Pressure Grows for Temporary Fishers Lane Reopening
Advance warning signs have recently been placed on South Parade. Picture: Mike Abbott
Calls from residents of Bedford Park and Acton Green to temporarily suspend the access restriction at the Fishers Lane underpass are increasing as traffic chaos continues.
There have been regular queues stretching back along Acton Lane and South Parade during the morning and evening rush hours which sometime also occur during normally quieter periods.
These have been caused by the ongoing roadworks on the A4 which has required the reduction of traffic on the westbound carriage way in Chiswick to one lane. Recently restrictions were introduced on the eastbound carriageway as well.
Vehicles diverting onto Chiswick High Road are finding this also highly congested so are seeking alternative routes including South Parade and Acton Lane which are struggling to cope with the volume of traffic.
Some respite could have been expected in the area with the scheduled full reopening of the westbound carriageway of the A4 on Monday 24 October. However, on that day Ealing Council now plans to close South Parade between the junctions with Acton Lane and Fishers Lane for resurfacing for four days. If there is any delay in the completion of the latest phase of the A4 project the closure of South Parade will take place in November or December.
This work is part of a larger project of footpath and kerb improvements taking place on South Parade which is expected to continue into November. Although much of the work, which is being undertaken by Murrill Construction on behalf of Ealing Council, is not expected to cause significant disruption to traffic flow, some residents are very concerned about the impact of the full closure.
No published diversion route has been given but it is expected that traffic, including the 94 bus, will be diverted up north up Acton Lane to turn right at Southfield Road and the south back down the Avenue to Bedford Corner.
One of several residents to contact us about the issue said, “These narrow residential streets simply won’t be able to cope with the extra traffic and will become gridlocked very quickly. That will prompt lots of drivers to try and rat-run but, unless you have good knowledge of local roads you are liable to end up in a bottleneck probably with other vehicles behind you blocking you in having made the same mistake. We have already been seeing this happen on our road alot recently but it will be many, many times worse during a full closure.
“Not reopening Fishers Lane while South Parade is shut would be perverse and the sign of a council driven by a combination of dogma and greed. The ANPR camera at Fishers Lane will be at risk of overheating.”
Traffic on South Parade during closure of Turnham Green Terrace this June
Opponents of the move say it would do nothing to relieve traffic in the area as it would just attract more vehicles and would result in tailbacks from the junction of Fishers Lane and Chiswick High Road.
Ealing Council did not respond to our question asking whether it would consider reopening Fishers Lane either during the A4 roadworks or the closure of South Parade.
Previously the borough has not suspended the restrictions when there have been other road closures in the area. For instance, this June, when a sinkhole suddenly appeared on Turnham Green Terrace requiring the road to be closed, Ealing did not consider opening Fishers Lane despite severe congestion occurring on South Parade.
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October 9, 2022
