Metropolitan Police Service FOIs
Here you'll find links to correspondence between the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Borough of Greenwich concerning delay caused by low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), cycle lanes and other road infrastructure, obtained by Freedom Of Information (FOI) requests.
West Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme
8 July 2020
The Royal Borough of Greenwich wrote to all emergency services for the first time to advise it was looking to implement 'modal filters' (LTNs) across West Greenwich and Lee Green. It asked for all feedback to be provided in less than two days.
The Metropolitan Police higlighted a number of concerns by way of a Traffic Management Order (TMO) response form, including danger to road users and risk of severe congestion or disruption.
They went on to say they agreed with the responses provided by the London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade, and that more time was required to evaluate the plans the council had sent through, stating the period of less than two days provided was 'not adequate for a response.'
West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme
16 October 2023
The Royal Borough of Greenwich wrote to all emergency services for the first time to advise it was looking to implement 'designs' (LTNs) as part of it new West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management project. It asked for all feedback to be provided within seven days.
The council's email can be viewed at the bottom of the document linked to below, and was - perhaps of deep concern - the first time emergency services had been made aware of the scheme. Given that the council's first stage of the consultation process had begun in February of that year and the second and final stage of the consultation had already closed, and questions must be asked.
In its correspondence, the council acknowledged that emergency services vehicles would be required to make detours as a result of the planned implementation of the scheme.
Responding to the council on October 19 2023, the Metropolitan Police Service confirmed their response to the scheme matched that of the London Ambulance Service (LAS). It also stated that owing to operating a 'pan London service', meaning different police units from outside the area may be called to incidents in the borough, time could be wasted in attending emergency situations.
The Metropolitan Police Service representative went on to warn the council: 'As discussed on the previous schemes all three services attend calls where each second may make a difference between life and death. My concern is for the potential for delays in service created by the implementations.'
The council look to implement the West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme during the sumer fo 2024.