High Road Leyton was one of the beneficiaries of the borough’s £21 million of Olympic funding for neighbourhood enhancement. The plan below shows what was promised by Waltham Forest Council for the High Road in the vicinity of the entrance to Coronation Gardens.
And now let’s see how it panned out in reality. This is the exciting new “clutter free” footway:
So let’s check those promises.
1. “New footway signage for Coronation Gardens”.
Not done.
2. “Footways de-cluttered from unnecessary signage and street furniture.”
Footways not de-cluttered. New clutter added to previous clutter.
3. "New footway surfacing around Coronation Gardens."
Done.
4. “Bus stop relocated to here from further north along the High Road.”
Bus stop not relocated.
5. “Road level raised to the same level as the footways to make it more comfortable for pedestrians to move between Coronation Gardens and Sidmouth Park, while slowing vehicles along this stretch of road.”
The road level is not raised to the same level as the footways as shown on the plan, which clearly indicates an at-grade surface running all the way between the junctions with Lyttelton Road E10 and Buckingham Road. The raised table is too shallow to have any appreciable impact on vehicle speeds. Some drivers plainly exceed the 30 mph speed limit.
(Below) Road level not at the same level as the footway.
Although it is not mentioned in the list of promised enhancements, you'll see that the plan shows a log-style bench with a contented Leyton resident relaxing on it reading a newspaper.
No such bench installed.
