Demand action to stop congestion at Stile Hall Gardens from cars being directed there to the South Circular

Congestion on the road is particularly bad at rush hour

Residents of a formerly quiet Chiswick road are blaming traffic apps including one from Google for causing unprecedented congestion. The apps have been directing drivers through Stile Hall Gardens in order to gain access to the South Circular Road resulting in a volume of traffic that the road is unable to handle.

The Friends of Stile Hall Gardens, representing local residents, have now called on Hounslow Council to come up with a solution to end the congestion, extra pollution and road rage incidents caused by a back-up of what they say can be up 3,500 cars a day.

A spokesperson said they have launched a petition which calls on the Council to prevent the road being used as a cut-through.

At present Stile Hall Gardens has a 20 mph speed limit but locals say this is ignored and their research has shown the average speed is above 35 mph.

A spokesperson said,"Over 80 per cent of locals want something done as they are quite upset. With traffic backing up at rush-hour we cannot get our cars out at all. And there have been incidents of road rage and arguments as people try to circumvent the long queues by speeding around to Regent Street and trying to jump the queue at the junction with Stile Hall Gardens."

The road has been used as a shortcut by local drivers for years, avoiding the Chiswick roundabout to gain access to the Chiswick High Road and get closer to Kew Bridge.

The resident said that they were worried about the problem worsening with plans for the Lionel Road stadium and other developments in the area.

The street is two-way and vehicles coming eastbound find themselves trapped by the long line of traffic heading towards the Chiswick High Road. Frustration often boils over into rows between drivers.

Residents have carried out an experiment which showed that traffic apps and Google maps direct a driver wishing to go towards Lionel Road from Chiswick High Road along their area to Stile Hall Gardens. This app from Waze shows the recommended route from Hammersmith to Reading along Stile Hall Gardens.

"The situation has become unbearable in the last six months, particularly since we discovered that these traffic apps are directing traffic along our street- this shouldn't be the case as it's a residential area, and we feel they should use public roads."

They claim their research has shown that that traffic is flowing freely at Chiswick roundabout and there is often no advantage to using the residential street as a cut-through.

The petition has over 100 signatures at present and the locals hope that Hounslow Council will take their complaints on board and come up with a plan.

August 4, 2016