Forum Topic

Lawford Road proposed closure

I am puzzled. Lawford Road has never struck me as a major cut through.Could it have anything to do with a council member living in the vicinity?

Leslie Lyle ● 2282d23 Comments

Leslie, I don’t that that is fair on Cllr Hearn.When the S Chiswick measures were first announced there was concern expressed that the diagonal filter at Staveley and Park wouldn’t be effective dissuading some drivers from still using the route to cut through Grove Park even though it was longer.If drivers did do that, then they may cut through Lawford. They don’t at the moment as they just bomb down Staveley Rd.  I know Cllr Hearn has expressed this concern to council officers.

Michael Robinson ● 2282d

The shortest way for me to get to Chiswick house grounds is to go by Lawford Road.  There is not a traffic problem there.  I rarely meet another car.  This closure will cause many like myself to take a longer route - more carbon emissions.  NIMBYism simply transfers the problem elsewhere.  If people are going too fast down Stavely Road install speed cameras.

Victoria Lynch ● 2282d

I would have thought, in the spirit of experimentation contained in these new traffic measures, Hounslow should see what actually happens as a result of their original scheme instead of just guessing.

Peter Evans ● 2282d

As someone who regularly uses Staveley Road the only vehicles I see "bombing" down it (as Michael Robinson describes it) are mopeds and motorbikes.  With cars parked on both sides it is a slalom course.  In fairness to Michael I am sure most vehicles are breaking the 20 mph limit but are probably around 25 mph, I doubt more than a handful of vehicles (which are not mopeds or motorbikes) are at 30 mph.But maybe I only use it at quiet times

Justin Stephenson ● 2281d

The headline is misleading the main change is a diagonal closure at the junction of Staveley and Park Rd to stop people cutting through to and from A316. However an error in the proposal instead saw the traffic was still allowed to turn left into the smaller south side of ParkRd and then Lawford. The planners have now acknowledged the error and agreed to put a no left turn with cameras into Lawford when coming from Staveley direction. All these closures will be in keeping with the conservation area!!!They are going to be big red and white plastic road blocks!!!!All the plans in the area seem to come at a great cost to residents and shopkeepers (eg TGT). Supposedly these are experimental measures but I will wager they will become permanent.

Sean Wales ● 2281d

Sorry that should read no right turn into Lawford when heading from Staveley.

Sean Wales ● 2281d

Justin, FYI the traffic survey gathered lots of data about speed and vehicle volumes.Between 7am and 7pm, from the ANPR cameras on Staveley Rd, there were over 3000 cars, 600 vans, 157 buses, 37 medium goods vehicles and 2 HGVs.  The ANPR cameras don't pick up powered two wheelers.  My guess is that as these were temporary cameras for a survey, they may not be as capable as permanent cameras.  Automatic Traffic Counters (tubes on the roadway) measure speed and infer the type of vehicle but the data provided doesn't separate out speed for each type of vehicle and they also don't distinguish between bikes and powered two wheelers.Bikes and powered two wheelers made up 3.6% of the traffic on Staveley Rd.For Staveley Rd, the speed profile was:under 20mph: 26% of vehicles20-25mph: 44% of vehicles25-30mph: 23% of vehicles30-35mph: 5% of vehicles35-40mph 1% of vehicles>40mph: < 1% of vehicles<1% will still be tens of vehicles every day.Traffic engineers use a figure called the 85th percentile to assess the "de facto" speed limit of a road.  This is the speed below which 85% of vehicles travel and for Staveley it is 28mph.  Or put another way, on average 3 out of every 20 vehicles exceed this speed.

Michael Robinson ● 2281d

I rarely encounter another vehicle of any description when using Lawford Road.  The same can be said of Staverley Rd and certainly no speeding.  I am not about during the rush hours though.  Not using Lawford Road will involve longer detours up and down other residential roads meaning more pollution and agrivation and inconvenience to a local resident of Grove Park and benefiting who exactly?

Jennifer Selig ● 2281d

I cycle along Stavely Road daily at various times  and I’m always shocked at both the number and excessive speed of the cars that zoom past me.  At lease 3 times a week a car will pull onto the wrong side of the road going round the traffic island to get past me rather than wait the 2 or 3 seconds until it’s safe to overtake legally. ( I cycle at about 12 mph) I’m assuming these are non Local  residence As you wouldn’t want to endanger people in your area the way these drivers do.I assumed this was why these measures are being introduced

Alex McDevitt ● 2281d

Agreed Alex. Although I have to say that I have caught the eye of a couple of close neighbours doing this on occasion. Sheepish for weeks afterwards they were!

