Forty years after she really needed the sound barriers, pensioner Joan Ede might finally be getting them installed at the end of her garden.
She lives on Westcombe Hill in Greenwich, South London, where the efficiently named Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach rages behind her fence.
On average around 51,000 cars pass southbound through the tunnel everyday of the year, a far cry from the horse-drawn carts, cyclists, and pedestrians it was originally intended for in 1897.
Traffic in this part of London is so bad the legal limit of Nitrogen Dioxide is being exceeded, which could have dangerous implications for the health of people living there.
The Blackwall Tunnel Southern Approach pictured from inside a house on Westcombe Hill
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga / MyLondon)
READ MORE: TfL accused of hiding full costs of controversial Silvertown Tunnel
The worst effects include an increased risk of asthma for children, reduced lung function, and coughs.
Joan, 72, has lived next to the road with her daughter Jay, 45, for 44 years, so now it’s hard to imagine life without the noise and smog.
“I understand we are going to have something [noise barriers] stuck on the wall. I needed that when my girl was little, not now when she’s 45,” Joan told us.
“It’s a bit late in the day for that.”
Jay adds: “I cannot sleep without the noise now, I have never known it without it.
This week Sadiq Khan urged Londoners to cut car journeys to avoid a public health crisis ’caused by filthy air and gridlocked roads’
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga / MyLondon)
“When there’s no traffic it’s quite creepy, like during Christmas and the lockdowns.”
Joan explains her late husband Dave always wanted to move, but – as residents say again and again – it’s very hard to sell.
“My husband died but I do not know if it was anything to do with the pollution.”
Further down the road, engineer Faisal Khan, 56, has only moved in six weeks ago; he’s frank about the issues and even jokes about moving again.
“It’s not what I expected,” he says.
Plans for the Silvertown Tunnel should “effectively eliminate congestion… this will mean quicker and more reliable journeys and reduced emissions, leading to better air quality”, according to TfL.
Get the latest London news straight on your phone without having to open your browser – and get all the latest breaking news as notifications on your screen.
The MyLondon app gives you all the stories you need to help you keep on top of what’s happening in the best city ever.
You can download it on Android here and Apple here.
But Faisal and other residents in the area aren’t convinced, they think it will just mean more cars driving past their homes.
“The plans for the Silvertown Tunnel mean everyday traffic will be building up here. I know when they did the air pollution tests it was horrific.”
In a letter to the Mayor Sadiq Khan in September, a local opposition group warned “spending billions on new road capacity for cars is not a policy that is consistent with acting on the climate emergency, or improving London’s air”.
When pressed about the noise pollution, Faisal explains the existing sound barriers and double glazing means it’s not a big issue.
In fact, the air pollution is so bad he doesn’t open his windows, which leaves no room for the noise to join the party as well.
“I am more concerned about the particulate matter coming across, there’s actually more noise coming from the front.”
Houses from Siebert Road back onto the tunnel approach which has over 50,000 cars pass through a day
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
As well as having one of London’s busiest roads at the back, Westcombe Hill residents also have four bus routes running out the front.
Glumly, Faisal admits: “I doubt we will be able to have a decent Saturday in the summer.
“If the traffic kicks up you might see a ‘For Sale’ sign here.”
A few doors down, one mum explained she had triple glazing installed to reduce the noise, whilst also pointing to a layer of black dust on her white walls which she says comes from the pollution.
While revealing her excitement about plans for noise barriers, her young son also chimes in.
“It’s very hard to sleep,” he says.
Black soot on the walls of a Westcombe Hill house, which comes back after cleaning
(Image: Callum Cuddeford)
Teacher Ruth, 53, is more positive about life there, preferring to see the benefits of loud noise and black soot.
She says: “Yes the noise is bad but it means we can also make noise and kids can play so neighbours can’t complain; it’s not like they can say ‘You’re too loud’.
“The road out the front is worse, it causes far more problems than the one out the back.
“Yes the dust is bad but it just makes you clean more.”
Barely audible over the sound of cars, one resident on Siebert Road said her house was worth £700,000.
Nearby Invicta Primary School has recently put ivy around the school grounds to try to combat the air pollution from the busy road
(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
But, “I cannot sell my house”, she adds.
“Lots of people rent their houses because they have tried so many times to sell.
“I do not think it was a mistake. At the time houses were so expensive.
“It’s definitely not a mistake but I would really struggle to sell it.”
The people living on Westcombe Hill and the other roads adjacent to the A102 are united by their exposure to noise and noxious gases, yet even in such difficult living circumstances there seems to be a divide over how important it is.
Do you want to stay up to date with the latest news, views, features and opinion from across the city?
MyLondon’s brilliant newsletter The 12 is absolutely jam packed with all the latest to keep you keep you entertained, informed and uplifted.
You’ll get 12 stories straight to your inbox at around 12pm. It’s the perfect lunchtime read.
And what’s more – it’s FREE!
The MyLondon team tells London stories for Londoners. Our journalists cover all the news you need – from City Hall to your local streets, so you’ll never miss a moment.
Don’t skip a beat and sign up to The 12 newsletter here.
Many now seem tired by years of campaigning to reduce congestion, fearful of the Silvertown plans, and simply bored by the question of noise barriers.
Despite the protests, plans for the new tunnel look like they will go ahead, and as the UK emerges from the pandemic any let up in traffic looks unlikely.
“You get used to it”, is the phrase shared by everyone living there.
If you have a story to share, please email [email protected]
Do you want the latest news in your area sent straight to your inbox? It only takes a few seconds! Click here.
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/my-house-worth-700k-cant-22749473
