Leytonstone High Road traffic scheme

The Plaza showing area between the sculpture and the flowerbed where it was planned the road should run

Liberal Democrat campaigner John Howard raised concerns about the plans compiled by the Council to ‘improve’ Leytonstone High Road, and the environs of Leytonstone Underground Station in advance of the Olympic Games.

At the time he was advised that London Buses had also raised similar points. A site meeting was said to be taking place early in the New Year, after which revisions would be made.

He has contacted the Council to ascertain what progress may have been made. Watch the website for further news.

Labour very slow in appointing to City Airport watchdog

Local Liberal Democrats have discovered that Waltham Forest went unrepresented at an important committee discussing flights from London City Airport because it took over six months to appoint the council’s representative.

This is despite local residents’ concern about the noise and disturbance caused by flights from London City Airport, which have increased since changes to the flight paths used by aircraft . Residents have expressed serious concerns recently following  a near miss at the end of July  between a Boeing 777 flying into Heathrow and a Business jet leaving London City.

Waltham Forest, Redbridge and Havering Council’s were invited to appoint a councillor to sit on the London City Airport Consultative Committee in a letter sent by the committee’s secretary on 21st January 2010.The invitation was issued after Liberal Democrat councillor Farooq Qureshi put forward a motion to Waltham Forest Council about the expansion of London City Airport in October 2009. As a result of the motion the council wrote to the consultative committee requesting representation on behalf of local residents affected by flights from the airport.However the name of the council’s representative, Cllr Clyde Loakes, only emerged last month (August). The council has missed two meetings since the invitation was issued on Tuesday 13th April and on Tuesday 21st July.Even if the appointment had to be delayed until the results of May’s council elections were known this does not explain why no appointment was made in time for July’s meeting.

Underground ticket offices – broken promises

During the Mayoral election campaign Boris Johnson campaigned to keep permanently staffed ticket offices at every station. The promise was in his manifesto and he even signed a petition in 2008 against Ken Livingstone’s plans to shut ticket offices. However the Mayor has now announced that from February 2011 nine out of ten London Underground stations will have their ticket office opening hours reduced, including all four tube stations in Waltham Forest.The reductions in hours were strongly opposed by local Liberal Democrats when the idea was first proposed in March.At the time TfL said that ticket office staff would move out from behind their glass screens to help passengers. But now the Mayor has confirmed that the jobs will be axed instead. Consultation on the proposals has been poor with the information hidden away on TfL’s website.Any reduction in ticket office opening hours is likely to hit those most vulnerable such as the elderly, disabled and tourists the hardest. Across London, Liberal Democrats are stepping up the campaign to protect ticket office opening hours.

Boris’s plans put pedestrians at risk!

Transport for London is proposing the removal of pedestrian crossings at two busy locations in Waltham Forest as part of Boris Johnson’s attempt to increase traffic speeds.§  Forest Road by Hill Crest Road (Hale End and Highams Park ward)§  Hatch Lane by Ashwood Road (Hatch Lane ward)The Forest Road proposals seem particularly odd as the crossing forms part of the roadworks currently being carried out along Forest Road towards the Waterworks roundabout.TfL is consulting London boroughs at the moment so there is still time to campaign and influence the decision.

London City Airport – Noise campaign update!

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Following residents protests and the Liberal Democrat led campaign about aircraft noise, Cllr Farooq Qureshi has been advised by the Town Hall that Waltham Forest has been granted membership of the London City Airport Consultative Committee. 

Leyton and Wanstead Liberal Democrats and your local Focus teams say: “We hope that our membership will help us represent the concerns of our residents. Through this membership we should be able to make a case for our residents who have been adversely affected by the air noise pollution connected with London City Airport.”