Council keep Sunday parking restrictions and 24 hour bus lanes despite flyover reopening

Hounslow Council are to keep the emergency measures they instituted last week saying that they believe them to be still necessary despite the partial reopening of the flyover.

Cllr Corinna Smart, Hounslow’s cabinet member for environment said: “It’s good news that TfL has opened 1 lane in each direction. However, the combination of lane restrictions and width restrictions mean the capacity of the bridge is less than half of what it was when previously fully operational. There are significant delays on the A4 and many drivers will continue to divert onto Chiswick High Road.

“For this reason, we will be leaving restrictions in place and continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis.”

Transport for London believe that the partial reopening will lessen traffic jams in West London.

Garrett Emmerson, chief operating officer for surface transport, said: "This should significantly reduce the traffic disruption many thousands of drivers have been experiencing since the flyover closed."

The following changes to bus lanes and waiting restrictions along the full length of Chiswick High Road between Chiswick Roundabout and Goldhawk Road have been implemented:

• Extension of current Monday-Saturday 7am-7pm waiting restrictions (outside of the bus lanes) to Monday-Sunday 7am-8pm. Inter-peak and evening loading (from 8pm) will not be prohibited, except in the bus lanes.

• Conversion of the current 7am-7pm (and other part-time) bus lanes to 24 hour 7 day operation

• Extension of current waiting and loading restrictions in the bus lanes to Monday-Sunday 24 hour 7 day operation.

Critics of the changes claim that the measures do nothing to help reduce congestion and are primarily designed to increase revenue from the Chiswick area. The measures have not being implemented in other parts of the borough even when they have also experienced traffic jams during the flyover closure.

A public meeting is being held at the West London Free School in Hammersmith this Saturday about the closure and will be attended by Mary Macleod MP and Hounslow Council's Head of Transport.

January 10, 2012