Forum Topic

Chiswick has had it’s say: And it is a Resounding Rejection of Hounslow Councils Road Closures

Whilst Councillors Dunne, Lambert and Khan try to defend their decisions, under pressure from the London Cycling Campaign - Hounslow Cycling, of which Lambert and Dunne are members, and all 3 subject to an investigation as to conflicts of interest, it appears that Chiswick residents and businesses have rejected the schemes from analysis of the Councils own survey.  See the comments on FaceBook.  Looks like Councillor Khan needs to live up to his promise and reverse the changes now.  From Facebook:"On 8 November Hounslow Council’s own “Have your Say” Commonplace survey on the Future of Chiswick Town Centre closed. The initial thorough independent analysis evaluating each response, including the comments in boxes, and the likes supporting those comments, shows that:·         98% want the changes in Turnham Green Terrace reversed,·         98% want the Staveley Road diagonal barrier removed.·         95% want the Fishers Lane change reversed and opened to all traffic,·         83% want Devonshire Road reopened,And that is before wider analysis on the contentious Chiswick High Road and other schemes takes place. A resident said: “Well, what is clear is that Hounslow Council has nowhere to hide.  Councillor Hanif Khan was clear in the Chiswick Area Forum that if the evidence was clearly against the schemes, then they could come out.  Well, the evidence is clear and the schemes should be immediately reversed, there is no need to wait"From further news articles on Chiswick W4 this afternoon  it looks like Labour Councillors are also now questioning the actions of Steve Curran, and his cabinet members, Khan, Dunne and Lambert and calling in schemes in Isleworth for review, good on them.  From going to the “Have your say” surveys for Hounslow, Feltham and Brentford Town Centres you can also see that there is significant dissatisfaction with Hounslow Council. Best summed up by one respondents comments:"Hounslow town centre is awful, worse than 3rd world. It's been getting worse and worse for the last 20 years.  Knock it down and start again. There is no other way."

David Riley ● 2167d33 Comments

Well time will tell. The ultimate decision on whether these measures stay or go rests with Cllr Khan and his coterie, and while they are bound to "consider" public reaction, it is only one factor in the evidence they will weigh. Even 100% against wouldn't guarantee rejection. That's why Rupa Huq is calling for a local referendum where the people really do decide. As usual total silence from Ruth Cadbury who only likes democracy when the people support what she supports.Will Hanif Khan & co. back down or tough it out? Keep watching.It's better than anything on the telly.

Bruce Hammal ● 2167d

Hear hear David

Helen Bamberger ● 2167d

Ruth Cadbury since her days in the council and now has been nothing but cheap chocolate wrapped in foil.

Basil Finnis ● 2167d

Indeed BasilRuth Cadbury is about as much use as a chocolate teapot.Rupa Huq on the other hand appears to be a very sensible and pragmatic lady who listens to her constituents

Loraine Pemberton ● 2167d

Well, it’s now time to get the liberal labour council of Hounslow to action the requests of the people who put these officials in power in the first place.

c james ● 2167d

At last something that reflects what the majority of people seem to be saying. Of course we should be concerned about climate change etc but anyone who has ever tried to negotiate knows it has to be win win to get people on side. I'm sure the people of W London want improved environment but who is this benefitting? We have a duty of care to all in our society and will not be bullied in this way.

Mandy Waters ● 2166d

Councillor Dunne has long been a thorn in the side of Chiswick and appears to be assiduously climbing the greasy pole to the top.I first came across her at a planning meeting where as deputy chair she was in the Chair for the meeting.At the start she stood before all of us and announced that she wanted us to know that she was a socialist and that she would very much like to see Chiswick paved over with council housing.Needless to say that with bias and sentiments like that we lost our appeal.

Elizabeth Ross ● 2166d

That is shocking in her role she should put politics to one side and consider what is right for the relevant community. This is  politics of envy which is so Labour. Let’s hope they have to listen between everyone we are making a big noise

Jayne Thorburn ● 2166d

Please do not make the mistake of thinking that all Labour members - or councillors for that matter share Cllr. Dunne's sentiments. Personally I think she spouts rubbish, and is being promoted way above her competency, another case of it's not what you know but rather who.

Vanessa Smith ● 2166d

Thanks Vanessa. But this is exactly where the problem is: she is being promoted, way above her competency, which means that her views are shared by the Labour-in-Power. And she shares their views, too.

Alex Shpinkov ● 2166d

As Elizabeth Ross says "Councillor Dunne has long been a thorn in the side of Chiswick and appears to be assiduously climbing the greasy pole to the top."Anyone know what her skill sets are ?

Loraine Pemberton ● 2166d

'At the start she stood before all of us and announced that she wanted us to know that she was a socialist and that she would very much like to see Chiswick paved over with council housing.'What a load of tosh. I'm very doubtful she said anything of the kind, at least not in the manner or to the extent expressed above.P.S. I'm glad she stood before all of you and not just some of you.

