To think that the current traffic restrictions are fucking ridiculous

[Gobelinoisawitchescat]

I live in SE London - and since these sodding barriers have gone up all over the place the roads are just completely blocked with traffic.

While I know someone is going to come on talking about climate change etc - am not sure how directing all the traffic to one location makes a damn bit of difference - the cars are still on the roads, they’re just concentrated in certain ones.

Am I missing something?

@pigsDOfly exactly! Idling traffic is surely far far worse.

I’m in Lee Green OP, it’s an absolute disaster isn’t it? It’s taking me 1.5hrs to do a journey that used to take 20 mins, it’s total gridlock. To top it off, I got a ticket last week for going into a yellow box at a junction I’d sat stationary at for 20 mins. I’ve written to my MP about it.

It will make a difference to traffic, even if that isn't obvious yet. The harder you make it for people to drive, the less traffic there will be.

Some of it goes alternatives routes, but some of it just disappears, as people travel less (including by combining journeys) or by different methods.

The opposite happens when you open a new road; more traffic appears as it's easier for people to drive.

bettertransport.org.uk/roads-nowhere/induced-traffic

TFL have done it on the main roads round here to allow for social distancing on the pavements. The pavements here happen to be around 5m wide and are not anywhere near crowded. Not one single person has walked in the bit of road that’s been set aside for walking in all the weeks the barriers have been up. The only change is that cyclists are on the pavement to avoid sharing what is now a single lane with buses and HGVs.

Massive massive waste of time and money. TFL are very high handed and do not listen to residents.

@edwinbear it’s an absolute joke. Without being too outing (though it is really) I’m on the Lee side of Blackheath and from where I am “boxed in” on both sides - can’t get out through Greenwich and cannot get out through Lee.
I live about a 3 minute drive from Sainsbury’s and it took me 25 to get there last night (and before anyone asks was doing a huge shop so couldn’t walk).

The traffic on the main roads is just constantly gridlocked and I cannot see the benefit to anyone!

I’m in Birmingham and they’re just in the process of doing this on my local high street. Currently, due to the new no-entry sign and an existing one further up the road, it rather appears that my child’s nursery is no longer accessible

You must be in my area. The traffic is now worse than pre Covid (if that's possible?).

I just don't understand the timing of this. Boris says get back to work and drive in order to avoid public transport but the councils are closing roads forcing cars to sit in a traffic jam on main roads instead.

The idling cars make pollution so much worse and at times it is impossible to cross the road as the traffic blocks the crossing point or the stream is so steady there is no time to cross.

I do drive but I don't use my car much Monday - Friday, at weekends it is more a case of ferrying my DC to clubs and classes and I do need to use my car but as a PP said, a journey that used to take 10 minutes is now taking 40. Just how is that good for the environment? And before someone says cycle I have a 6 and a 3 year old - the 6yr old would not be safe cycling on the road especially the highly congested ones.
It has actually put me off cycling.

There is going to be a closure in place at my DC's school - I can understand temporary closures at school time to allow parents to SD but it will cause chaos!!

Without being too outing (though it is really) I’m on the Lee side of Blackheath
Ah, I was going to ask if you were in Crystal Palace. I left there 2 years ago but am still in the FB group. It's been horrendous there and 100s of people are furious about the LTN. It does look awful. If I still lived on my old road I'd have lost 4 routes in and out.

It will make a difference to traffic, even if that isn't obvious yet. The harder you make it for people to drive, the less traffic there will be.

It’s just impractical for most people who live outside major hubs, hence why people drive. The 20 minute, 6 mile car journey, would take a total of 1hr10 on a bus which only runs once and hour.

I'm in SW London and our Borough has a LTN which has pushed all rat runners from one side of the main road to the other. Its a nightmare, gridlock and people can't get to their homes. I heard Wandsworth have reviewed and removed all their LTNs as they were causing chaos.

@SE3mum like you I don’t drive that often during the week, but even walking, like you say - you can feel the difference and it’s less pleasant. Cars idling, crossings blocked etc.

My local town centre has been pedestrianised and they have made a bit of a dog's dinner of it. I am completely in favour of giving pedestrians and cyclists more space and taking it away from the SUV drivers, but it needs to be done properly, and I think some of the schemes have been badly thought through, if thought through at all.

I give you another one:

pop-up cycle lanes. Probably come from the same geniuses who designed "smart" motorway.

