Sunday 27 January 2008

Streets for... 'A' boards

‘London is a great city for walking. My vision is to make it one of the world’s most walking friendly cities by 2015.’ That was Ken Livingstone back in 2004, introducing the policy document Making London a walkable city: The Walking Plan for London (February 2004). I’ve added it to my Links.

Transport for London required a response from all London authorities. The one from Waltham Forest boasted of the Council’s achievements, which include

Wood Street - Streets-for-people scheme constructed near the rail station

Well, there is a mini roundabout, a zebra crossing and a speed table. Although these are welcome they do not turn Wood Street into a street where either the pedestrian or cyclist has a higher priority than a driver. What's more I have noticed the gigantic pot hole in the road outside the station. I also noticed the collapsed embankment. And I’ve also noticed that although TfL ask local authorities to

3.10 Carry out regular inspections of the highway to remove temporary obstructions to the footway e.g. advertising boards and display goods.

this crap Council most certainly does no such thing. Which is why just across the road from Wood Street station, on this 'street for people', you’ll find this permanent obstruction: