Residents' Safety Concerns Take Centre Stage as Police Patrol Peto Street North and Silvertown Way
Speeding traffic has long been a source of anxiety for residents living around Peto Street North and Silvertown Way in Canning Town. Locals have repeatedly raised concerns about vehicles travelling at excessive speeds through residential streets, putting pedestrians, cyclists, and especially children and elderly residents at risk. A petition calling on Newham Council to install engineering measures on Peto Street North, such as speed humps, chicanes, or road narrowing, and to lobby Transport for London to install speed cameras on Silvertown Way has been gathering support from those who live, work, and travel through the area.
To see the situation first hand, I joined a Theft and Anti-Social Behaviour patrol with local police, walking the length of both roads to better understand the issues residents have been describing.
What We Saw on the Ground
Walking Peto Street North, it was easy to see why residents are concerned. The road’s layout offers long, uninterrupted stretches with little in the way of physical deterrents to slow traffic down, and vehicles were observed moving at speeds that felt distinctly at odds with a quiet residential setting.
Silvertown Way told a similar story. As a busier arterial route, the road sees significantly higher traffic volumes and, with it, higher speeds. Residents nearby have described near-misses and a persistent sense of unease when crossing or walking alongside the carriageway, concerns that were easy to appreciate when standing at the roadside.
Listening to the Community
Beyond observing the roads themselves, the patrol offered a chance to speak directly with residents and hear their experiences, from near-miss incidents to the broader impact that traffic noise and speed have on daily life in the area. These conversations reinforced just how important it is that concerns raised through the petition are taken seriously by decision-makers at Newham Council and Transport for London.
Next Steps
The petition remains open for residents and stakeholders to add their voice to the call for action. Engineering interventions on Peto Street North and speed cameras on Silvertown Way are practical, evidence-based measures that could make a tangible difference to safety in the area. Seeing the roads first hand only reinforced the urgency of the request, and the importance of continuing to push for a response from the Council.
