Telford Homes need to think again about traffic management

Below MERA demonstrates why Telford Homes need to think again and come up with a more effective traffic management plan for the construction traffic trying to access and move around EastendHomes' Eric & Treby Estate.

A Very Tight Turn #1 - 1st September 2001
a 4 axle HGV truck took 5 goes to exit from Site 4 via Tony Cannell Mews
there is no indication of any suspended parking bays 
in the Construction Management Plan version 2

Yesterday a 4 axle HGV was spotted trying to exit the car park next to Coniston House which serves as the access route to open space 2 and the unauthorised storage compound to the rear of site 4. 

The truck needed to reverse five time to negotiate the turn. Fortunately a banksman was present to assist.

According to the driver of the truck if the parking space on the left closest to the turning was suspended the turn would be possible. All cars were parked correctly in designated parking bays. There is no indication that this bay should be suspended in the Construction Management Plan.

EastendHomes Boss Paul Bloss told MERA earlier this summer that the largest trucks would only access the larger roads and that vehicles would be down-sized for use on more narrow roads.  We think he should come down to the site and see for himself what's going on.  In the meantime we will continue to photograph vehicles getting into trouble - and will send these photos to Planning.

How local people help with traffic management of construction traffic

Another local resident commented to Tower Hamlets about the traffic management on the Estate as part of the Consultation on the Revised Construction Management Plan (part of planning condition 5)

Personally I have seen a ‘normal’ woman guide a cement mixer truck out of Tony Cannel Mews, i.e. she was not wearing hi vis jacket. It COULD of course have been the case that she was in fact the banksman and that her jacket was in the truck/bag/under her jacket…It COULD also be the case that she was just a friendly passer by taking it on herself to help the driver of the truck. Anyhow, what I saw was not right. It is my further observation though that the use of banksmen is much improved on the site.

MERA comments on traffic management on Eric & Treby Estate

Yesterday MERA submitted detailed comments to Tower Hamlets Council about various aspects of the Construction Management Plan.  Our 30 page schedule of detailed comments included various points about traffic management

These included the following:

• The Plan proposes various Traffic route plans for numbered construction sites which are either INCORRECT, NON-EXISTENT or propose DANGEROUS practices - impacting on the wider population and health and safety of pedestrians (adults and children), disabled people, cyclists, motor cyclists and drivers.  
• Traffic routes are factually incorrect.  They provide route directions for site access which contravene current highway regulations for this area
• The construction traffic route for site 7 is non-existent.  
• The Plan FAILS to provide traffic route plans and instructions for nine  numbered open spaces requiring landscaping.  These are part of this development, will require construction traffic to attend and remove existing soil and landscaping and bring in new materials.  The MISSING route plans all need to reflect the changes in locations of site stores as this development nears completion.
• Contradictory statements are made about the use of banksmen on site. 
• Major confusion about what is meant by the term "site access" (ie does this mean the Estate or the 15 individual numbered construction sites and the 9 numbered landscaping sites?)
• Lack of any plan indicating which roads are suitable for different sized vehicles.  HGVs which are too big are trying to access roads which are too narrow
• Loading and unloading bays are not apparent on all route plans where this needs to take place in the street
• No indications of any planned road closures to bring in and take out cranes, concret crushers and any other heavy machinery related to the construction
• Inadequate indication of how construction and pedestrian traffic will be separated at specific sites
• Inadequate recognition of the constraints of the red route regulations along the A11
• Inadequate recognition of high risk areas re movement of people with disabilities through the site
• Inadequate recognition of high risk areas where children play (without supervision)
• Unclear as to how and where all vehicles leaving "the site" (whatever is meant by this term) have their wheels washed to avoid distributing contaminated soil onto the road network - particularly the LOCAL road network within the estate
• Sweeping roads to remove dirt from the sites is unsatisfactory if the soil is contaminated as this just results in air-borne dispersion of the contaminants.  There needs to be more emphasis on sucking muck on the roads within the estate.

These are just a small part of our comments!

MERA has asked Tower Hamlets Planning that permission to approve the details in the Construction Management Plan be REFUSED.

A Very Tight Turn #2  2nd September 2010
a 4 axle HGV truck trying to exit from Site 12 (English Street) 
there is no indication of any suspended parking bays opposite the site entrance
in the Construction Management Plan version 2

KEEP UPDATED: Subscribe to MERA - Mile End Residents Association Blog by Email