Anne England ● 2166d

She always reminds me of Olive in "on the busses" Its the photo below  https://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2584 Aha,busses,ive an idea in my head

Julian Pavey ● 2166d

Cycling and having a hubby with the same obsession

Claire Moran ● 2166d

Anne, I remember that a Labour councillor said these very words at the Empire House planning meeting some years ago, which created some controversy at the time. I am not sure why you say 'load of tosh'.

Paul Green ● 2165d

Anne,I do believe Elizabeth, as she not one for making things up.You want to look at cllr Dunne’s Twitter account, you will find out she is no shrinking violetDefinitely not a fan of Chiswick residents.

Bernard Allen ● 2165d

I had a brief e-mail exchange with Cllr Dunne over something cycling-related. Her communication style is unusual to say the least given she was responding in an official capacity. I don't think she does consensus.

Bruce Hammal ● 2165d

I think what Cllr Dunne does with gusto is chip on her shoulder.

David Lesniak ● 2165d

See Chiswick Calendar story on Staveley Road. When residents are actually surveyed, as opposed to responding to pressure group pressure online, the results are different.https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/a-divided-community/

Ken Munn ● 2165d

Ken, the traffic volumes dropped off a cliff before the barrier was installed. I posted previously about cycling down Staveley Road shortly after 9am on a weekday the week before it was installed. I was the only road user the entire length of Staveley Road.To credit the plastic barrier with the reduction in traffic is not accurate and it does not take into account the knock on impact of this measure to other parts of Grove Park, under normal traffic patterns and volumes.I completely understand why some residents of Staveley Road will support this barrier but this highlights the issue with the half arsed traffic measures across Chiswick and beyond. No engagement, no impact assessment and no efficacy to their post implementation success. Residents and business here in Chiswick are very concerned about what these will do to the area. In about three more months we are supposed to deem whether this barrier is successful, whilst offices are shuttered and a fraction of road users are accessing the A4 to head westbound out of London. Does this really sound like a great trial to you? Do you not understand why locals are frustrated and concerned?For what it is worth, I find the temporary barrier more dangerous for cyclists using the road and have shared my concerns with the the council. Bear in mind 75% of cycling fatalities happen at or near a junction; adding a near blind junction in both directions makes this more dangerous - cyclists now have to cross the lane of oncoming traffic that approaches from either north or south side of Park Road on a blind corner before negotiating a very narrow gap between the plastic barrier and the kerb.The council did respond and agreed with the gap in the barrier being too small. "Unfortunately the barrier was only provided to the contractor in a set length". I am no Einstein but if they added a greater angle when installing it, would it not have left a bigger gap at each side?! Could they not have just removed one of the sections?!If the council is really serious about cyclist safety, they should have given priority to cyclists along Staveley Road rather than keep the priority to vehicles joining Staveley from Park Road (North and South). I urge you to cycle the route after dark and see what you think.Perhaps local engagement with residents and road users would have provided better insight and maybe even better acceptance of traffic measures. What a revelation.

Henry Man ● 2165d

https://chiswickcalendar.co.uk/a-divided-community/The clue is in the URLStaveley Road majority: forPark Road Majority: against  So the LBOH cabinet members have now created a dived Community.How many more streets are going to be at war with their neighbors because of of the pathetic attempt of constructing a safer neighborhood.Plus the main officer in charge of the road changes has now left LBOH, so an independent company has been brought in to access the recent road changes rather than relying on the cabinet members, wheres that money coming from.

Bernard Allen ● 2165d

Bernard,Do you think these are of equal importance?"One man, who has lived on the road for decades, was glad of the changes even though they inconvenienced him personally, because he thought they encouraged people to use their cars less and as a result he said fewer people were speeding down the road. He lost one of his dogs several years ago to a speeding car, and he said he has felt safer since the changes were introduced."orDriving to the local co-op 400m away now takes 2 minutes instead of 1 minute.

Michael Robinson ● 2165d

So by my calculations a mile trip locally could possibly takes 8 mins these days rather than 4 mins of the past and that mile could now release a further 450 grams of CO2 per mile driven but crucially spread it around more evenly for others to enjoy becasue of closures,restrictions and Implementation of road infrastructure Double that for a return trip. But the answer is not dont drive because most surveys show people do not drive for fun but for mostly for necessity and convenience. We all love a survey but only the ones that count a

Julian Pavey ● 2165d

Anne England an apology would not go amiss.  It was indeed at the Empire House meeting attended by about 30 of us, before she took the Chair, that ms Dunne informed us and left us in no doubt of her views.  Her conduct in the chair was no different.When you are elected to represent a community it is incumbent upon you to put your personal views on one side and to deal with all parties in a fair and equal manner.  Ms Dunne has not shown that she is able to do that.

Elizabeth Ross ● 2165d

MichealThat is information, comes from  Chiswick Calendar, who just carried out a door knocking exercise.It was reported that one woman was to scared to give her real opinion.If complete stranger knock on my door asking question on a very contentious subject, I would tell them to get lost.The residents of this road have been treated very badly by a Cabinet Member before, so do you expect them to sit by idly  by and get stuffed again.All the LCC and HCC are achieving is dived neighborhoods.

