Local Cycling Group Slams Catholic Church Move To Reroute CS9

The public pavement outside Our Lady of Grace is 'not church property'

CGI of Chiswick High Road near Dukes Avenue and the church

The Hounslow Cycling Campaign has criticised what it terms the "emotive language" of Chiswick Catholic parish priest Father Michael Dunne over the proposed Cycle Superhighway (CS9).

Fr Dunne and his parisioners are campaigning to have the cycle highway rerouted because the design gives over two-thirds of the pavement outside the main entrance to Our Lady of Grace church to the proposed cycle lane. This will prevent people gathering after Mass as they have done for many years and will be disruptive to weddings and funerals. The Hounslow Cycling Campaign meanwhile, regards the CS9 as a fantastic opportunity for Chiswick."

In the church weekly newsletter Fr Dunne said "We need to highlight how unacceptable it is that the small public space we have needed outside the church to live our community identity for the last 165 years as the Chiswick Catholic parish, should not simply be snatched away from us."

However, Brian Smith, co ordinator of the Hounslow Cycling Campaign, said the area is currently a public pavement, not part of the Church’s private property. "The rest of the community has over the years tolerated the blockage of the pavement by the congregation who gather there to have a chat after Mass every Sunday, take photographs of their weddings etc, with good will and wish that to continue, but CS 9 is necessary for the health of the borough’s population.

"Surely it is incumbent on the Catholic church to engage in a sensible conversation about how this area could be shared with the rest of the community, of which pedestrians and cyclists form an important part?"

In the newsletter, Father Dunne remarked that he had officiated at the funeral of a 98-year old parisioner, who, as a wartime bride, had to climb over rubble in the bomb-damaged open-roofed church to reach the altar. "Had she lived to her 100th, her coffin, under the current plans, could not have been carried with any right of way into church but we’d have been dodging cyclists.

"While clearly TfL do not intend us any ill, it’s nonetheless depressing to reflect that their state-sponsored, taxpayer-funded plans would do our community more harm by removing our capacity for a bridal procession, funeral procession and every other public expression of our Christian identity than the Luftwaffe managed with its wartime bombs."

The Hounslow Cycling Campaign took issue with this comment and said:"We regret the emotive language of this response which we find deeply unhelpful to a serious discussion of an important issue for Chiswick: how to resolve the need to deal with the very real dangers of pollution, congestion, safety and future proofing for our children.

"The Mayor’s transport strategy is intended to address these issues; healthy streets designed to tackle the physical inactivity crisis, reduced traffic on London's streets and better air quality.

"The section of road 50m to each side of the church is a particular collision blackspot on Chiswick High Road. Police records show that from 2010-2015 there were over 30 collisions with motor vehicles that injured cyclists and pedestrians, with cyclists making up almost three quarters of the casualties.

"Admittedly this is not the 32,000 civilians killed by the Luftwaffe (which Father Dunn calls into comparison), along with the 87,000 seriously injured, but it is still an unacceptably high level."

The Cycling group recommends that the side door of the church be used as "a far safer alternative area" for parking hearses and limos on Dukes Avenue, saying that the distance to the main door is barely further and perhaps dedicated parking provision could be made for this.

"Perhaps TfL can make some modifications to leave a little more pavement space. Before damning the whole scheme, and calling on the congregation to unite against a sensible proposal, it would be good to explore options."

Father Dunne says that TfL’s own policy documents describe religion or belief as ‘protected characteristics’ which it declares it seeks to defend under the Equality Act 2010 "but I see no evidence of this in their intentions.

"In fact, in spite of our community having an annual footfall of over 100,000 into and out of our church as we live our Christian identity, we were not once or in the slightest degree consulted before the plans were published about the impact of removing about two-thirds of the pavement we have happily shared with the public for 165 years and from which now, apparently, we can simply be brushed aside."

The cycling group meanwhile maintains that the new measures are necessary to improve the health of local citizens, including those who attend Our Lady of Grace & St Edward. "Rather than shortening their lives breathing in the polluted air of a current typical Sunday on Chiswick High Road blocked by stationary cars, this scheme aims to reduce car traffic which would prolong the lives of the congregation. Likely usage of the cycle lanes on a Sunday, judging by other schemes, would be families with children."

You can read more details about how the cycle highway will operate in our story.

While the CS9 covers a seven-kilometre stretch from Kensington to Brentford, the plan is that in future it will stretch to Hounslow. The cycle path will be located on the southern side of CHR because surveys indicated this had a lower footfall and it would have a lower impact on tree removal, according to TfL.

Some of the changes proposed to local roads include banning manoeuvres and other changes at the Chiswick High Road/Goldhawk Road junction to help traffic flow around the proposed cycle track. Sunday parking restrictions are also likely to be introduced, and traffic changes to Dukes Avenue, are also likely to affect churchgoers.

The consultation on the cycle highway closes on 31 October..

CGI of the proposals, looking north-east along South Circular Road from Kew Bridge Road

CGI of Chiswick High Road looking west from Cleveland Avenue

Parking will also be affected. Some single yellow lines will be replaced with double yellow lines, no parking at any time except in marked bays.

Further details with maps and images available on the TfL website.

Click here for larger version of this map

The CS9 is part of the Mayor's draft Transport Strategy and Healthy Streets project which aims to encourage walking, cycling and using public transport. TfL say it will provide improvement for all road users and offer a clearer and safer route for people to cycle in West London, make it easier to cross busy roads, and remove traffic on some residential roads.

You can let TfL know your views on these proposals by taking part in their online survey.

Alternatively, you can:

Email consultations@tfl.gov.uk

Write to FREEPOST TFL CONSULTATIONS (CS9)

You can also request paper copies of plans and a response form, copies in Braille, large text or another language using the above contact information.

October 3, 2017