Following the announcement by TFL last week that there are to be alterations to the Olympic Route Network to reinstate some banned turnings and closed pedestrian crossings in the City of London and the West End, John Biggs has called for further changes to be extended into East London.
Local London Assembly member John Biggs said: “I am pleasantly surprised that the traffic congestion on the Olympic Route Network has not been as bad as many of us feared and I welcome TfL's willingness to respond to this by relaxing some of the restrictions in the City of London, and West End. However, my constituents in East London, particularly in Tower Hamlets and Newham, have suffered the greatest restrictions, and as yet there have been no relaxation of these. TFL should now look urgently at the restrictions in the East, to see which ones are no longer necessary. We also need to learn quickly from the Olympic Games in order to minimise restrictions during the Paralympics. I am thinking particularly of residents, such as in Wapping, Stratford and Canning Town, for whom movements to and from their homes and work have been made far more difficult by the Games restrictions. Whilst we overwhelmingly support the Games, the wider community will appreciate a thoughtful re-tuning' of the road changes."