Council to Introduce Trial Traffic Restrictions in Isleworth
Aiming to improve access by bike to West Middlesex Hospital
Hounslow Council contractors reallocating road space away from cars.
Hounslow Council have announced more details of what they are planning to create space for people to follow social distancing guidelines in town centres, and to get around the borough safely on foot and by bike.
Measures are to be taken to try to improve access by bike to West Middlesex hospital and reduce through traffic in residential neighbourhoods in Isleworth. This will include trial access restrictions on some local roads and cycle lane improvements on Twickenham Road. They say that it is vital that NHS staff in particular have access to their place of employment given ongoing restrictions on the use of public transport. Steps are also being taken to improve cycle parking at the hospital in anticipation of an increase in people using bikes to get there.
The Council says they are also exploring opportunities for 'pop up' cycle lanes across the borough, and particularly along the A315 as the route of Cycleway 9 and into Heathrow airport. They have held further meetings with TfL this week to discuss.
In its latest statement the council made no mention of trial closures at Occupation Lane and Green Dragon Lane in Brentford which they had previously said they were considering.
The permanent closure of Lionel Road South to through traffic is going to be progressed once the stadium works are completed.
Hounslow is being asked to submit proposals to the government to be considered for funding from a £250 million package to support walking and cycling. The Department of Transport wrote to Chief Executives of local authorities on 28 May to inform them that the first tranche of the funding, £45 million, will be released as soon as possible to allow councils to start work on closing roads to through traffic, widening pavements and building segregated cycle lanes.
The government requires councils to bring forward these measures ‘within weeks’ and has advised that councils do so using temporary or experimental traffic orders. These orders allow for schemes to be implemented on site promptly and feedback on them taken during the first six months following their introduction. The Council will then consider the feedback received before determining whether any of these measures should be made permanent in some form.
Councillor Hanif Khan, Cabinet Member for Transport at Hounslow Council said: “In line with government requirements the council is looking to move as quickly as possible to make the network as safe as possible for those trying to get around on foot and by bike. We’re thankful for the hundreds of comments we’ve received on our borough wide consultation which we are using to help prioritise some of our work to develop these trial changes– please keep them coming! Whilst the government’s requirements preclude widespread consultation ahead of trials commencing, please be assured that we’ll be collecting all the comments made on these proposals during the next few months which we will review carefully before we decide whether to make any of these measures permanent or not.”
The COVID-19 Transport Response – Hounslow’s Streetspace consultation is open until the 25 June and can be accessed here.
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June 5, 2020