An Explosion of Public Concern over Road Closures and Parking Changes
Turnham Green ward councillor Ranjit Gill on his week
Councillor Ranjit Gill
Summer is finally upon us and the schools are out. After months of shielding I have emerged from my bubble, glad to be out and about but missing so many aspects of normal life that we used to take for granted.
There’s no doubting the hot issue in Chiswick right now – the road closures and parking changes. I have been involved in local politics for more than a decade but I can’t remember such an explosion of public feeling on a single issue. My inbox is full of the concerns of residents about the thoughtlessness of some of the changes and the way Hounslow and Ealing councils have failed to grasp the combined impact of what they are doing.
It might have been possible to close Fisher’s Lane or Turnham Green Terrace but the effect of closing both is not a better environment for cyclists and pedestrians but chaos for everyone. People are already complaining that traffic has increased on Acton Lane, South Parade, Bath Road and Goldhawk Road as commercial vehicles and cars have been displaced from one road to another. It is early days, but the evidence seems to be that many drivers are ignoring the closure of Fisher’s Lane to all vehicles except buses and cycles.
Then there is the closure of Devonshire Road on the grounds that it is a rat run, which is curious as it is the main access to the Glebe Estate and to houses by people who live on it. And it’s far too narrow to be useful as a route to anywhere else.
There is a tendency for Hounslow and other councils to hide behind the government’s announcement of more funds to enable greater cycling and walking. It is true that the government is promoting greater walking and cycling to ease the burden on public transport, cut pollution and tackle obesity. Like most people I’m supportive of that but the government’s statutory guidance is also clear that road access must be retained for essential journeys and to enable shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants to operate successfully. In addition, although consultation can be abbreviated for temporary schemes, traders in particular were supposed to be consulted, even if they had not reopened after the lockdown.
Sadly, elements of these changes seem to be driven by ideology rather than by pragmatism. They have shown a cavalier disregard for the livelihoods of local businesses, who need all the help they can get after the enormous losses they have sustained because of the lockdown. The poor signage has only exacerbated the problem with many drivers bewildered in particular by “access only” signs which they wrongly think means that they can’t pick up or drop off goods. They can – but no-one knows how long the drop off must take to avoid a fine. Is walking into a charity shop to drop off a few items long enough or do you need to pop into one of the other shops as well? My advice is to support one of the other shops at the same time not just to avoid a fine but also to support our independents who have been so very badly hit by the pandemic. I am impressed by their measures to be Covid-secure. You have up to 20 minutes on the double yellow lines on Turnham Green Terrace and in the loading bays on Devonshire Road. But not a second more. Please check the loading bay signs, just to be sure.
The biggest failure has been not to tackle congestion on Chiswick High Road, much of which is caused by traffic passing through. Deciding to disrupt the lives of local residents and traders while ignoring the impact of through traffic, including on many residential roads, and of speeding, which so many residents complain of, is plain daft. Especially as the roads onto which drivers have been diverted are already often in gridlock, and this is while traffic volumes are still very low. Acton Lane, South Parade, Bath Road and Goldhawk Road have been heavily congested causing real problems for residents including frail or older people on limited incomes using taxis to take them to essential appointments. They risk arriving late and certainly have to pay more for the longer journey. It has all been done in too much of a hurry, without thinking things through or consulting residents and traders to find out about real life, not computer-based theory.
Residents are already saying they are avoiding the centre of their home town and are shopping elsewhere – taking their money to other boroughs. We know it’s true as footfall here is desperately low.
The one piece of potential good news is that many of the schemes are due to be reviewed after three months and again after six months. All of Hounslow’s Chiswick councillors will be using these reviews to reinforce the arguments that we have been making ever since the proposals were first announced that the requirements for consultation have not been met, many proposals are impractical and others are excessive to deal with the problems identified.
I’d love to have the chance to discuss the road changes and other issues face to face but Hounslow is still opposed to councillors holding surgeries, even though we can be socially distant in our room at Chiswick Library and in the Gunnersbury Triangle Club. I miss this interaction with you, our residents, but I am hoping that we can find a way to restart them in the autumn. We also need to hold public meetings again – the Chiswick Area Forum has been on hold since March. Other councils have done such public meetings online and I hope that we can very soon find a way to do that.
PS: Congratulations to my long-time colleague and friend Cllr Gerald McGregor on being elected Leader of the Opposition. A stalwart of the Conservative Party and typically one of a group of extraordinarily hard-working Councillors.
Councillor Ranjit Gill
Turnham Green ward
ranjit.gill@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 702956
VIRTUAL DATES FOR YOUR VIRTUAL DIARY
Most council meetings have been cancelled. A few are taking place virtually and residents can attend online. Joining instructions will be on the council website, in the agenda reports pack for each committee, here.
4th August at 3pm: Licensing panel
• 6th August: Planning Committee
• 20th August: Planning Committee
• rd September: Planning Committee
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLORS
Surgeries have not yet been reinstated. When they resume you will be able to meet a councillor in Chiswick library every Saturday from 9.30am to 10.30am and on the first Saturday of every month at the Gunnersbury Triangle Club from 10.00am to 11.00am. You can, of course, still contact your local councillors by email or phone; see their contact details below:
Chiswick Homefields ward
Cllr Patrick Barr
patrick.barr@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 703263
Cllr Gerald McGregor
gerald.mcgregor@hounslow.gov.uk
07866 784821
Cllr John Todd
john.todd@hounslow.gov.uk
07866 784651
Chiswick Riverside ward
Cllr Michael Denniss
michael.denniss@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 703274
Cllr Gabriella Giles
gabriella.giles@hounslow.gov.uk
07966 270823
Cllr Sam Hearn
sam.hearn@hounslow.gov.uk
07833 376222
Turnham Green ward
Cllr Joanna Biddolph
joanna.biddolph@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 703446
Cllr Ranjit Gill
ranjit.gill@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 702956
Cllr Ron Mushiso
ron.mushiso@hounslow.gov.uk
07976 702887
August 9, 2020