"I was appalled to learn that the temporary barriers installed to help reduce traffic in West Greenwich have been vandalised. Even more appalling is the verbal abuse that Royal Borough of Greenwich staff members have received while installing and restoring the barriers. At the council we are committed to treating everyone fairly and respectfully, and I ask that you share this same commitment. Any abusive behaviour towards our staff will not be tolerated and the police will be called if necessary.  

The measures have been put in place on a trial basis to reduce traffic and increase safety. Installed on 20 August, we will closely monitor the measures for the first two weeks and amend them if significant operational issues arise.  

After that, a six-month public consultation period on the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order will begin. This means that anyone with genuine concerns about the measures can give constructive feedback to us based on their experiences of the barriers being in place. You will be able to give feedback from 3 September on our website.

We know that it can take time to get used to new road layouts and barriers like the ones we’ve installed in West Greenwich, but that is no reason to vandalise them or abuse our staff who are simply trying to make the area safer for everyone."  

To find out more about the plans, including background information about why we need to reduce traffic in the area, read about the project on our website.