Greenwich residents feel ‘in limbo’ after waiting over seven years for the council to stop drivers using the street as a ‘dangerous’ cut through to a main road.
A petition from locals living on the road said the authority had failed to take action as the issue worsened in recent years.
Nigel Dews, who started the petition, said that every house on West Hallowes in Mottingham had supported an earlier petition sent in 2022.
The original petition called on the council to stop allowing the road to be used as a cut through to the A20, which led to the council claiming they would prioritise whether funding could be acquired for measures to address the issue in September 2022, but this was delayed.
The updated proposal asked the authority to give a clear timetable on when action would be taken on the road by developing options to stop traffic cutting through the street.
Elaine Magnus, speaking on behalf of Mr Dews, said at a Greenwich Council meeting on December 4 that residents on West Hallowes were ‘bitterly disappointed’ by the delay to the problem being resolved.
Ms Magnus said at the meeting: “We now find ourselves in limbo again with the council which we feel is completely unacceptable.
“We submitted countless amounts of evidence to campaign to have traffic measures put in place.
“This campaign has been going on for seven years. We still find ourselves with missed timescales again.”
Labour Councillor Averil Lekau, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport, said in her written response that officers had met with residents on the road in September and October.
She added that options had been developed to address the issue and a consultation had been planned for the proposed changes.
However, the cabinet member said the General Election and four by-elections that had been scheduled for this year had delayed the consultation in order to avoid ‘confusing and frustrating’ the public.
She said at the meeting that she would continue to push the matter forward by meeting with residents and ward councillors, stating she hopes that the measures can progress further next month.
Cllr Lekau said: “I apologise for the time taken. I have been working with the local councillors and some of the delays have been beyond my control as well as my officers’ control, and within that we are trying to work as swiftly as we can.”