Traffic counts

The Royal Borough of Greenwich regularly conducts traffic counts to assess vehicular movement across the borough.

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These counts are carried out using Metrocount pneumatic tubes, strategically installed on roads to collect traffic data. Ideally, each vehicle passing over the tubes is accurately recorded, capturing both vehicle count and speed. However, research, including a prominent study by McGowen and Sanderson, has raised concerns about the reliability of this method. The study describes the data as 'suspicious', citing significant discrepancies in vehicle counts and speed measurements due to undercounting and overcounting.

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Several factors contribute to inaccuracies in pneumatic traffic counting, including:

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• vehicles parked over the tubes, particularly in residential areas

• vehicles travelling at speeds below 10 km/h (approximately 6 mph)

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While Metrocount asserts that its pneumatic counters have an error margin of just one per cent, other studies suggest a practical error range of seven per cent to 12 per cent.

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These findings carry significant implications, particularly regarding traffic flow on boundary roads in East and West Greenwich. Data shows that these roads experience the highest traffic volumes, a reality that contrasts sharply with the council's proposed access restrictions under the 'Greener, Safer Greenwich' Traffic Management Scheme.

 

This discrepancy calls into question the validity of the scheme’s rationale and raises broader concerns about the council’s commitment to protecting the health and wellbeing of its residents. When areas are compared using Census 2021 data, these concerns become even more pronounced, particularly for economically disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by the scheme.

 

West Greenwich traffic data (2022)

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The below data is taken from the Royal Borough of Greenwich's own traffic data from September 2022.​​​​​​​​

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