Bernard Allen ● 2165d

The Conservative Councilors seem to be getting all the stick for calling in phase three by the very pro cycling campaign.They are so entrenched in slagging off Chiswick Councilors, have they missed the point that eight Labour Counciors have also called in phase 3.The Chiswick Area Forum made residents aware that Hounslow Council was being taken to court so couldn't answer some questions, so why the persecution of the Chiswick Councilors only? or have your scripts been pre written, and you didn't expect a Labour Councilor to do something similar.

Bernard Allen ● 2165d

"That is information, comes from  Chiswick Calendar, who just carried out a door knocking exercise."Not too mention that Bridget Osbourne of Chiswick Calendar is apparently a well known cheerleader for LBH, thus just a tad biased...

Loraine Pemberton ● 2165d

Yeah, shoot the messenger.

Ken Munn ● 2165d

HenryYou make some really good points.    The dimensions of the junction I understand never allowed for a diagonal barrier that would allow turning without the removal of the pedestrian islands this was not realised until late on according to the council.  they should have stopped digging at that point, stopped and thought again. As a cyclist I agree with you about using the junction at night.  The reality is Tier 2 and the Lockdown have created a massive reduction in traffic across most residential areas.  When I drove through Grove Park I was directed by google and waze - and down Burlington.  The barrier has not stopped traffic - it is the above.  There are much better solutions - with ANPR that will work and be safer for all road users at the junction allowing free movement, most of the day.  The preferred solution by the Emergency Services too.It has also been pointed out somewhere (on twitter the other day I think) that none of the accidents were speeding, a stolen vehicle and a drunk are referenced by local residents who were there.  There is a speeding issue but this could be stopped using other means.From people in the area Staveley residents appreciate that it is not right to have simply forced vehicles down Park Road and Lawford Rd.  This would never have happened if a proper consultation had been held.  All streets are furious with the Council and London Cycling Campaign and the division they have created in the community.Let us be clear as many of the posts above do,  The London Cycling campaign - Hounslow Cycling have had control over Cllr Curran, Cllr Dunne, Cllr Lambert and Cllr Khan and officer Mark Frost.  The local mouth piece has been the Calendar - also a close confidant of members of LCC and the Council.  The LCC is what it says: a campaign body. It has no interest in other road users, its website is unashamed in promoting it's campaigns of how to influence and control councillors.  In contrast, the LCC make no mention of understanding the needs or the obligations under the Equality Act 2010 or a Council's Duty of Care to all residents. Not a single page on their website.  Shame on them.As Grant Shapps said today on LBC many schemes in London have been implemented badly.  Very badly and that now needs to change.

Chris Soze ● 2165d

From people in the area Staveley residents appreciate that it is not right to have simply forced vehicles down Park Road and Lawford Rd, and residents on those streets appreciate the issues that exist on Staveley Rd.  This would never have happened if a proper consultation had been held.  All streets are furious with the Council and London Cycling Campaign and the division they have created in the community.Let us be clear as many of the posts above do,  The London Cycling campaign - Hounslow Cycling have had control over Cllr Curran, Cllr Dunne, Cllr Lambert and Cllr Khan and officer Mark Frost.  The local mouth piece has been the Calendar - also a close confidant of members of LCC and the Council.  The LCC is what it says: a campaign body. It has no interest in other road users, its website is unashamed in promoting it's campaigns of how to influence and control councillors.  In contrast, the LCC make no mention of understanding the needs or the obligations under the Equality Act 2010 or a Council's Duty of Care to all residents. Not a single page on their website.  Shame on them.As Grant Shapps said today on LBC many schemes in London have been implemented badly.  Very badly and that now needs to change.

Chris Soze ● 2165d

Ken, if you are really interested in local opinion, what about the commonplace survey that shows overwhelming rejection of the schemes. Or the survey of verified local residents that was hugely in favour of reopening Fishers Lane. Deafening silence from you and your chums. Indeed, Michael Robinson has constantly told us that the 'consultations' are not referendums, but then is desperate to point to lots of dodgy surveys that suggest people support them.You need to be careful of following the cycle lobbyist playbook where objection to one scheme or an element of a scheme means you reject all schemes. It can be more complex.Is it really a surprise that Staveley Rd is supportive but that Park Rd (and I suspect more the southern end) oppose? It very much highlights the winners and losers issue here. Some do nicely, others not so much. It would also be interesting to ask residents on Burlington Lane and SCR how they feel about even more traffic on their already busy roads.There are no easy answers, but to focus only on the winners, as all proponents of these schemes do, is grossly unbalanced

Paul Green ● 2165d

KenYou're confusing 'messenger' with 'author' Bridget Osbourne, as stated by another contributor, is clearly biased towards LBH and LCC/HCC.

Loraine Pemberton ● 2165d

So Michael I'll guess said dog was not on a lead. That or the speeding car was where, on the pavement? In the park?As we've seen elsewhere, this is the fault of the dog owner, not the vehicle operator. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

David Lesniak ● 2165d