Book Launch date change to 8th Aug
Local author Kate Thompson is launching a new book called Secrets of the Homefront Girls, set in the Yardley’s factory, Stratford during World War 2. Kate would love to have anybody who worked at Yardley’s in WW2 along to help bring war torn Stratford to life. The book launch is now on Thurs 8th August from 6.30 – 8pm in the community centre at 18 Rathbone Market, London, E16 1EJ. All welcome. RSVP Kate Thompson.
Road closures in Bow 13 – 21 July 2019
I went along on Tuesday to the Bow Idea Store to hear more about the Liveable Streets plan. It turns out that many local people, myself included, had not received the leaflet through our doors. It was only by chance that friends alerted me to what was going on. I’d initially though that the signs on Tredegar Road were a warning about forthcoming road works.
The Bow Post Engagement Workshop (Liveable Streets) consisted of a table with some people with maps showing residents how they could drive out of their own area. For those of us who live south of the Roman Road in Bow East our new route to the A12 is to drive west along Tredegar Road, north up St Stephens Road, west along the Roman Road – away from the market, left down Grove Road, and left at Mile End Station to drive to the Bow flyover roundabout. You won’t be able to go down Coborn Road because no traffic will be allowed to pass under the railway bridge.
According to Google maps this is 2.3 miles. Without the wonderful Liveable Streets plan it would be 0.3 of a mile from my house travelling east along Tredegar Road.
The Liveable Streets Bow Trail leaflet says it will enable “…residents and business in the area to experience the positive impacts reduced traffic flow…” I think it will do the opposite.
The leaflet also talks about encouraging journeys to be made by public transport, walking and cycling. I would say that most of us are already doing that. There are reasons why people are driving. Maybe they have a boot full of tools or equipment essential for their work. Maybe they are disabled. Maybe they are coming to deliver and install a washing machine. Maybe it’s somebody from Hackney driving though the area to pick up a friends children to take the somewhere.
The idea is to stop rat-running through the area. Some joined up thinking across government would help! Instead of the usual negative approach of banning and controlling people – how about being positive? People are rat-running because the main roads are blocked. How do you get that traffic to flow more freely? We need a lot more electric car charging points. The government reduced the subsidies for electric and hybrid cars. The obvious effect was that sales of these cars was down 12% this June compared to a year ago.
More details of the 9 day trail are in my previous article here. Please send your feedback after the trail starts to PCLConsult here.
*Stop Press*
At 5pm on Saturday I’m hearing that the restrictions have been removed. I’m not sure for how long. There is a petition about the bus gate in Tredegar Road here.
Your comments were all presented well Carton & Alan T. Which made the Council reconsider, within hours. These proposals were never going to satisfy the residents of our part of Bow.
The problems the Rat Run through Tredegar Rd causes needs a really well investigated debate before anything like Saturday debacle ever happen again.
Ray Gipson Geezers Club Age UK East London
Thanks for your response Ray.
Abysmal from start to finish, Communication was atrocious, the division in the local community created by this is astounding, if you ever learn anything in the political arena learn by this sorry state of affairs…..political ineptness abounds… Get a grip of this process and stop this parasitic company from doing any further damage to our Boroughs cohesiveness….. Livable ST’s need good neighborly conditions first and foremost…
Thanks for writing in. They failed to get agreement from local people. Kind of essential for a politician!