Greenwich Council has announced plans to reduce car use and encourage greater road safety in the borough, with residents criticising ‘rat run’ traffic as they fear being ‘run down’ by lorries.

The proposals come as an effort for the authority to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The council has launched a consultation on prospective plans to reduce the number of car journeys in the borough as well as improve road safety by introducing safer crossings. The scheme will be focused on Woolwich and is planned to expand to the entire borough at a future date.

Initial respondents have criticised the level of speeding seen in certain areas as well as drivers parking on pavements blocking pedestrians. One resident said they took their ‘life in their hands’ when attempting to cross cycle paths to reach floating bus stops on the A206, as they claimed they feared being injured by speeding bikes and e-scooters.

A respondent also criticised the speeding traffic on Prospect Vale: “There is a lot of rat run traffic on this road, which causes hazards for pedestrians, residents and cyclists due to speeding, narrow roads and poor junction discipline.”

Another local cited difficulties they had faced on Westmoor Street: “It is not possible for pedestrians to use this road safely because the footway is completely obstructed by vehicles, fly-tipping, debris and puddles. Pedestrians are forced to use the carriageway, where they risk being run down by speeding tippers or skip lorries.”

Other aspects of the scheme would see parking permit schemes being introduced, more electric vehicle charging points and measures to encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport. The authority claimed in its announcement that 40 per cent of households in the borough did not have a car. The consultation is now open and will run until November 18, after which initial design proposals will be developed for further feedback before a statutory consultation is carried out.

The consultation comes after council documents from last month stated that data from between April and July of this year showed the authority had made £1.7 million less of revenue from parking than it had previously projected. Officers said in their report that previously unachievable budgets had since been realigned. The documents added that a £98,000 shortfall in savings expected from parking enforcement operations had also been recorded.

The authority’s cabinet also agreed last week to sell off a list of assets including three council-owned car parks in an effort to avoid a £27m budget shortfall projected for next year. A council officer said at the meeting that the car parks, located on Abery Street, Old Dover Road and in Charlton Village, had seen a low level of usage and the cost of using cameras at the sites did not justify the income generated.

Labour Councillor Averil Lekau, deputy leader of Greenwich Council, said at the meeting: “Keeping a car park for its own sake is just not tenable in the financial situation that this council finds itself in. I feel it’s really important that we use our assets to the best we can in order to try and plug some of these gaps.”