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Lido Junction and surrounding roads traffic study
Submission from West Ealing Neighbours
Introduction
West Ealing Neighbours greatly welcomes this traffic study and, in particular, its focus on both the highly problematic Lido and St Leonard's Road junctions along with the rat-running problems faced between St Leonard's and Eccleston Roads. You will be well aware that for many years there have been calls to try to resolve the pedestrian and traffic problems at the Lido junction and we are pleased to have the opportunity to put forward our views and ideas to the consultants. This paper and these concerns and ideas have been co-ordinated by West Ealing Neighbours from its own members and from the Five Roads Forum (home zone) and Kingsdown Residents Association. As a result, some suggestions may be supported by one group and not by another, but our aim is to put everything possible on the table for this review, as we may not get another review of these roads for many years to come. Lastly, we are happy to meet with and talk to the consultants about any of these concerns and ideas if that is seen to be of use. Below we outline are main concerns and some suggestions of how to improve some of the problems:
1. The junction of St Leonard's Road and the Uxbridge Road is particularly difficult for traffic in St Leonard's Road wishing to turn right, going westwards on to the Uxbridge Road and for traffic wishing to turn right off the Uxbridge Road north up St Leonard's Road. We suggest that this junction could be traffic light controlled, perhaps at peak hours, and a pedestrian crossing installed. In addition, the possibility of a boxed junction here should be investigated to keep the exit clear for the fire engines based at the fire station on the north-west corner of St Leonard's Road and the Uxbridge Road. 2. There should be a review of the traffic flows in Broomfield, Dane and Arden Roads to see if these should be one-way or if there is a way to improve traffic flow in these very narrow side roads off the Uxbridge Road between St Leonard's Road and the Lido Junction.
3. Chapel Road and Kirchen Road should only be one-way traffic onto the Uxbridge Road. 4. The right turn at the Lido Junction down Northfield Ave for traffic coming from West Ealing is dangerous as oncoming cars from Ealing Broadway only get into the westbound nearside lane very late because of the bus lane. If this bus lane were stopped at, say, Ealing Boards and Timber, it would allow traffic to move in earlier and prevent some of the problems currently caused by traffic trying to squeeze into the nearside lane close to the Lido Junction. If this is implemented it should allow the right hand lane of the westbound Uxbridge Road at the Lido Junction to be clearly marked as only for traffic wishing to turn right up Drayton Green Road.
5. Another option to the above is to widen the junction at the south east side by demolishing some of the shops in the Uxbridge Road between Chapel Road and the Lido Junction. These would have been compulsorily purchased if the tram plans had been implemented. 6. Currently, only one of the four pedestrian crossings at the Lido Junction allows a safe, pedestrian signal controlled crossing on foot. This crossing on the west side of the junction (north/south across the Uxbridge Road) is controlled but anyone wishing to cross the other three ways has to take their chance and hope for the best. This is just plain dangerous for old, infirm and disabled people and just risky for everyone else. This junction should be fully controlled to allow safe pedestrian crossing. One way used successfully in other countries is to allow people to cross all these roads at one time, including diagonally, whilst no traffic moves at all. Otherwise, there needs to be an appropriate sequence to allow safe pedestrian crossing on all four sides.
7. One of the biggest challenges is how to improve the lives of residents who live in Alexandria Road, Felix Road and Endsleigh Road, all of whom are on what is now one of the main routes between the Uxbridge Road and Drayton Green Road. A lot of traffic coming from the Hanwell direction turns north up Eccleston Road, along Felix and Alexandria Road and out north on to Drayton Green Road. The same is true vice versa with traffic turning right into Alexandria Road and eventually out west on to the Uxbridge Road. Many of our members in these roads talk of regular road rage incidents as these narrow roads become congested. This is only likely to get worse once Luminoscity, the Sinclair House redevelopment and other residential developments are occupied. Underlying this problem is the thorny question of how heavier traffic coming eastwards from the Hanwell direction and wanting to get north up to the A40 can do so. It is well nigh impossible for lorries to turn left up Drayton Green Road, as the turn is too tight. Some therefore try to fight their way along Eccleston, Felix and Alexandria Roads usually with fairly dire consequences. Yet, the conundrum remains - how do they get to the A40? Perhaps they go through Ealing Broadway and up Hangar Lane. Whichever way they go, WEN strongly urges the consultants to make a particular study of how heavy traffic moves through these streets to see if there are any changes and improvements that can be made. Perhaps even, putting in width restrictions in Alexandria, Felix and Eccleston Roads if these would improve the situation.
8. At the Eccleston Road and Uxbridge Road junction, there is no left turn into the Uxbridge Road for traffic coming down Eccleston Road. Instead, traffic is sent left into Singapore Road and onto the Uxbridge Road that way. Is it really necessary to maintain this no left turn here? Depending on what happens to the Green Man Estate, it may make more sense to allow a left turn here as long as the pedestrian light to allow crossing is appropriately phased. 9. One significant reason for traffic using these narrow roads is the lack of a right turn from Drayton Green Road on to the Uxbridge Road. There used to be such a turn but it was stopped some years back. We suggest that investigating the possibility of re-instituting this right turn should be a priority for the consultants. That still leaves the question of traffic turning up Eccleston Road to reach Drayton Green Road. Will the consultants be liaising with Ealing Council over plans to redevelop the Green Man Estate? These plans are a crucial element in seeking solutions to this particular problem as they open up a once in a generation opportunity to build a new road system which could, with careful planning, help alleviate some of these problems. For example, the very awkward kink where Alexandria and Felix Roads meets could be eliminated and a new road built linking Alexandria Road with Singapore Road which would take traffic away from Eccleston and Felix Roads. An even more radical option would be to build a new road bridge over the railway line to replace the unsafe and much-despised Jacob's Ladder footbridge. Traffic could then flow up past Drayton Green and on northwards.
10. Given the amount of traffic on Drayton Green Road we suggest parking is banned on the east side of the road and parking is made available for residents living on this side of the road in the surrounding streets. The small number of cars parked on the east side cause a disproportionate problem by blocking one complete lane and narrowing this road to such an extent that buses are often held up here for some minutes until the situation eases.
11. In addition, residents of Felix Road voted for a CPZ but the Council on a seemingly arbitrary basis turned this down. The notion of a CPZ should be looked at again and the Council should talk to Waitrose about the possibility of its staff using their car park rather than the surrounding streets. This alone would help improve some of the congestion in these roads.
12. There should be a pedestrian crossing installed in Alexandria Road, opposite Waitrose, where there is currently a raised section as there is currently no safe crossing for all the people going to and coming from Waitrose and, sooner or later, there will be an accident here because many older people assume this raised section gives them right of way - which it does not.
13. More contentiously, are the consultants able to look at the impact of the Five Roads home zone scheme which, for example, blocks off Hastings Road? As you can imagine there are very different views on this as this scheme was fought for long and hard and is much cherished by its residents. It may be outside the scope of this review but we wanted to raise this matter as it may be many more years before another review happens again.
West Ealing Neighbours David Highton 3rd December 2007 www.westealingneighbours.org.uk |
