There was a decent turnout from all parts of Osterley & Spring Grove Ward at last Wednesday’s (9.12.2015) meeting with Transport for London, kindly hosted by Thistleworth Tennis Club.
Talking local transport at Thistleworth
Some thirty folk came to the lunchtime event offering many good reasons why the H28 should remain pretty much intact, maintaining the link between West Middlesex Hospital and other links and locations with Osterley and North Isleworth. There was also fair comment on the absurdity of running a double decked E8 bus down Amhurst Gardens.
Notes from the meeting can be found here and a highlighted comments were:
– Residents present were overwhelmingly against the proposed changes to the H28 route.
– Residents would lose direct access to Osterley Tesco, West Middlesex University Hospital, Osterley Library and Hounslow High Street; these are essential links for local people and difficult for elderly people to walk to.
– The H28 also connects with other bus routes and its removal from this leg would further reduce access.
– Residents disputed that there are alternative bus stops within 5-7 minute walk of Wood Lane for elderly people.
– The changes will mean more people using cars and resorting to costly mini cabs rather than public transport.
– The changes to other routes may improve links overall for people to the hospital but not for residents reliant on the H28.
– Residents are prepared to put up with delays from the level crossing rather than lose the service. Residents felt most delays were caused by congestion in Hounslow and at other locations.
– The H28 route was originally designed to offer access from very poorly served neighbourhoods in Osterley and North Isleworth.
– TfL should respond to users and not be influenced by the operator.
– Removing the H28 from part of the route would defeat the object of maximising bus access to the hospital.
The consultation continues until Friday 18 December 2015 and readers are encouraged to respond.
More details can be found here: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/e8-110-h28
and the online survey form can be found here: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/e8-110-h28/consultation/subpage.2015-09-03.3976631085/view
As always, happy to hear from anyone on this and other local matters.
TL 14.12.2015
Tony Louki's Report Back 