Row Breaks Out Over Hammersmith Flyover

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Mary Macleod and Ruth Cadbury clash on TfL handling of the matter

Local MP Mary Macleod has hit out at Labour Councillor Ruth Cadbury for her recent outburst on Transport for London’s handling of the Hammersmith flyover closure and partial re-opening, accusing her of “ political point-scoring” on the issue.

Earlier this week, Councillor Cadbury, who is deputy leader of Hounslow Council , accused Transport for London ( TfL) of “reneging” on promises made during a recent public meeting . She said TfL had promised to direct traffic away from the A4 but had failed to do so, and that neither the transport body nor the Mayor Boris Johnson were interested in the impact their actions had on local businesses and communities.

The Labour councillor, who represents the Brentford ward, said that TfL’s resetting of traffic signals in the area had added to congestion in Chiswick and Brentford.

But Mary Macleod, who is MP for Brentford and Isleworth, said that Ms. Cadbury’s claims were “ simply wrong ”and it was a pity she had not addressed her concerns directly to TfL.

“I have been liaising closely with Transport for London over what measures are being put into place to limit disruption on local roads. TfL are working closely with local residents to limit disruption caused by the part closure of Hammersmith Flyover, and this includes phasing traffic lights and adjusting road signage to try and encourage traffic to flow as freely as possible.

She added that she had been assured by TfL that no traffic lights had been reset and there has been no policy of redirecting traffic back onto the A4 whatsoever.

“The unforeseen part closure of Hammersmith Flyover has impacted heavily on local businesses and residents. It is important that everyone works together to ensure that the damage is limited which is why I called a public meeting to discuss it. After that meeting I felt confident that we would all cooperate to ensure that disruption to local people is kept to a minimum. This latest outburst shows that Cllr Cadbury is more interested in political point scoring then working together on this issue,” she commented.

Garrett Emmerson, Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport at TfL said:

“TfL completely refutes that it has gone against its word to reduce the impact of disruption due to the closure of the Hammersmith Flyover. No warning signs have been removed since the flyover reopened two weeks ago, and all traffic signal timings remain as they were prior to the flyover reopening.

 “TfL’s engineers, contractors and traffic control operators have been working flat out since December to get the flyover reopen to one lane of traffic as quickly as possible, while also reducing any disruption to road users caused while these vital works are being carried out.

 “We have, and will continue to highlight the closure to Londoners, as well as liaise with the local boroughs, including Hounslow, to identify key routes and remove traffic restrictions or roadworks from these streets where possible.”

January 27, 2012