Category Archives: Public transport

by | July 19, 2016 · 12:00

Useful fact finding visit to Transport for London

It was a pleasure as ever to hang with Councillors Guy Lambert (Labour, Brentford) and Sam Christie (Labour, Bedfont) the one who brokered a positive meeting at Transport for London in Southwark yesterday morning. On the way I was unaware I nearly squashed a Pokemon, Pidgey, near the Young Vic on The Cut, SE1, hadn’t a clue, sorry.

Councillors Guy Lambert, Tony Louki and Sam Christie on the 10.44 Hounslow Loop from Chiswick to London Waterloo for our TfL meet

Councillors Guy Lambert, Tony Louki and Sam Christie on the 10.44 Hounslow Loop from Chiswick to London Waterloo for our TfL meet

Of mutual interest for the three of us was the continuing saga of house building conglomerate Barratt unable to facilitate uninterrupted service for the 235 at its western terminus, Great West Quarter; crowding on some routes; ability to access West Middlesex University Hospital from all parts of the borough and overall bus reliability in Hounslow.

Positive news is that brand new and latest lowest emission buses will be introduced by when the 235’s bus operations transfer from Abellio to Metroline in January 2017.

Those recalling last year’s consultations on local services may know that TfL still considers the routeing of the H28 and E8 as unfinished business. There was and remains concern that the removal of route H28 from Wood Lane, Isleworth will make access to the West Mid very difficult from as far away as Cranford and Heston. Replacing it with a double decked E8 down Amhurst Gardens would mean the removal of the last of that road’s mature trees. Expect more consultations in early 2017.

Not enough time to cover all the Transport for London issues affecting Osterley & Spring Grove Ward but a number of items were left with our host to consider and respond to, including:

A4 Great West Road junctions

  • improving phase turnings at Wood Lane
  • improving surface crossings at Gillette Corner
  • pedestrian subway safety at Gillette Corner
  • preventing eastbound driving on the southside between Jersey and Gresham Roads
  • future proposals for this TfL owned stretch.

New Ridgeway Road controlled crossing

  • reinstatement of the grass verge
  • marking the cycle lane following completion of the recent works
  • remedying the northside cycle lane pinch point by pedestrian crossing
  • reinstatement of bus stop U Great West Road/Ridgeway Road.

Great West Road at Osterley Library

  • establishing short term parking in the layby east from Thornbury Road.

Great West Road environment

  • protection and maintenance of verges, shrub beds and maximising pavement widths
  • clarifying TfL bollard policy
  • managing curtilage hedge encroachments on footways
  • cycle lane maintenance and safety
  • managing tree growth that impedes cyclists
  • TfL’s tree maintenance and planting programme
  • maintenance schedules.

Councillor Sam Christie’s notes of the meeting can be found here.

Pokemon Pidgey almost a Size 8 gonner on the way to TfL

Pokemon Pidgey almost a cropper from my size 8s on the way to TfL

Always happy to hear from residents about local public transport and the Great West Road.

TL 19.7.2016

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by | April 6, 2016 · 20:34

H28 bus to the West Mid – safe for now

Transport for London says it has “deferred making a decision on the proposed changes to route H28” and “will have further discussions with the London Borough of Hounslow about these proposed changes.”

H28s on Wood Lane Isleworth

H28s on Wood Lane Isleworth

TfL reports the outcome of last year’s consultation here:  https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/e8-110-h28 .

The consultation was meant to be about improving routes to West Middlesex University Hospital following the government’s NHS cuts at Ealing Hospital last year. However, a number of folk suspect that it may have also been another austerity cuts exercise, this time with local public transport as the victim.

160406 WMUH sign

One of the TfL proposals was to reroute the E8 towards the hospital and to take the H28 out of Wood Lane, Amhurst Gardens and Twickenham Road. This would mean removing bus access to the West Mid from Spring Grove, Osterley and North Isleworth as well as other neighbourhoods in the borough .

Results of the consultation showed a very good response on the H28 from local folk and can be found on pages 5, 31-38 and 81-82 (notes from the meeting I arranged) here. They included,

  • The route needs to go to WMUH – 82 responses
  • Wood Lane needs to be served by a bus route – 68 responses
  • Generally opposed – 58 responses
  • This route is used by a number of elderly/vulnerable people who rely on it to do their weekly shop/get out and about – 56 responses
  • Will lose direct, cheap link to Tesco – 43 responses
  • H91 is not an alternative route for Wood Lane/Northumberland Estate – 29 responses
  • Northumberland Estate is not served by any other bus route and will result in a long uphill walk/walk to get other buses – 18 responses
  • Proposal will adversely affect Wood Lane residents taking children to local schools – 13 responses
  • Will increase the cost and time of my journey – 13 responses

The current route of H28 is safe, for now but this is probably because there is an election for a new Mayor for London next month and the current do nothing Mayor Johnson would not have wanted this cut in the spotlight.

H28 at Wood Lane level crossing

H28 at Wood Lane level crossing

I have spoken to Hounslow Council’s head of transport and when TfL does have these “further discussions”, I shall ensure that residents are involved and continue to do my best to represent.

TL 6.4.2016

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by | January 28, 2016 · 13:09

South Western Rail Franchise: Good meeting, get your responses in, pronto

Attendance and participation at last night’s meeting where we learnt more about the way our local train service works and how important it is to different users was a pleasure to be a part of.

Train at Syon Lane

Train at Syon Lane

Local resident, Michael Peacock, at very short notice was put on the spot to present but was asked to because of his in depth knowledge of the workings of our local railway and its context within the national network.

Many participants shared their views and also offered a range of proposals for the Department of Transport’s stakeholder consultation for the South Western Rail Franchise.  Notes from the meeting can be found here and should  be useful when preparing a response to the DfT before the 9 February 2016 deadline.

A copy of the consultation document can be found here and ways of responding to it here.

London_Overground_logo.svg

You wait for one consultation then two turn up at the same time.

Last week, the Department of Transport and Transport for London published another document, A new approach to rail passenger services in London and the South East, this describes a longer than recent ambition to incorporate suburban rail services (including ours) into the London Overground network.  This is also worth responding to (in a similar way to the SWRF) and can be downloaded from here, the closing date for this one is 18 March 2016.

Happy to recieve copies of your responses.

 

TL  28.1.2016

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by | January 25, 2016 · 00:57

Isleworth Station: SWT Franchise almost up – meeting to define the next

Public meeting on the South Western Rail Franchise

on Wednesday 27 January 2016 from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm

at Spring Grove House, West Thames College,

London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 4HS

NewsStandIsleworthStation

Wherever you are on The Hounslow Loop, this is an opportunity to find out and share more thoughts about our local train stations and services available from there. Whether it’s the number of departures per hour, length of trains, state and safe use of the stations, best price ticketing, there is room to make comment during the franchise consultation running until 9 February 2016.

A copy of the Rail Executive’s Stakeholder Consultation for the South Western Rail Franchise can be found here. Doable on a journey to and back from Waterloo, particularly the parts between pages 27 and 47. Continue reading →

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by | December 14, 2015 · 16:56

H28 Bus: Still time to tell TfL

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

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: Continue reading →

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