REDACTED COPY of St Katharine & Wapping Ward Panel Minutes of Meeting Dated 5th December 2017
Held in the presence of the SNT and Local Councillors, Abdal Ullah & Denise Jones. Guest Mr Gary Marshall (GM) from LBTH
Meeting notes –
Tuesday, 5 December 2017, 6.00 p.m., Tobacco Dock, Wapping
Present:- PC Ana Matvejeva (AM), PC David Jorden,(DJ), CSO Sandra Monteiro de Souza (SM), Gary Marshall (GM) Abdal Ullah (AU), Denise Jones (DJ)
1) APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2) MATTERS ARISING:
3) CHANGES TO WARD PANEL CHAIR
4) NOMINATION OF…. AND…… TO WARD PANEL
5) TOWER HAMLETS HIGHWAYS OFFICIAL REPORT / DISCUSSION –
a) Speeding/Dangerous Driving:
b) Morning and Evening Commuter Traffic Rat Run using Glamis/Wapping Wall/Wapping High St/Vaughn Way and vice versa
c) 32-ton Tipper Trucks entering over Bascule Bridges which have a 7.5-ton weight limit + using Wapping as a Rat Run from 6:30am etc.
- In the 2 weeks prior to the meeting the Ward panel asked residents to forward pictures and video footage about any of the above to a specially set up email address. Around 50 emails were received.
- G. gave a presentation about traffic problems in Wapping. He handed out printouts of a map showing the typical “rat run” routes, photos of tipper trucks and traffic jams during rush hour.
- G. additionally presented results from traffic counts he conducted at various times in the morning which indicated that in a typical rush-hour nearly 600 vehicles are using Glamis road to enter Wapping, each hour.
- The problems mentioned were:
- Increased traffic and dangerous driving by tipper trucks, commuter coaches and white vans all day and additionally car rat runs, buses not able to circulate, pedestrians not able to cross the road, particularly dangerous during school run.
- GM contributed that the council had an increase in complaints about traffic in Wapping in the last 1.5 years.
- Part of the problems are the new cycle routes because the frequency of the traffic lights has been altered on the Highway because of the cyclists.
Generally :
- GM promised that a full traffic survey will take place in February and that he will take personal ownership of the Wapping Traffic Problem, that the Panel has highlighted.
- Following the survey, measures will be taken and implemented before summer. He will however bring the proposals back to the Ward Panel before going to any public consultation process.
- The 7.5t limit after 7:30h is in place to stop lorry drivers from cutting through Wapping to avoid traffic on the Highway. It is not because of the bridges. They can hold 40t weight
- In some places the signs are not on the Highway, but only visible after a vehicle has already entered Wapping. These signs will be moved up to the Highway.
- Major roadworks are planned at Tower Hill, which will make the situation for Wapping even worse
- The SNT team reported that they had not carried out any speed gun operations in Wapping since July.
- There are changes planned to the street layout and cycle highway in Cable Street.
- This may have a negative impact on traffic in Wapping.
- GM will give us a progress update for our next meeting on 7th February
St Katharine's and Wapping Ward Panel 5/12/2017