Forum Topic

Perpetual roadworks in Chiswick

Well all be dead by the time the idiots from TFL have finished these completely superfluous roadworks and bike lanes in Chiswick. It makes you want to move

Andy Jacobs ● 464d28 Comments

Would help if divvy councils didn't replace black & white pedestrian crossings with the multi coloured type too!

Peter King ● 455d

I should hope that a zebra crossing is good for pedestrians! There are far too many zebra crossings around that need resurfacing/repainting as they are losing their stripes which does not help with reminding motorists and cyclists that they are supposed to stop to allow pedestrians to cross.

Philippa Bond ● 455d

Kevin, that local people who vote Conservative are furious with the ongoing upgrades to the cycle lane is indeed pleasing.

Paul Campbell ● 462d

The same Chiswick councillors who were predicted to lose their seats but instead were comfortably re-elected by the majority of voters who wanted nothing to do with the bike lane ? And still don’t, having seen the mess CHR has become.

Kevin Mitchell ● 462d

I think it would be safer to fix all the dreadful pavements first !

Maureen Yakoubi ● 462d

The movement of the zebra at Linden Gardens is good for pedestrians. I just cycled past and want to correct my previous post. The zebra in front of Fosters bookshop is open to pedestrians. The cycle lane closure abuts it on west side to allow cars to exit from The Old Marketplace car park during the roadworks at Linden.

Paul Campbell ● 462d

The zebra crossing is also due to be moved slightly west, as there were concerns about the safety of its current position very close to the Linden Gardens exit and now complicated by the cycleway.  I assume it will be moved as part of the current works there.

Richard Jennings ● 463d

Tractor production at a 5 year high.

Basil Finnis ● 463d

"Mr Campbell may be right when saying that C9 is now safer for cyclists and drivers"I haven't mentioned that on this thread. Although I do think it is true yes."but fails to mention pedestrians."I did mention pedestrians in the quote below form one of my previous comments on this thread."Chiswick is ahead on the programme and doing all the sideroad treatments. And superb they are too. For both peds and cyclists."It is very clear to me when walking on the High Road that the new side road treatments are beneficial to both pedestrian safety and experience. As is the distancing of the lanes for motorised vehicles from the pavements.As for the closure of the crossing at M&S. That is due to the roadworks at Linden Gardens blocking the exit next to The Old Marketplace. In order to retain the utility of the car park in The Old Marketplace they've opened up the previously closed exit for cars at the George IV and temporarily suspended the cycle lane from the crossing near M&S. During the roadworks the safety and experience of pedestrians but mainly cyclists is compromised as cyclists are directed back into a narrow vehicle lane from the crossing to after Dukes Avenue, while pedestrians have to use the alternative crossings at the junctions of TGT and Dukes Avenue. A temporary three week long inconvenience for the benefit of Chiswick's motorists but for a better long-term layout for all.

Paul Campbell ● 463d

Mr Campbell may be right when saying that C9 is now safer for cyclists and drivers, but fails to mention pedestrians. The latest move to make the lives of most of us more dangerous is the closure of the pedestrian crossing close to M&S. Trying to use it the other day, I could find no alternative but to cross when there was a pause in the stream of vehicles. I'm 90 and disabled, walk slowly and have to hope that drivers will understand. Please, Mr C, explain why the crossing has been closed.

Arnold Saxton ● 463d

You'll get nothing and like it. Judge Smails

Basil Finnis ● 463d

Bill, as I have said many times before, traffic levels off the High Road have been measured. The Steer report, which covered most of the through routes on the residential streets in Chiswick, showed that through traffic was down. Traffic on Action Lane was indeed measured to have increased by around 1500 cars a day but Fishers Lane is down by 4000 as is traffic overall on South Parade.The DfT counts also show that traffic is down significantly at the borders of Chiswick on the A4, M4 and the A316 at Chiswick Bridge, the largest roads feeding through traffic, and slightly down on the North Circular. I'm not sure why you think I object to an expanded congestion charge, and if it was proposed I would support it. But I also support the current measures that are proving effective in reducing traffic in Chiswick.

Tom Pike ● 463d

Construction of C9 was originally planned to take 2 years with construction done in sections with separate contracts for the construction of each section.The section of C9 in W4 along the S Circular was built to the original spec because contracts were placed prior to the pandemic and construction started prior to the pandemic.As the contract was already in place and funding committed to the contractor, this section was completed when Covid regulations permitted a return to work.Contracts hadn't yet been placed for the other sections.  I'm assuming for commercial reasons so there was some competition amongst bidding contractors.  Then the pandemic struck, TfL's revenue took a hit, they were bailed out by the government and weren't in a position to place contracts for the original plans.  Government instructions were to put in temporary infrastructure asap and funding only provided for this, so that is what happened along CHR, King St and Hammersmith Rd.The CHR section has then been upgraded and the resulting implementation is pretty close to the original plans with the exception of the junction of CHR and Heathfield Terrace where the original plans provided for westbound cyclists bypassing the lights.The gyratory section is very close to the original C9 plans because the complexity of that junction means there really isn't any 'short cuts' possible.  The rest of the King St section really needs to be upgraded so it is closer to the original plans, as has been done for W4, as some of the junctions are not great.  Same applies to Hammersmith Rd.Construction of the section between Kew Bridge and Brentford should begin soon.If the pandemic happened a bit later after contracts had been placed for the section along CHR, then I think its likely it would have been completed to the original spec as happened for the section along the S Circular.Alternatively, if the Chiswick Conservative councillors had been more constructive rather than doing everything they could to delay and disrupt the project, perhaps contracts could have been placed prior to the pandemic, and the work completed to the original spec, just delayed by the pandemic.

