Metropolitan Police Service FOIs
Here you’ll find links to correspondence between the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Royal Borough of Greenwich regarding delays attributed to low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), cycle lanes, and other road infrastructure. These documents, obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, provide insight into how local traffic measures affect police response times.
West Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme
8 July 2020
The Royal Borough of Greenwich contacted all emergency services for the first time to advise that it was planning to implement 'modal filters' (LTNs) across West Greenwich and Lee Green, requesting feedback within less than two days.
The MPS, in its response via a Traffic Management Order (TMO) form, highlighted concerns including potential dangers to road users and the risk of severe congestion or disruption. The MPS also agreed with the concerns raised by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the London Fire Brigade (LFB), stating that the less-than-two-day window was 'not adequate for a response' and that additional time was necessary to evaluate the council's proposals.
West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme
16 October 2023
The Royal Borough of Greenwich reached out to all emergency services, notifying them for the first time of its plan to implement 'designs' (LTNs) as part of the new West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management project and requested feedback within seven days.
The council's email, viewable at the bottom of the linked document, is notable as it marked the first time emergency services were informed of the scheme. This raises concerns, given that the first stage of the consultation process had begun in February and the final stage had already closed, prompting questions about transparency and engagement with emergency stakeholders.
In its correspondence, the council acknowledged that emergency vehicles would need to make detours due to the planned scheme.
On 19 October 2023, the MPS responded, aligning its stance with the concerns previously raised by the London Ambulance Service (LAS). The MPS noted that, as a 'pan London service' with units from other areas potentially responding to incidents within the borough, response times could be negatively impacted.
The MPS representative further cautioned the council: 'As discussed on the previous schemes all three services attend calls where each second may make a difference between life and death. My concern is for the potential for delays in service created by the implementations.'
The council intends to implement the West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management scheme on 27 November 2024.