BT advert board blocks cycleway in Greenwich
Image courtesy Greenwich Cyclists.
The newly installed cycle lane through east Greenwich is currently half blocked by a replacement digital advertising board.
It’s only weeks since further money was spent upgrading the cycleway in the area after a temporary route was introduced around two years ago.
BT submitted numerous plans for these boards all over the borough (including here in east Greenwich back in 2021).
Greenwich Council refused some given their obstructive nature to pedestrians on narrow paving.
However, somehow this appears to have slipped through.
Woolwich
Back in June this site looked at attempts to add clutter to various parts of Woolwich town centre.
They also followed up with a flurry of applications in Eltham and Greenwich.
One such site near where the board blocks the cycle lane was outside Boots in east Greenwich. It was refused and BT have appealed.
The board just installed is outside 133 Woolwich Road. I’ve taken a look at Greenwich’s planning portal and it appears an application was made in 2021 which was approved by Greenwich Council.
So it seems Greenwich approved this plan and its been installed all without anyone realising what the plan was with the cycle lane, and then the cycle lane not being checked to see what street furniture has been approved.
A previous board has long existed at the site, though the 2021 application for a replacement has somehow resulted in blocking the lane.
Poor communication and checks between Greenwich Council, TfL and contractors appears to have led to this cock up.
I wonder whether anybody would have noticed if the board was erected in the middle of the road. Of course they would, so why did they think it was OK to go ahead and erect in the middle of a cycle track? And why is planning permission ever granted to erect them in the middle of the footpath?
This advertising board has been in place for some time well before the cycle lane was put in place , the extraordinary thing is they installed the cycle lane whilst it was in situ , so the cycle lane was installed around it !
I can understand installing these things in somewhere like General Gordon Square where there is a fair bit of space. Pavements and definitely cycle lanes should be given the no-no.
For anybody that has lived in this area for a long time will know… that this has been here a long time..
Infact the footpath has been narrowed as well as the road to accommodate this cycle lane .
They built the lane around this board.
Also they narrowed such a busy road to accommodate this lane and I never see a cyclist in it.
It’s well known the board has been there for a long time.
The issue is why a replacement ad board was approved in 2021 and then installed while the cycle lane route was being planned and then implemented.
It highlights how bodies did not communicate and do basic checks.
Hopefully common sense will prevail and this will be moved. BT shouldn’t want to be associated with blocking cycle paths.
It looks as though it may cause an accident, obstructs view of cycle lane from road, road from cycle lane, cycle lane from pavement and pavement from cycle lane. I wonder if the irony of poor communication lost on Greenwich devs.
It’s all to do with BT having a a copious supply of thick brown envelopes and local councillors wearing trousers with accessible back pockets!