Wansteadium

Redbridge plans to introduce speed humps on Redbridge Lane West, the Green, St Mary’s Avenue and Mansfield Road.

In 2020 we reported that residents in Mansfield Road were campaigning for traffic calming measures because motorists were using the road as a rat-run to avoid the lights at George Green.

St Mary’s Avenue and Overton Drive are often used by motorists to avoid the congestion on Blake Hall Road, though they of course have to contend with the width restriction bars, which can take nerves of steel.

Elsewhere, the council plans to make part of Nightingale Lane one way. Traffic would not be allowed to go from the junction with Wellesley Road to the High Street, though going the other way would still be permitted.

Details of how to make representations about the changes are included on the statutory notices pictured below. (Click or tap images to enlarge.)

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Lots of questions being asked about the zebra crossing near the Co-op on Wanstead High Street after another collision involving a car and a pedestrian. Whatever the details of this latest incident, the matter of whether it is inherently unsafe is being raised again. Just for the record, here are some of the points

• Is the crossing in the wrong place and would a position further up the High Street (eg outside the Lighthouse fish and chip shop) be better? 

• Do the trees on either side of the road restrict the view for drivers and pedestrians?

• Does the informal nature of a Zebra crossing mean it’s less obvious when drivers should stop and when pedestrians should walk? Would a Pelican crossing be safer?

• Do the left turns from Grove Park and Woodbine Place increase the risk of accidents?

• Would a raised platform for the Zebra crossing improve visibility?

 It would also be interesting to see how incident statistics for this crossing compare with other similar crossings. The intriguing site Crashmap.co.uk plots all incidents of different severity and gives a wider indication of how widespread road collisions are.

It might have not much going for it, except the rats, the wire fence, and the reputation as Wanstead’s wasted wilderness, but a touch of frost does show the Evergreen Field at its finest.

Once a year we like to take a look back at which stories most floated people’s boats in the previous 12 months. It’s that time again.

We also take this opportunity to thank all readers for their attention, their tips, their ideas and contributions. You can always let us know things by email at info@wansteadium.com, and if you want to publicise an event please feel free to add details at https://wansteadium.com/events/community/add

But for now here’s the big list…

1. Redbridge to open café kiosk on Christchurch Green (March)
   
2. Wanstead’s swimming pool back on track (February)
   
3. Wanstead’s favourite subject: Yes, we’re getting a new coffee shop (February)
   
4. D’vine riddle (November)
   
5. Wanstead flash flooding pics (July)
   
6. City Place opens for business (April)
   
7. Wanstead Parklet is coming. What do you mean you don’t know what a parklet is?? (May)
   
8. Small number of celebrities expected at Nightingale Green (January)
   
9. An exciting new shake-up for Wanstead… (June)
   
10. Advice for dog-owners who are worried about dog thefts (February)
    
11. Wanstead Fringe 2021 is ON (June)
    
12. Hermon Hill residents’ fear of the future (June)

There’s been significant progress on booster uptake since we last presented these figures on 13 December. In particular booster rates in Snaresbrook have risen from 39.7%, and Wanstead Village from 40.9%, to nearly 55% in both wards.

It’s worth remembering though that these figures show that, even in areas with good uptake like Wanstead, one in five eligible people have not had a first dose.

We’re big fans of Wanstead’s fabulous posties, and we especially like that it’s the same people who do the delivering, come rain or shine. We thank them for their service.

So this is in no way a complaint – perhaps just an observation on the impact Covid has had on the Royal Mail… but did anyone else get a big clutch of Christmas cards on the days after Christmas?

Happily it means imagined slights from relatives and old friends, who one imagined had not sent cards, have now been dispelled.