A petition calling for an urgent review of the West Greenwich road closures causing pollution and traffic fears has swelled to more than a thousand signatures, as the leader of Greenwich council signalled the changes to drive “sustainable” transport options such as cycling and walking were here to stay.

A petition cobbled together by east Greenwich residents has called on the council to immediately review the low traffic measures, which they say are causing havoc on their side of the borough.

Titled “Stop East Greenwich gridlock: End Council traffic reduction trial impacting East Greenwich”, those behind the petition say low traffic measures installed in the west of Greenwich have had a disastrous impact on the east.

“The increased heavy traffic on residential roads including Maze Hill and surrounding roads is increasing the health and safety risks, air and noise pollution levels for residents, pedestrians and cyclists,” it states.

“No consideration appears to have been given to the hundreds of local children and families living in EG walking and cycling to and from school, or to the children at schools and nurseries in the area, now subjected to serious levels of pollution during the peak travel times.”

News Shopper: Residents have expressed dismay over the measures, which they say have led to traffic situations as pictured. Image: supplied Residents have expressed dismay over the measures, which they say have led to traffic situations as pictured. Image: supplied

As of Monday afternoon more than 1300 had signed.

It comes as Cllr Dan Thorpe, the Labour leader of Greenwich, on Sunday acknowledged some residents have been “disrupted” by the changes but he was sure “safer travel for all of us will be worth it”.

Amid thanking residents for adapting to the changes, he acknowledged the council “clearly…need to look at everything…and do so with all of the data and evidence about the impacts or any unintended consequences of changes”.

“There’s no easy answers here regarding transport and Covid and things are not going to be as they were. We are all having to change the way we travel and change is always difficult,” he wrote on social media.

He encouraged residents to keep sending in their feed back to local ward members.

The comments come ahead of a likely discussion on the measures at Wednesday’s full meeting of Greenwich Council.

The Conservative opposition party is set to move a motion calling on the council to review all traffic measures implemented since March which the public hadn’t previously been consulted on.

Tory leader Nigel Fletcher and opposition spokesperson for transport Matt Clare  had earlier issued a joint statement saying they were “deeply concerned” over what they said was a lack of consultation with the public.

“…We are deeply concerned that in some cases a lack of consultation by Greenwich Council has resulted in some potentially very unpopular schemes being rushed through,” the pair said in their statement earlier this month.

The Greenwich debate comes after Wandsworth Council scrapped the initiative following outcry from residents. Bromley Council remains locked in a feud with neighbours Croydon over the latter’s installation of the scheme, which the former says is driving vehicle traffic into their borough.