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Simon, I d agree it's settling down and the traffic is flowing.
However, the battle for hearts and minds is being lost. I can not get my hair cut or shoes mended without hearing about bloody MH. There is also , I am afraid some truth in the Tarquin stereotype of the village.
To be honest, apart from the LCC and the LVCC there's not yet much utilty cycling in the borough. It would be interesting to know how many of our cyclist's moved to e10/e17 in the last 2-3 years.
Unless we revive utility cycling in the borough; for example, few Green School girls ride to the school, then I fear we are creating another Stevenage.
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On top of that, of course, the village scheme represents one tiny fraction of even the residential schemes.
This is key, of course--deal with the displacement by consistent cell designation.
In six months time, most will barely remember the big mini-Holland panic of 2015.
Frankly, I hope they do remember it and how wrong they were. We need precedent for further progress elsewhere. Sweeping it under the carpet of memory just won't do. :)
As I've said many times, the key is whether local economic performance improves (which I'm confident it will). This is much bigger than cycling--it's about how we live in an urban area like London in the 21st century. Can me modally filter and not build bypasses? I'm sure we can.
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hehehe
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Peter_Carter
Oliver Schick
Kidneys
@PsiMonk
Erm, sorry 7up, but I couldn't disagree more on just about every point you make.
The surrounding streets aren't more congested. Lea Bridge Road and Hoe Street got dramatically worse a few weeks after the full village scheme went in - when schools went back. But a) that could have been the scheme bedding in, and b) we simultaneously had huge roadworks on the north circ. Either way, last week or so, congestion back to roughly where it was before - ie sometimes horrible, sometimes fine, bit around Selbourne Road always fairly chuggy. Church Hill is exactly as it was before the scheme went in, and has remained that way throughout. Queuing on Shernhall onto Forest the same. Queuing other end onto LBR (Eastern Ave?) is worse - but not dramatically so.
Residential roads across the borders of the scheme largely unaffected - some quite a lot quieter. Look at "poets" roads or Howard - traffic counts definitely down from where they were before. Ratrunners not just displaced from one area, but several.
On top of that, of course, the village scheme represents one tiny fraction of even the residential schemes. Pretending the village is all Tarquins inaccurate enough. But what will you say when all of Blackhorse Village, Hoe/Wood and Markhouse in too?
There is not a high percentage of people who rely on access to private vehicles. Under half of all households in Walthamstow have access to a car, and most disabled folks don't use a car. We're not quite as low car as Hackney. But we're not miles off.
Loads of people have raised concerns over the schemes, sure - and Stella is getting it in the neck. There's a lot happening, fast. But that doesn't automatically mean there's been "little consideration" of anything. It just means people hate change.
Sorry, but again, look at not even Groningen, not even Hackney, but places in Walthamstow like north of Lea Bridge Road between Argall and Markhouse. Huge sodding road closure cell over there. Been in for decades. No one notices it. Does it mess up everyone else's drive? No. In six months time, most will barely remember the big mini-Holland panic of 2015.