(Above) Blatant all the year round obstruction of a cycle stand by The Flowerpot pub on Wood Street E17.
Wood Street ward in the London Borough of Waltham Forest is represented by three councillors (all Labour). They are Cllr Peter Barnett, Cllr Angie Bean and Cllr Richard Sweden.
One thing none of them ever seem to do is walk or cycle along Wood Street and see the things I see. You know, all the year round obstruction of the pavement and cycle stands by easily identifiable offenders.
Perhaps none of these three councillors lives in the ward they represent (it happens). Or perhaps they do and simply travel everywhere by car.
With elections coming up next year I'm sure all three, if they are standing for re-election, will be telling voters of their passion for clean streets, of their zeal for making Wood Street even better than the nirvana it is under the current administration, and how they are committed to the fight against global warming. Even though the streets of their ward are hostile places for pedestrians and cyclists, and about to get a whole lot worse under the Wood Street Corridor Scheme (which basically involves the creation of whole swathes of new parking bays on the pavement, and forcing cyclists to ride between long lines of parked cars and dangerously close to fast traffic).
Should you wish to communicate with these councillors (as they are plainly ignorant of the state of the streets they purport to represent they would benefit from seeing the pics on this blog), their email addresses are as follows:
cllr.peter.barnett@walthamforest.gov.uk
cllr.angie.bean@walthamforest.gov.uk
cllr.richard.sweden@walthamforest.gov.uk
(Below) Obstructed cycle stand outside 241 Wood Street. "Under section 137 Highway Act 1980 a person who without lawful consent or excuse in any way wilfully obstructs the free passage along the highway is guilty of an offence."
(Below) "Under section 137 Highway Act 1980 a person who without lawful consent or excuse in any way wilfully obstructs the free passage along the highway is guilty of an offence." Week after week rubbish is dumped obstructively on the footway on Brandon Road (a few yards from the corner with Wood Street), rendering it impassable for wheelchair users and people with twin pushchairs. It seems plain who is primarily responsible for dumping at this spot (clue: it's a nearby business). The first photograph shows its condition last Sunday.
This is the same location yesterday. Even able-bodied pedestrians are forced to walk in the road.
(Below) A smashed, deformed cycle stand on Wood Street, hit by a vehicle, near the junction with Havant Road. It's been like that for a year and is long overdue for replacement.
