Spot the difference (above and below). Walthamstow High Street.
The blue fencing was put up "temporarily" six years ago. Lawful procedures were followed to fence off the footway. Naturally no consideration was given to pedestrians when new car parking bays were introduced alongside a then much-reduced footway, the width of which fell well below recommended minimum footway widths for pedestrians with a mobility handicap.
No such procedures have been followed by the contractors currently employed by Waltham Forest council to clear and resurface the Arcade site. This green fencing constitutes unlawful obstruction of the public highway.
This lawless obstruction on High Street wouldn't much matter if the Council had suspended the parking bays, but obviously that is out of the question - creating car parking opportunities is the number one Council priority and takes precedence every time over the safety and convenience of pedestrians (or for that matter cyclists).
The contractors have also unlawfully fenced off a section of the footway round the corner on Cleveland Park Avenue
The Highways Authority has a duty to take action against unlawful closure of the public highway. But this would involve the Council taking action against its own contractors, so don't expect it to do anything at all.
(Below) That's really brilliant, isn't it? This is the Council which is "positive about disabled people" - positively contemptuous of their mobility needs.
