learn from the Traffic Assessment (and, surprisingly, from no other source) that the Corporation of London is in fact planning to do something for the people of this area during the Olympic Games, namely to stage popular sporting events on Wanstead Flats. Whilst I applaud this, I also observe that these events will add further to the traffic and parking.
On most Saturday and Sunday mornings there are football matches on the Flats. As a result, Harrow Road is already completely full of parked vehicles on these mornings.
This effectively means that should the other activities lead to parking that interferes with the proposal, parking restrictions, ie restrictions on those other activities, being the only lawful uses, will be imposed. This is a further imposition not highlit elsewhere.
If sporting participants don’t use public transport now, I think it unlikely that they will do so in 2012. If this application is agreed I ask that proper mitigation measures are made to protect local residents’ use of bridle paths for cycling, and to reduce the risk of congestion on Centre Road
It is inevitable that these events will conflict with the Police operations. Then, as the Transport Assessment says, “the Police will be able to apply temporary parking restrictions to ensure the traffic flow along Centre Road is not unduly affected”, which they will of course do in their own favour and to the inconvenience of both local residents and participants in the sporting events. Indeed, the Assessment goes on to say that “[Transport for London] has confirmed that measures will be introduced at the Green Man Roundabout as part of the management of Olympic traffic and that these are designed to cater for the [Police] traffic appropriately”, so the latter will be able to do as it pleases whilst residents have to wait in jams.
Even if the Olympic Downturn Factor is accepted as support for the argument that there will be less traffic on the road whilst the Olympic Games are in flow, no consideration has been given to how traffic will be affected for the remainder of the 90 days that the MBDC will be on Wanstead Flats. Some of that time will coincide with the finish and start of the school term and it is to be expected that the Applicant will want to carry out “practice runs” prior to the start of the Olympic Games thereby clashing with school traffic.
There is no assessment of how the transport situation might change should there be an emergency during the Olympic Games. It is well documented that the Olympic Games represents the biggest security threat that the UK has ever faced and there is therefore a significant possibility that an incident might occur. Should that happen, the MBDC at Wanstead Flats (being the biggest of the London MBDCs) would no doubt be expected to coordinate a response to the emergency. In that event, it is likely that traffic would not be in accordance with the findings of the Applicant in its Transport Assessment. For example, roads may need to be cordoned off to allow police vehicles priority access.
In short, the data contained within the Transport Assessment can only be considered accurate if it is assumed that the users of the MBDC will be following the same routine everyday throughout the 90 days that the MBDC is on site.
Section 4.2 of Redbridge Council’s current development plan indicates that adverse traffic congestion as a result of granting planning permission is an important factor to consider. To my mind the ‘adverse effect’ in relation to the MPA’s application is an understatement.
Details of the locations proposed for drop-off/pick-up of officers are required to enable assessment from a traffic management and highway safety point of view. Details are also required of the routes and approximate timings of horses based at the centre that will travel to the venues via roads in Newham. It accepted that these concerns can be addressed by a planning condition requiring this additional information. This information is needed to ensure Newham’s Network Management team is fully informed of movements associated with the centre.
Newham COuncil proposed the following conditions:
The number and time of vehicle movements shall not exceed those set out in the Transport Assessment. Vehicle movements shall be recorded and the data provided to the local planning on request.
Reason: To protect the living conditions of nearby occupiers.
Prior to the commencement of works on the development hereby permitted, further details of drop off/pick up locations, horse movements and scheduled traffic movements shall be submitted to and be approved by the Local Planning Authority. The approved development shall operate in accordance with the details thus approved.
Reason: To protect the living conditions of nearby occupiers, and ensure traffic impacts can be assessed and managed.
The Police TRansport Assessment relies on unsupported data and has ignored other significant factors. As such, it is not clear how the Planning Authority can reach a view on the evidence presented. Redbridge Local level Borough wide Policy T1 states that planning permission will not be granted for development which would increase trip generation excessively or would have a negative adverse impact on traffic generation. At present, the evidence to support the Applicant’s argument that there will be no adverse impact is unsubstantiated. Either the Planning Authority should seek further and better particulars, or should reject the application on the basis that the conclusion reached is unproven.
This document was translated from LATEX by HEVEA.