Plans to bring traffic calming measures into neighbourhoods on either side of Greenwich Park have moved forward, after residents have claimed roads are left in ‘gridlock’.

Greenwich Council has outlined a scheme to add traffic restrictions to roads surrounding Greenwich Park during rush hour.

Council documents said number plate recognition cameras would be added to the areas to block through traffic and be in operation on weekdays between 7-10am and 3-7pm.

Several vehicles would also be excluded from the scheme including blue badge holders, emergency vehicles, taxis and council bin trucks.

The authority said in a statement on March 4 that the plans had been put forward to make the areas around the park a ‘safer, healthier and greener place to live’.

It said both neighbourhoods suffered from high levels of traffic passing through and poor air quality.

The initial plans were revealed last August for consultation and would affect streets such as Royal Hill and Crooms Hill to the west of the park, as well as Maze Hill and Vanbrugh Hill in East Greenwich. The areas have become known among local residents for ongoing traffic issues.

Gary Morton, 47, has lived in East Greenwich for over 20 years and said roads have become so congested at times that ambulances get stuck in traffic.

His partner Tracy Chalkley, 48, said streets are regularly seen in ‘gridlock’.

Ms Chalkley previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Trying to get out of Greenwich is a nightmare. It’s a great place to live but to get out of it or to get into it, it’s just terrible… The junction at the bottom of [Vanbrugh Hill] has always been like an accident waiting to happen.”

The project has been developed following two phases of engagement with local businesses, community groups and schools since October 2022, including over 8,000 responses.

Council officers noted in their report that several significant concerns had been raised about the scheme including worries that traffic would be displaced to surrounding roads.

A Greenwich Council spokesperson said in a statement: “How we all choose to move around our borough can impact whole communities in positive and negative ways.

"We have the fourth highest number of babies being hospitalised with respiratory tract infections as well as one of the highest levels of childhood obesity in London.”

They added: “Traffic is one of the main causes of air pollution and 31 per cent of the borough’s carbon emissions.

"By reducing it we can make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle. This is one of the aims of our transport strategy, alongside calling for improvements to public transport and encouraging a shift to low emission vehicles.”

The neighbourhood management schemes, if approved, are planned to begin in summer 2024 and run for a trial of 18 months to allow for resident feedback.

The proposal will be considered by Labour Councillor Averil Lekau, cabinet member for transport, before a decision is made on March 8.

A call-in period on the decision is available until March 15.