Local Assembly Member Urges 'Dramatic Change of Attitude' Over Hammersmith Bridge
Tony Devenish suggests speeding up repairs by handing them to the private sector
Tony Devenish, London Assembly Member for West Central, which includes Hammersmith & Fulham, has added his voice to the ongoing row over Hammersmith's Bridge's closure, urging TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan to 'get a grip' and find a quick solution - and suggesting the necessary work could be handed to the private sector.
Tony says:
Readers of Hammersmith Today know first-hand of the damage, inconvenience and chaos caused by the closure of Hammersmith Bridge over three months ago. It’s something I raised time and time again with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, long before the bridge was closed.
Getting anywhere south of the river for West London's motorists and bus users has become infinitely more difficult since April. Congestion rates have gone through the roof as far away as Putney Bridge and Barnes Bridge – where vehicles have been rerouted. I know from my conversations with local residents that the closure is impacting most on our vulnerable, with the elderly and people with disabilities simply not having the confidence or even ability to cope without an easy crossing over the River Thames.
But it’s not just the commute or daily school run that is being impacted. London’s terrible air quality has been made worse by this closure, with cars and buses having to take alternative routes and sit idle for far longer than usual. This whole saga has undone much of the recent work to improve air quality in areas like Putney High Street.
The response to the closure has been at best lacklustre. The blame game has certainly been played, with Hammersmith and Fulham Council blaming anyone but themselves and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan pointing the finger at the Government. Transport for London have rerouted some buses, but they have yet to come up with a repair programme - although we do expect an announcement in August: four whole months from the closure. Sadiq Khan continues to waste precious time by bickering with Hammersmith and Fulham Council about who should pick up the bill for the repairs.
Hammersmith residents deserve better than this complacent approach. I have suggested that the Mayor adopts a three-step solution to getting this bridge back open.
Firstly, TfL need to understand the strategic importance of the crossing to the whole of our city and treat this matter as an emergency. Like any transport infrastructure related emergency, TfL need to take the lead, focus on finding a solution as quickly as possible (even if it is temporary) and deal with who owes what to the cost of the repair afterwards. he current approach of spending months weighing up different possibilities while figuring out how to split the bill fails to reflect the urgency of this situation.
If TfL are unable to come up with a solution quickly, why not open this up to the private sector? I have no doubt that the dynamism and creativity of the market would be able to find an effective solution to this problem more speedily than TfL which, in my experience, is so often too slow and clunky in its approach. The Mayor could run a very short tender process and encourage the best and brightest to submit their plans.
Whether carrying out the works themselves or outsourcing to the private sector, TfL need to be ready to pay for these repairs and identify exactly how they will do so. Fortunately, the Mayor has just cancelled plans to build the Rotherhithe Bridge and saved £600 million by doing so. By using just a fraction of the money Sadiq Khan has saved, he could fund the Hammersmith repairs. Alternatively, TfL could dip into their significant reserves – which are earmarked for emergencies such as this one – and plough this money into the works.
It is deeply regrettable that this whole sorry saga has been characterised by inaction and delay. We urgently require not just a new approach but a dramatic change in attitude to secure the improvements West London needs. It’s what Hammersmith residents deserve. Get a grip Sadiq Khan.
You can read more of Tony Devenish's views here on on his Twitter feed @Tony_Devenish.
July 19, 2019