Letter sent to LBWF re Erroneous Traffic Counting

London Borough of Waltham Forest have been claiming that Mini Holland is a success! However traffic experts say that their methodology is completely unreliable. Insufficient data was collected before MH was introduced. The process for counting vehicles is flawed. Everyone who lives in the borough has noticed the increased traffic on the non-closed roads. The following letter has therefore been sent to Councillors and the press.

Dear Sir / Madam

It is surprising, in light of Waltham Forest Council's recent attempts at openness and co-operation with various groups opposed to some aspects of the road-closure scheme in Walthamstow Village, that the Council should choose to release such a misleading statement as "across the wider area ... there are an average of 10,000 fewer vehicles every day".This is despite the Council agreeing in their statement to the High Court, that any vehicle passing through the Village "may have crossed several loops along different roads". So one vehicle making one journey across Walthamstow Village may have been counted several times.

Furthermore, the Council is surely aware that other measures such as changes in total vehicle distance traveled, and journey times in the area, would provide more useful guides as to the effect of the road closures on congestion levels and air quality.

Whilst we appreciate that further analysis is being carried out on the count data and will be presumably provided in the forthcoming review of the Walthamstow Village scheme, it is disappointing that the Council should release such a head-line grabbing but misleading figure, the result of which will surely simply amplify many people's scepticism about the review in general.

Also, whilst this review is still in progress, why have the temporary traffic orders now been made permanent?

Waltham Forest Streets for All