Protesters plan ‘Isle of Clogs’ protest at Canary Wharf over roadworks chaos
Isle of Dogs roadworks causing traffic mayhem - Credit: Andrew Woods
Angry families fed up with gridlock traffic jams caused by prolonged roadworks outside their Isle of Dogs homes in east London are staging a mass protest today (Thurs).
The ‘Isle of Clogs’ protesters plan to hang up their shoes and laces from 3pm along Marsh Wall, a major thoroughfare on the southern perimeter of Canary Wharf, to demand better quality of life in a campaign organised by osteopath Glenn Sontag.
“The traffic chaos has to be seen to be believed,” he told the East London Advertiser. “It’s like a war zone.
“Underneath ‘The Apprentice’ glitz of Canary Wharf lies serious social problems and stresses that have a major impact on people’s lives.
“We’re forced to endure massive restrictions to and from our homes, for the sake of yet more towers casting shadows on our neighbourhood.”
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The protesters have “limited safe places to cross roads”, with pedestrian crossings and roads shut down to allow construction.
Part of Marsh Wall is being transformed into “a wave of footwear” by the protesters demanding Tower Hamlets Council co-ordinates all the roadworks around Canary Wharf and Millwall as there are several major construction projects under way simultaneously.
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Andrew Wood, one of the Isle of Dogs councillors who represents Canary Wharf ward at the Town Hall, is furious at developers “borrowing bits of road for construction work without permission”.
He said: “Developers have ‘borrowed’ 60cm of Marsh Wall for their City Pride site and are in the process of ‘borrowing’ another 60cm of Westferry Road, apparently without planning permission as I cannot find any permit and the council hasn’t answered my questions on this.
“Also, the council should have asked Telford Homes to delay their crane removal until Westferry Road was fully reopened, or vice versa. The failure to co-ordinate two road closures meant huge gridlock last weekend which is likely to be repeated this coming weekend.”
The campaigners worry that the roadworks and constructions are set to disrupt their lives for the next four years around Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, regularly blocking drivers trying reach Poplar and the rest of east London.
