Councillor Calls For Suspension of Fisher's Lane Closure
Wants Ealing Council to review safety of underpass since restrictions imposed
Fisher's Lane underpass
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A local councillor is calling on Ealing Council to suspend the access restrictions on Fisher’s Lane so that safety review can be carried out.
The call comes after a cyclist was seriously injured last Saturday evening (10 October) after being hit by a car. The victim was a man in his twenties who was taken to hospital with injuries that were described as not life-threatening.
Cllr Gary Malcolm who represents Southfield ward said, “My view is that the Council needs to stop the Fishers Lane scheme so a review can be held which should look at near misses or actual accidents.
“I hope the cyclist injured recovers quickly. Also, from the survey the Liberal Democrats conducted, 75% of local people are against the scheme. Even those in favour of the scheme say there are more problems than before. It is a badly drawn up scheme and it needs to be stopped so that matters can be reviewed as soon as possible.”
A regular stream of vehicles travels through the underpass with drivers either disregarding the restriction or not noticing the signs. At the moment, there is no fixed camera enforcement at the underpass.
The police say that the driver stopped at the scene and was not arrested but their enquiries continue.
Andrew O’Sullivan, who often cycles through the underpass, contacted us to say, “There are fewer cars but they are travelling faster so the safety argument in favour of closure is not clear cut. The removal of parking spaces by the playground gives drivers a clearer line of sight into the tunnel which has resulted in an increase in their speed.”
An Ealing Council spokesperson said, “We are sorry to hear that a cyclist was involved in an accident. We have introduced additional signage and mobile-CCTV in the area to help make road-users aware of the arrangements and will closely monitor the situation to see if further improvements can be made.”
Residents can email feedback on the access restrictions to TrafficNotices@ealing.gov.uk, or post them to the Highways Service, Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, W5 2HL, quoting reference ORD XXX.
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October 19, 2020
