Moped Deliveries Disrupt the Peace of Caxton Village

Moped delivery drivers waiting for work in Caxton Rd

Think of Shepherd's Bush and you might think of chicken shops, pizza and kebabs. We are - for good and bad - one of London's fast-food hubs, with delivery mopeds whizzing around our streets at all times of day and night making 24 hour deliveries.

However not everyone in our neighbourhood is entirely happy. In the guest post below, Shepherd's Bush resident Edward Elletson explains why Caxton Village is getting overwhelmed by delivery drivers, and what needs to be done to fix the problem.

Moped deliveries in Sterne St

Background
"The rise in food delivery services has certainly made life easier for many London residents. Although perhaps not everyone’s priority, it is now possible to have a McDonalds burger delivered to your door at any time of day or night (other fast food chains are, of course, available).  However, as with many developments of this nature, there are downsides to all this ‘progress’. And so it is with the exponential rise in delivery mopeds across the capital and the impact that this is having on local communities.

One area of Shepherds Bush that has been particularly affected by this is the collection of residential streets to the north of the green, known as the ‘Caxton Village’. Here the growing numbers of courier moped riders have made themselves increasingly at home over the last few years, as easy parking availability and proximity to Westfields and the fast food restaurants on Uxbridge Road make this an ideal place to wait for work. These streets also serve another benefit to the delivery riders in that they provide a cut through between Uxbridge Road and Wood Lane, thus allowing quick access up into White City without going around Shepherds Bush Green.

The problem
This is all very convenient if you need to get a hot meal to its destination before it goes cold, however for residents of these streets this development is looked on slightly less favourably.  The use of residential streets such as Caxton Road and Bulwer Street as the main routes to and from deliveries means noisy scooters going up and down these roads all day and night, causing distress for locals and disrupting sleeping patterns. At busy times there can be as many as 30 moped journeys an hour down Caxton Road.

The drivers themselves wait in groups all day, both at the end of Caxton Road and Sterne Street. Not only does this block the pavement but can also be very intimidating for locals trying to get home in the evening. One resident said recently “I find their presence intimidating walking home late at night. I was once in the wrong place at the wrong time on Caxton Road and got an almighty kick in the leg as a group of them were running to a fight around the corner”. These groups also leave large quantities of mess and litter, already a big issue for anyone living near the Green.

On top of these anti-social issues the mopeds have also brought more serious crime to the neighbourhood. In May 2018 a moped courier was attacked in Caxton Road by another two moped thieves. Then in October 2018 the police reported the arrest of 5 members of an Algerian drug gang that was using mopeds on Caxton Road to deal drugs.

Possible solutions
Residents, concerned for their safety and desperate to get this issue resolved, have provided a number of constructive proposals that could help. These include moving the waiting mopeds to a non-residential location to the south of the green or preventing the cut-through from Uxbridge Road to Wood Lane through the use of one-way streets.

These issues have been raised to the Council by a number of residents, however, so far, the Council seem unwilling to help. One resident complained recently “I’ve brought all this up with local councillors but gave up in the end. Councillors seem unconcerned with it all, I think they feel the needs of local fast food businesses out-weigh the needs of local residents”.

A recent email from the Council stated the “the Council do not have the powers to reduce the numbers of couriers/ mopeds”. However, they only need to look around the capital to see examples of how they can help. In recent months this same issue has flared up in neighbourhoods across London, from Westminster to Islington, with local Councils pressuring the food delivery companies on behalf of residents. Let’s hope our own Council will finally start acting on behalf of our local communities, rather than continuing to prioritise fast food businesses."

--Edward Elletson

The Bush Telegraph offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story, email us at shepherdsbushblog@gmail.com. And don't forget to add your opinion in the comments section below.