Petition details
Stop Wellington Row, Barnet Grove & Quilter Street Road Closures & Restrictions
The petition is based on the following grounds:
1. The restrictions are unduly biased against the local residents as it causes accessibility issues. In addition, these restrictions are divisive for community cohesion.
2. Allow parking overflow to the adjacent roads, as there is not sufficient parking space for residential flats and houses on Wellington Row. Hence, resident permit bays should stay and not be converted to shared space, e.g. pay-by-phone.
3. Significant increase in congestion, noise, and air pollution is created, as residents need to travel around for 15 minutes or more to find free resident parking bays on the adjacent roads.
4. Measures discriminate residents with mobility issues/disability, as these residents now have a 250 metres journey turned into a 2 miles journey. Also causing access difficulties for carers and delays to emergency services, (as every second counts).
5. Additional congestion and constant daytime stagnant traffic on Bethnal Green Road and Hackney Road are impacting the health of residents, particularly if residents need to travel 15 minutes or more to find parking space on adjacent roads, (as per point 2).
6. No consultation made by fully engaging the local residents on implementing the order. The action discriminates against those with language barriers and digitally excluded, as well as the statement on the order makes the assumption that residents understand the Traffic Management Act.
We also call for the opening of vehicle access to Columbia Road
from Gosset Street for better traffic flow management and
preventing congestion under the Road Traffic Act (1984), Section 32
and 57, in the area.
This Petition ran from 19/05/2021 to 29/09/2021 and has now finished.
621 people signed this Petition.
Council response
Thank you for your petition regarding the above matter. I have been asked to respond to you. Please accept my apologies for the delay in coming back to you.
1. The restrictions are unduly biased against the local residents as it causes accessibility issues. In addition, these restrictions are divisive for community cohesion.
The Bethnal Green Liveable Streets scheme is under review which will be concluded in November. The scheme has resulted in a significant reduction in through traffic and in that regard it has been successful in meeting its objectives. However, it is recognised that there are residents are experiencing issues of severance that result in significantly longer trips and can often require the use of major roads such as Hackney Road and Bethnal Green Road.
The review will focus on the access implications for residents and look at the closure on Barnet Grove and will discuss this with residents ahead of making changes where required and consulting on these changes.
2. Allow parking overflow to the adjacent roads, as there is not sufficient parking space for residential flats and houses on Wellington Row. Hence, resident permit bays should stay and not be converted to shared space, e.g. pay-by-phone.
A1 parking permits allow permit holders to use adjacent roads to where they live. The closure on Wellington Row has no bearing on the number of available parking bays on street. However, it is recognised that physical closures can restrict access to bays and this is being considered in the review.
There are no proposals to convert resident permit bays to pay-by-phone in the area.
3. Significant increase in congestion, noise, and air pollution is created, as residents need to travel around for 15 minutes or more to find free resident parking bays on the adjacent roads.
Please see response to point 2. It is recognised that physical closures can restrict access to bays and this is being considered in the review.
4. Measures discriminate residents with mobility issues/disability, as these residents now have a 250 metres journey turned into a 2 miles journey. Also causing access difficulties for carers and delays to emergency services, (as every second counts).
The implications of the closures on residents with mobility issues/disability will be considered in the review mentioned above. Furthermore, discussions with the three main emergency services are an essential part of this review and we will seek to address and concerns they have from with the existing schemes
5. Additional congestion and constant daytime stagnant traffic on Bethnal Green Road and Hackney Road are impacting the health of residents, particularly if residents need to travel 15 minutes or more to find parking space on adjacent roads, (as per point 2).
There are multiple factors causing the congestion on Bethnal Green Road and Hackney Road; diverted through traffic from Bethnal Green and Hackney are two of these factors. This through traffic was impacting on the health in al of our neighborhoods and through traffic should be using these major roads and not residential streets.
Please see response to point 2. It is recognised that physical closures can restricted access to bays, and this is being considered in the review.
6. No consultation made by fully engaging the local residents on implementing the order. The action discriminates against those with language barriers and digitally excluded, as well as the statement on the order makes the assumption that residents understand the Traffic Management Act.
We also call for the opening of vehicle access to Columbia Road from Gosset Street for better traffic flow management and preventing congestion under the Road Traffic Act (1984), Section 32 and 57, in the area.
These changes were subject to extensive public consultation and were implemented under an experimental traffic order. Following the review, the council will be consulting publicly on changes and this consultation will include the option to engage online as well as extra efforts to engage directly with residents where language barriers and issues of digital exclusion exist. We are developing these engagement channels and welcome suggestions from the petitioner in shaping them. Please email mohammed.chibou@towerhamlets.gov.uk to discuss this further.
Kind regards,
Dan Jones
Director – Public Realm
Public Realm Division
Place Directorate