Forum Topic

Is Chiswick being divided and businesses  threatened from road closures by LB Hounslow ?

As well as threatening our independent traders ?Since 1974 I've supported our local independent traders, and from that you can rightly conclude I'm well past my first flush of youth. I've seen businesses come and go over many years, but what is happening now due to Coronavirus virus and the resulting 'lockdown' plus LB Hounslow's  road closures to grab a few extra bucks is truly worrying.On another thread I posted about wanting to take heavy dry cleaning to Top Hat on Devonshire Road but couldn't as the very limited parking was taken up. If I want to shop at Mackens and Covent Garden Fishmongers parking on TGT is limited. I tend to do a big weekly meat a fish shop and as I've reached an august age now find that a serious childhood illness has started to affect me, btw Ruth Mayorcas thanks for telling the Chiswick world and its wife that I walk robustly - I don't !There are many Chiswick residents like myself who dont qualify for a Blue Badge but wish to support our wonderful independent traders but thanks to LB Hounslow are finding it now impossible to do so. Thank you Steve Curran, Hanif Khan and your colleagues for your short sighted  and ill conceived policies.Do you have any concerns about Chiswicks independent traders  ? Your actions would suggest  not ! Shame on the lot of you, come on the pair of you come and meet us, us being residents and businesses, please respond to this invitation ?

Loraine Pemberton ● 2264d16 Comments

https://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2024    Chiswick is LastBustoHounslow's dirty little secret..fill your boots

Mick Collins ● 2264d

All I want to say is they don't really care about us.It's too obvious what they really care about.

Adam Pycz ● 2264d

LP > "Is Chiswick being divided and businesses  threatened from road closures by LB Hounslow ?"No.Betteridge's law of headlines applies.

John Whitworth ● 2264d

I haven't been to central Hounslow for quite a few years but unless things have radically changed they don't seem to care much about there either.Just a thought, is it they done care or they don't have the ability? I don't know, maybe it's both.

Adrian Irving ● 2264d

AdrianI suspect it's both.

Loraine Pemberton ● 2264d

For the few people who didn't know it, the motto on LBH's crest is 'Iuncti Progrediamur': 'Let's go forward together'.I think it's time they changed it to the more accurate: 'Ubi Chiswick': 'Where's Chiswick?'

Colin Jordan ● 2264d

I'm sorry Loraine but please be careful that your own negativity doesn't make life more difficult for those that you say you want to support.Please read Richard Jennings comments about parking on the other thread and Jo Biddolph's comments about parking.  Things change.  Change can be a pain in the butt but it doesn't have to be the end of the world.

Philippa Bond ● 2263d

It is indeed, Loraine and rhe sooner this ludicrous experiment is reversed the better

Claire Moran ● 2263d

Philippa, Paul Green's reply to you on the Pop Up Cycle Lane thread of being high handed with a propensity to lecture people is spot on. Clearly you're confusing pragmatism with negativity.

Loraine Pemberton ● 2263d

"but please be careful that your own negativity doesn't make life more difficult for those that you say you want to support"Philippa I'd suggest then you temper your own comments as they are often anti-business. At the very least they are naive/ignorant of what business infrastructure is needed and that which is already sorely lacking.

David Lesniak ● 2263d

Have to say in all seriousness when that 2 way cycle lane gets built taking probably getting on for a third of one side of the road then you really will know about pain in the butts.I am getting sick to death of what really boils right down to one thing, PC nonsense that is all this is...and to cap it all our resident godfather of cycling jeremy vine has been photographed going through a red light.....

Mick Collins ● 2263d

"I suspect it's both."it IS both

Steve Taylor ● 2263d

The headline starting this thread highlights what is beginning to happen.  Chiswick is being divided north from south.  I have always walked the area doing what I need to do with the exception of a monthly ‘big’ shop to Sainsbury with the car.  Yesterday 6 chores with a trolley were completed in 2 + hours, not bad bearing in mind all the queuing that has to be done but I was very saddened by the dispirited owners of the smaller places such as the dry cleaner who told me that his business is about 60% down on this time last year and how increasingly difficult it is becoming for him to collect and deliver (a service very much appreciated).  He did help me out by collecting 3 large duvets, 2 winter coats, 2 suits and a variety of dresses and jackets before donating them but going from Devonshire Road to Bath Road meant a huge detour - down the High Road to Goldhawk Road and left into Bath Road.  3 times the distance and 3 times longer than before.This week I have been collecting them piecemeal and each collection is a single purpose outing - today it was the super king sized duvet.  We had fun trying different ways of rolling it up to fit into the trolley but in essence an inefficient use of my precious time.  I could not have walked home with this big bundle under my arm and nor am I prepared to do 6 journeys to deliver and the same to collect. And that is just my experience but I am aware that many people are finding the traffic restrictions unfair and I’ll thought out.  It would be interesting for a straw poll to be taken with all the shop keepers/owners as many are saying privately that if the situation does not improve by the end of September then they will close their doors because they cannot continue to fund rents, rates, salaries etc. without the income to support that expenditure.

Elizabeth Ross ● 2263d

They say any publicity is good publicity but how to get to those shops and what they offer the residents of Chiswick and their surrounds surely must be the best publicity of all.

Philippa Bond ● 2263d

With all that dry cleaning I'd have thought you could still drive into Devonshire Road for 'Access' and pull up near Top Hat and do the necessary.

Peter Evans ● 2263d

I use, and have done so for many years, is on the other side of the road and there is no parking to be had because of those metal poles inserted into the ground - fully expecting electric fencing to be added as you would to keep sheep from straying.Apart from that I am reluctant to chance it, not until it is absolutely clear that I would not get a ticket for going round without stopping because there is nowhere near to stop.The reason for getting this done now is to avoid going anywhere in the car  in the autumn months when I anticipate traffic chaos and aggressive civil disobedience.  People will be totally justified in feeling aggrieved.

Elizabeth Ross ● 2262d