Michael Robinson ● 463d

You asked for my opinion and you got it. I undeerstand why opponents of cycle lanes would like to increase the hurdles, timelines and costs for installing them - delay can be as good as denial after all. Me on the hand, I'm all for lots more experimental schemes. Taking space from cars is taking space from cars and the more that happens the better. The cycle lanes will be upgraded in Hammersmith. They haven't been done to the original spec. Chiswick is ahead on the programme and doing all the sideroad treatments. And superb they are too. For both peds and cyclists. The howls of fury in blogs from Chiswick Conservative Councillors each and every time the next sideroad is dealt with are very amusing too. 

Paul Campbell ● 463d

Its never a great idea to rush into anything, doing it as 'quickly as possible' also meant constant closures and tinkering, right up to today. The massive irony is that traffic disappeared during lockdowns. I think you are spinning hard to excuse an awful mess. CS9 in other areas was built to the original spec. Why was W4 different?

Bill George ● 463d

Not really. In fact not at all. I'm pragmatic and understand the events and how it all came to pass over the course of a global pandemic. I'm very supportive of TfL and LBH and LBHF's efforts to install protected cycle lanes as quickly as possible and then improve them when they could. Often in the face of quite unpleasant and completely disproportionate opposition. I'm sure their success will encourage them to continue and be bolder in the future. Just as other boroughs such as Hackney, Lambeth and Islington are building on the success of their trials with borough-wide transformation of street space. Great stuff that others will soon be compelled to copy.

Paul Campbell ● 463d

Paul, you must be absolutely furious with whoever signed off the temporary scheme. Even more tinkering, money wasted, constant closures, and still a sub optimal layout with significant short comings vs what was agreed and consulted on.

Bill George ● 463d

Well that's utter nonsense for a start.

Andy Jacobs ● 463d

Yep it's true.

Paul Campbell ● 463d

Is that true Paul? Were any scheduled works delayed? The reality is if the full scheme as consulted on had been built, rather than the mess of a 'temporary' scheme and constant tinkering, it would all be done well before now.

Bill George ● 463d

Tom, buses should be moving quicker. The bus gates at either end, the closure of Fishers Lane and new green phases all restrict the number of non-bus vehicles that can access central CHR. This is the same reason pollution is down.So what does this tell us? If you restrict the number of vehicles in an area pollution in that local falls and buses can run better. It doesnt tell us what happens beyond that area as its not monitored. But why then do you not support an expanded congestion charge to address the daily flood of commuter traffic through W4? That would benefit everyone....As for Acton Lane/ SOuth Parade, the main queues are on the Acton Lane stretch. It is rare for them to extend onto South Parade although it does happen. However, queues on the Acton Lane stretch now last for longer and occur more frequently than in the past. Lots of traffic at weekend for example looking to access the Sainsburys car park.

Bill George ● 463d

Same reason as South Parade.  The times buses have been slower in the two years from February 2020 we’ve seen brief spikes of significant delays, not chronic congestion stretching over many weeks.

Tom Pike ● 463d

To my eye, CHR looked equally slow moving this afternoon, buses included, possibly because of the A4 restrictions, possibly because of continued work on the cycle track junctions, or possibly for some other reason.

Peter Evans ● 463d

Whatever , does anyone know why the A4 is down to one lane again and causing a right old mess atm?

Michael Good ● 463d

Roadworks related to the cycle lane would have been over a lot quicker if some misguided residents and local politicians hadn't spent so much energy and time trying to stop it happening.

Paul Campbell ● 463d

Your observations directly confirm that increased traffic on South Parade is a good indicator of reduced capacity on the A4 and has little to do with any restriction on the High Road. The PCNs issued for Fishers Lane tell the same story. I don't know if cars are now taking a little longer to get down the High Road but buses are certainly moving more quickly. We have the 267 westbound runtimes for the two years from the first week of February 2020. Since then it has been running faster more than 90% of the time during the evening peak.

Tom Pike ● 463d

Correction!  I see there are in fact lane closures on the A4 after all!  Keep up at the back there!

Peter Evans ● 464d

This afternoon there's a solid line of slow-moving west-bound traffic all the way down Acton Lane and back along South Parade, and that's with no road works on the A4. Can it be that it's all trying to avoid the now snarled-up CHR?

Peter Evans ● 464d