Paul Campbell ● 2281d

"... most vehicles are breaking the 20 mph..."True. That's because 20mph there is useless, unjustified and has nothing to do with road safety. Most people drive there (and in any similar road) at a reasonable speed. And those very few who don't - don't care what formal speed limit is there.

Alex Shpinkov ● 2281d

I was taken by surprise a few months ago as a pedestrian crossing Staveley Road at the junction with Park Road. A speeding car on Staveley overtook a cyclist by driving on the wrong side of the central bollard to which I was about to cross. Fortunately, I looked left as well as right just in time.

Philip Hodgson ● 2281d

Alex,  20 mph is not useless and you will recall we discussed this recently.  The braking distance of a car at 20mph vs 30mph is significant and I fully support lower speed in highly urban areas and in the vicinity of schools.

Matthew Swain ● 2281d

'A speeding car on Staveley overtook a cyclist by driving on the wrong side'Happens all the time by impatient drivers on Hartington Road, they are constantly overtaking slower drivers by overtaking on the wrong side of pinch points.  Don't get me started on the chicane at the end of Hartington road near the A316, the amount of car debris from moronic drivers who crashed due to ignoring simple rules beggars belief.

Matthew Swain ● 2281d

"... most vehicles are breaking the 20 mph..."'True. That's because 20mph there is useless, unjustified and has nothing to do with road safety. Most people drive there (and in any similar road) at a reasonable speed. And those very few who don't - don't care what formal speed limit is there.'The problem or rather the very clever way this 20 m.p.h. speed limit has been imposed, is to make as much money as possible from the motorist. I can see the sense in a 20m.p.h. limit in small residential roads - but the fact is that no-one enforces this on them. However, on roads where frankly it makes no sense at all due to their width and type of vehicle usage, then it's proved a real money spinner, it is mighty difficult to drive at that speed and maintain it, the suthorities know that - so - Bingo! lots of fines. This is bugger all to do with road safety, otherwise how do you explain the lack of CCTV monitoring small residential areas where you are likely to have pedestrian traffic and children?

Vanessa Smith ● 2281d

"A speeding car on Staveley overtook a cyclist by driving on the wrong side of the central bollard"Don't blame the car, blame the supposedly sentient being driving it.

Ken Munn ● 2281d

"I can see the sense in a 20m.p.h. limit in small residential roads - but the fact is that no-one enforces this on them."Exactly! First of all - 20 mph must not be implemented on 'major' local roads - like those served by buses for example. In smaller residential roads 20 mph almost makes sense... but it is not being enforced, so reasonable drivers continue driving at reasonable speed (which may be 20... or 25mph) but unreasonable drivers will ignore the limit anyway.And by the way, this unreasonable limit provokes negligence - a lot of people will not just ignore the unreasonable limit, but will also tend to ignore reasonable limits. Add drivers' frustration, which doesn't help safety... Result - roads get less safe.

Alex Shpinkov ● 2280d

It is useless. And it has nothing to do with the breaking distance - otherwise let's make the speed limit 10... or even 5mph. It is a very simplistic approach which in fact only worsens safety.As for schools - there is perfectly fit for purpose school zone sign with flashing yellow lights - it alerts the drivers exactly where and when required.

Alex Shpinkov ● 2280d

"impatient drivers on Hartington Road, they are constantly overtaking slower drivers by overtaking on the wrong side of pinch points..."That's exactly the point! These drivers already commit offence! And no 20 (or 10... or 5) mph limit will stop them doing that. In fact they will do it even more.

Alex Shpinkov ● 2280d

Im afraid you are wrong and some basic reasreach instead of soundbites will prove this.  The reason why 30mph zones are so strictly monitored is because the breaking distance of 40mph for example in an urban area means will not allow enough time/distance to react to say a child running in the road not to mention impact survival rates. As for flashing lights please, drivers hardly obey red traffic lights let alone flashing yellow lights.

Matthew Swain ● 2280d

Slower relative to the impatient driver, walk along Hartington road and you will see plenty of drivers going well over 30mph.

Matthew Swain ● 2280d

While I agree that vehicles don’t ignore road signs (they aren’t sentient ... yet!) they can speed I.e. the vehicle was speeding. The driver will have been causing the vehicle to speed, but that doesn’t mean the vehicle wasn’t speeding.

Andrew Jones ● 2280d

Car overtaking in wrong side of a keep left sign on a traffic island is at least 3 points on the drivers licence and a fine. Video footage can be submitted here. https://www.met.police.uk/dashcam

Edward Seaton ● 2280d