Forum Topic

Boston Road accident chaos

The most important thing about what happened yesterday is that anyone involved in the collision is okay.However, it does raise some important issues about how LTNs should operate. It occurs to me that it flies in the face of logic to say that the LTNs didn't make the situation worse. Traffic was effectively kettled in the area and there was no way for vehicles to clear the area. Even supporters of the LTNs must recognise that it isn't in residents' interests to have traffic gridlocked in their roads as the congestion washes back into the LTNs. The least worse option is to allow traffic temporarily to dissapate through the LTN by temporarily removing restrictions. The police presumably have the power to suspend the restrictions during an emergency and a key to open the barriers.

Gordon Southwell ● 1677d7 Comments

A suspension of enforcement would be in everyone's bet interest. Even if you support the LTNs, traffic backed up in your neighbourhood due to congestion in the distributor roads is not in your best interest. The police should have sent the Serco van enforcing these restrictions during the incident packing and  directed traffic through the barriers.

Andy Jones ● 1675d

This will be an increasingly familiar sight as the weather and daylight get worse. We'll see how many cyclists are left to enjoy the empty back streets come November

Jim McCauley ● 1676d

It's a Labour Utopia innit?!!!Perhaps best give the CONs and/or LIBDEMs a go next time and see how they fare?ANYTHING has GOT to be better than the current useless and incompetent shower diktating our lives.

Rosco White ● 1676d

“They “- the council, TFL Mare Khan are anti car.Pure & simple.I have written to them asking why they can’t alleviate some of the issues.For example the location of some bus stops, keep clear signs etc.Silence is deafening & action non existent.Haven Green is a bus park, buses going from left hand side to turn right.Longfield Ave prohibited turn.Acton roundabout by Morrison’s.These new LTNs.Majorly of bus lanes can not be used 24/7.It makes no difference. Buses falling over each other. In Pitshanger Lane every morning at 05.45 I see THREE double deckers in a row. N7,E2,E9!!!What the hell? & the noise, a resident said you can’t have a window open.Oh & they are nearly always empty.Delivery trucks, where do they go or park to offload tonnes of goods??Traffic lights held on red longer for no reason.That’s ignoring the temporary lights set up every 2mins in South Ealing Rd for example, for several months now.All I hear are stupid TFL ads boasting about their crap ideas. Speed kills (wonder why cars speed, nothing to do with being held up all the time perhaps). Can’t drive in bus lanes EVER. If an emergency service vehicle comes do NOT enter one. Can’t park here, there, anywhere.Congestion, pollution, ulez charges. All £££££ raking revenue to keep these buffoons on overinflated salaries, implementing foolhardy schemes citing safety & pollution which they cause !!!Hammersmith Bridge is fantastic for them

Peter Yale ● 1676d

It was not ' unforeseen' it's happened wherever there are LTNs or Labyrinth estates. Every time a main road gets booked its Gridlock. I spent 5 hours stuckk in North east London in a similar set up - Not an LTN but a district with only one access route. Completely booked due to a bus crash.Also " Unforeseen" but also flagged up to LBE and others is the increased exposure to Covid risk by Bus passengers on increased Journey times.Some local routes in West and South West London have had huge increases in journey times caused in the main by Road works and road space restrictions.And this is all supposed to be to "Deal better with Covid19"  I assume thats because they hope the population will be decreased.

Raymond Havelock ● 1677d

one-way travel?So I can go to Waitrose but I can't come back again? Ever?

Susan Kelly ● 1677d

To suggest, as multiple people have posted on other threads, that this was an unforeseen consequence of the LTN scheme, and that the council will now see sense and roll-back these changes is completely false - this outcome was not only predicted by the council, it was clearly their goal! Creating gridlock on our roads will form the justification of the next phase of restrictions, where ALL roads will have some form of traffic management, and car travel will be made so difficult as to not make it practical any more. This isn't the end of restrictions, but the beginning - expect to see many more closures, one-way travel etc. This is the end of the era of the car - there is no going back.

Graham Thorpe ● 1677d