Watching the watchers... Who's this beyond the first red light on Willow Walk E17, blocking the way for High Street pedestrians crossing at green? Why, it's one of the London Borough of Waltham Forest enforcement Smart Car CCTV vehicles! Last Saturday afternoon.
Easy enough to understand what happened. Traffic backs up from the next set of lights at the junction with Selborne Road. Impatient and inconsiderate drivers crawl across the High Street junction at green, join the back of the queue, then get stuck there when the lights change. When the lights change to green for pedestrians, their way is blocked. Every Saturday, and at other busy times, you see this crystal clear example of the idiocy of Waltham Forest's top highway engineers. This shambolic situation could be prevented by painting dashed yellow markings across the speed table, making it an offence to stop there. There's even room to park an off-road Smart Car CCTV vehicle, which could catch its colleagues!
You'd think that the three High Street ward councillors would occasionally take a stroll down the High Street and notice the sort of things this blog notices.
(Below) To be fair, parking enforcement in Waltham Forest is generally good, but there are inconsistencies. For example, the Council's parking enforcement team turn a blind eye to the numerous and regular offences committed on the pavement by scooters parked in front of the pizza takeaway at the St James Street end of the High Street, at the junction with Pretoria Avenue.