I don't know how many people need to be killed for that nonsense to be scrapped.

@Gobelinoisawitchescat that's exactly it! I often walk down to the Sainsbury's at Lee or the M&S at the Standard for bits of food shopping as I like walking but I am going to do all of it online now, someone else can deal with the traffic on my behalf.

Waiting for a huge one to start on my road. I say road it’s about 7 roads and hundreds of homes and flats all now one way system. Going be awful. The council say its to make you walk or cycle. But not every journey that can be done in the car can be changed. So you may get a few takers, but you are punishing those who are disabled elderly, who work to far away or have caring responsibilities and time limits on their day.

Then it’s knock on effect on the main roads and those that use them. General effects on 999 and public transport. So that’s going to be slower even if you decide to use the bus. Ours was originally plugged a Covid measure make room for cyclists use less public transport. Now it’s just don’t use car or public transport. Hardly anyone uses the bikes this way anyway. Now those that do have to weave around twice the traffic on the main road.

@Akire the whole “make you walk or cycle” thing is ridiculous. Firstly I don’t, and never will cycle on the roads. Even if there were less cars I still wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it.

As for “walking instead” - most people in London probably do walk/commute journeys that they can - driving generally isn’t always the first option due to the traffic (e.g it’s often quicker to walk). So car journeys are chosen because they are necessary.

I guess the question is what will it take to get you out of your cars. It needs to happen so how?

My local council has rejected the idea of pop-up cycle lanes.

They decided it was a waste of money.

I know. I’m disabled so when people do pick me up I can feel guilt about mile de-tour on a gridlocked road to get back to the start of my road, to start the journey the opposite way. We live near train tracks so there ain’t another way “out”.

@wafflyversatile

I guess the question is what will it take to get you out of your cars. It needs to happen so how?

Well a bus that ran more than twice a day during the week and maybe a bus at weekends? Jobs in the community? Secondary schools a bit closer than 5 miles away? That kind of thing? If only such things existed outside all towns and cities.

Ugh the 'pop up' cycle lanes! With bloody metal posts drilled into the road! We have those in our town too! They were put there to prevent people parking on those double yellow lines and encourage cycling. Now, drivers park on the double yellow lines on the OTHER side of the one way street and the whole town gets locked up because there is no space to pass illegally parked cars. There have already been accidents and road rage too.

Greenwich is pretty much impassable right now

You can't go up the side of the park

They've traffic 'calmed' (more like gridlocked) the town centre

[quote rosiejaune]It will make a difference to traffic, even if that isn't obvious yet. The harder you make it for people to drive, the less traffic there will be.

Some of it goes alternatives routes, but some of it just disappears, as people travel less (including by combining journeys) or by different methods.

The opposite happens when you open a new road; more traffic appears as it's easier for people to drive.

bettertransport.org.uk/roads-nowhere/induced-traffic[/quote]
I really hope this is true but I'm feeling doubtful. I don't have a car, and it annoys me when people mindlessly get in their cars instead of walking or taking public transport.

But right now in London, on many bus routes, transport for London have made every other bus for school kids only at school start and finish times. I understand why, but it means more people will be in their cars. Plus people are generally using their cars more because of covid.

If their planners genuinely asked those who use roads where they are going, who with, on a weekly basis. They could make some plans but seem have forgotten all elderly disabled. Mostly women who work part time, drop various children off and then go 3 places.

Covid means people want to do one weekly shop where you need a car. Not walk everyday queue up and stagger home. Buy guess Mr I work in important job at council never worried about dropping off 3 kids, football, brownies and looking after elder parent. Doing weekly shop because hey look at me with my lyric shorts and my new bike.

@Gobelinoisawitchescat I am close to you too, east of the Borough (without being too outing 😜) and it is a joke! I understand the need for traffic calming measures but they’ve closed off all of the ‘rat runs’ and made bus lanes unavailable to traffic at any time, even after 7. Roads have been made smaller for cycle lane works and buses are on reduced numbers, it’s just ridiculous.
I had a journey on Thursday that I could only do by car. I decided to go in the evening to avoid the rush our and a journey that should have taken 40 minutes, took nearly 90. I even tried going the long way around, but obviously everyone else had the same idea.
There is only choices to the black wall tunnel aRe either Blackheath or Greenwich and both of those were at a standstill as local traffic had no where to go.
I know what you mean about the local Fb groups, the conversations are getting very heated.