Paul, Your repeated criticisms of me, on here and on Twitter, are noted. Many are without foundation. Others are inaccurate and misleading. Politicians can expect to be criticised; it comes with the role. We can expect to be misrepresented, too. I am glad to have the chance to provide the facts. This post falls into your TLDR category but so much wrong has been I need to set the record straight. On the task force: As my work principally, so far, has involved working with traders and as you aren’t a trader, I don’t see how you (or other non-traders) can expect to know what I’ve been doing. Yes, I’m an elected councillor and accountable to residents but this is an initiative I took up to help our independent traders. I am now working on it with others who have offered skills, knowledge and support. It will, in due course, involve residents of course. In the meantime, and as you know, I will be publishing a retail manifesto for Chiswick. I’m as frustrated as anyone else at how long it is taking but that is how it is. Wheels turn slowly. I’m enormously grateful to the traders who have taken time to comment on the drafts and provided information and their experiences. Every comment has made it stronger. It will be published when it is finished which I hope will be soon – that’s as much as I can say. Our other aims will follow from that, some of them immediately. Traders are currently in the middle of what should be their best time of year – the run up to Christmas. I don’t want to distract them from that. I hope residents will support them and, instead of attacking me and others on here and on Twitter, enjoy all that Chiswick has to offer. Our independent traders need and deserve our support. Let’s make sure they have a good Christmas.On being “called out by the police”: Your words make it sound as if the police have criticised me for promoting unsafe cycling. In fact, I asked a general question – wanting to know what it’s called when cyclists weave through cars (which I find unnerving just as I find it unnerving when someone on a bike close passes me on a pavement). Because the question was tagged by someone else who specifically asked a police contact to explain (a wholly unnecessary way to answer my question, designed to give it maximum exposure), the police answered saying it’s called filtering. Whatever it’s called, I still find it unnerving. People who cycle who twisted my question, implying that I was worried about damage to my car, were making things up. It happens a lot. On cycling: I have never been against cycling (that would be ridiculous). I am in favour of improving cycling infrastructure. I’ve said so over and over again but still those who are evangelical about CS9 as proposed, obdurate in their wish not to allow it to be improved, peddle the same old nonsense. Yes, I campaigned hard to stop CS9 – because it is a bad scheme. I wanted it to be improved. I still want it to be improved. It is unsafe – as has been found with other schemes. I have other concerns, frequently stated by me. It will take away pavement space in front of shops where more footfall is needed; I fear for the survival of shops beside it (it’s relevance to my work on the task force is clear). It don’t believe it meets the needs of Chiswick residents who cycle; it meets the needs of commuter cycling which, in my view, should be along the A4 which is also what the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham thinks. We will lose three trees from the High Road, so admired for its handsome trees and being leafy, and I fear that others will be lost by being damaged during construction or affected afterwards. It will change Chiswick’s character forever and that could mean fewer people coming here for our independent shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants which makes me even more worried about our retail economy. I consider it important to fight against a scheme, and for a better one, for Chiswick. As you know, in October 2017 I was challenged to a bike ride by a resident who hoped to convince me that CS9 would be right for Chiswick. As the article about it said, my eyes were opened to how bad cycling infrastructure is in Chiswick. I said it needed to be fixed but that CS9 wasn’t the answer. It still think the same.Here is the article in full: http://turnhamgreen.yourcllr.com/2017/10/02/cycling-through-chiswick-proves-an-eye-opener-for-conservative-candidate/And here is the report on my visit to Enfield where the cycling scheme has seriously affected independent businesses – evidence enough for me to continue to be extremely concerned about CS9 and to continue to want to stop it as proposed: http://turnhamgreen.yourcllr.com/2019/03/08/empirical-evidence-from-enfield-shows-cs9-will-put-local-shops-at-risk/
Joanna Biddolph ● 2520d