Key information
Petition presented by: Murad Qureshi Assembly Member
Date petition submitted: Tuesday 8 September 2015
Petition presented at: London Assembly Plenary
Summary of petition
“We call upon Westminster City Council, the Mayor of London and Transport for London to reject all proposals for the Baker Street/Gloucester Place Two-Way Traffic Scheme.
1) The proposed scheme is not needed and has not been demanded by local residents, businesses or road users.
2) It would damage the quality of life for residents by diverting traffic into the residential streets of the Dorset Square Conservation Area and other residential streets on the south side of Marylebone Rd where air pollution and the risk of accidents would increase.
3) It would increase journey times on Baker St, Gloucester Pl and Marylebone Rd for buses, coaches, taxis, delivery vehicles and emergency services.
4) It would push up rents for shops and restaurants on Baker St, many of which may be forced out of business by higher rents and the loss of parking/unloading spaces.
The existing one-way system is very successful in maintaining traffic flows, providing spaces for parking/unloading and keeping traffic out of residential side streets. The two-way scheme is being promoted by landowners and property developers who would gain enormously from this unjustifiable waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Response information
Response title: The Mayor's Response
Name of person responding: The Mayor
Response date: Friday 23 October 2015
“Thank you for the petition presented to the London Assembly Plenary meeting on 8 September about the Baker Street/Gloucester Place Two-Way Traffic Scheme.
The proposed removal of the Baker Street gyratory is a Westminster City Council project. Westminster is designing and constructing the proposed scheme on both the borough and also the Transport for London (TfL) managed section of these roads, with a financial contribution of £10m from TfL towards the total estimated cost of £15m. As you may be aware, Westminster has recently completed its consultation with residents and other interested parties on the proposals to improve Baker Street and Gloucester Place. There is a mixed response to the consultation. The issues raised in the consultation are currently being addressed by Westminster’s design team, which intends to share its revised design with the public in early 2016.
I have asked TfL to keep you informed of progress as the Baker Street scheme develops over the coming months.”
Related documents
Mayor's Response to Baker St/Gloucester Pl Two Way Proposal