The Full Horror of A4 Restrictions and Closure for Chiswick and all West London
Over the last week articles and comments are appearing as to the works required to repair on the A4. The full impact is only now dawning on Chiswick and west London residents. Yet some details are unclear and raise many more questions that need answers. Works start in just over a week. We all know the impact will be huge across Chiswick, Kew and surrounds. Expectations are of back-ups all the way into central London along the A4 corridor, with only a single lane due to be operational westbound at the Cromwell Road Railway Bridge, and only two lanes eastbound also reducing flow into London. It will not be until at least October Half Term that some daily closures may ease. TfL are telling people in central London to use the A40 and M40 to go west.Many operational questions will need answers but TfL and LBH have now clearly worked out the full horror about what these closures will mean. That has become clear with a decision by TfL and LBH to announce the suspension of restrictions in Grove Park and potentially turn it into a car park. This is suspicious and gives the game away but also looks poorly thought through. It also raises more important questions as to the competence and motives of both organisations.At one level it looks like TfL realising that the impending gridlock for all A roads from Mortlake, Sheen, Richmond, Kew in the south through to Hammersmith, Fulham, Barons Court, Earls Court, Kensington, and Shepherds Bush in the west can be a little alleviated at the expense of residents in Grove Park. In addition, they probably also worked out that they and LBH could not be seen to profit from the further misery of accumulating fines on Hartington and Staveley Roads.Then there are the questions of timing, motives, and consequential effects, such as: when was it determined that there was a structural issue with the Bridge? Has the issue been known for some time? Are the works exploratory, or like Hammersmith Bridge and the Hammersmith flyover is this a situation where in September, London will be informed that on further inspection, we are going to have to close this section of road, and the Overground and Tube below? Trust in TfL will continue to hit new lows for residents across west London. For LBH this is a disaster. They look completely caught out. Just when they were hoping to repair the relationship with Chiswick, they are going to subject them to gridlock. The only good that may come out is that LBH may finally realise that they need to work with the majority of Chiswick residents through the Residents groups and Councillors, rather than the small niche campaign groups going forward. Those that are going to suffer the most are those that have so far been negatively impacted by the current Streetspace schemes. Carers will take even longer to reach their patients, and bus users will be stuck on Chiswick High Road going nowhere. Residents of Burlington Lane will suffer again, as the inequity of the Staveley Rd barrier diverts all traffic down their road. If LBH can suspend and abandon a scheme at the drop of TfLs hat, they can clearly start to work with residents. With the impending gridlock to come, LBH will owe Chiswick much and LBH positively could use the time with a new approach, by abandoning the current Streetspace schemes and plans for future phases and instead work with the majority of residents to put in schemes that the majority want.
Jonathan Mabbutt ● 1549d43 Comments ● 1542d