It’s no mean feat fixing Hounslow’s roads, pavements, street lights and signs; an ambitious long term project welcomed and complimented by most citizens. Hounslow Highways is good at engineering but telling people about the forthcoming Wood Lane works may suggest, the way information has been shared and the opportunities to make enquiries, is weak in comparison.
Wood Lane resurfacing,north to the Great West Road, starts here on 12.10.2015
Both Wednesday and Friday last week, residents in the area received inaccurate and incomplete information in two separate letters about the start of planned road resurfacing, see here and here.
With 103 roads in this (the borough’s biggest) ward, it shouldn’t be up to a councillor to seek and share bread and butter stuff but by late Friday, a couple of calls and a few emails have so far yielded the following:
- The proximity of the Great West Road prevents works taking place during the daytime
- The works will be carried out nighttime 8.00 pm to 5.00 am on Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14, Thursday 15 and Monday 19 October 2015 (when due to end); no works on Sunday 18
- The Rugby World Cup prevents activity on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October
- Works will be carried out in sections to cause minimum inconvenience to residents
- Residents will be able to drive their cars to and from their homes and park off street outside works times
- Access to drives will be maintained outside of works times (between 5.00 am and 8.00 pm)
- H28 Bus route will be diverted at nighttime during works.
Further and additional details have been sought, will be confirmed by Hounslow Highways early next week and shared with residents. There are three weeks of opportunity to satisfy concerns.
Kerb markings on Wood Lane in preparation for the road resurfacing
To be fair, Hounslow Highways admit errors and have agreed to better develop their methods of communication. Some will say, there is plenty that needs improvement.
Website information on works ought to be clear and up to date. When written to, residents should have clear information and implications of works straight away, not just start and end dates within a standard letter template. Timely on street information should reflect both.
Cracking those three would reduce the need for much else. However, any website contact form should be easy to complete, a fully detailed receipt immediately e mailed back and the query promptly responded to. E mails should be accepted and promptly responded to by the works project team. Unless any enquiries, comments or complaints will be properly and knowledgably dealt with, there is no point in asking folk to queue to contact a call centre.
Am happy to learn and share others’ thoughts on this matter, e mail tony.louki@hounslow.gov.uk if this is the case.
To be continued …
TL 12.9.2015
Tony Louki's Report Back 