Forum Topic

Fishers Lane warning

If you have gone through fishers Lane in last hour and now and beyond 2.30 signage is very clear and you and many will be getting a ticket as a mobile unit is parked up in between two parked cars with camera looking over front parked car Very sneaky but signage is clear so expect many fines in the post as many are ignoring This is obviously Ealing side as oarking of mobile car

Julian Pavey ● 2250d34 Comments

This is very sneaky as other reports said that the council couldn't afford to install speed cameras (may have just been Ealing, not Hounslow).

Linda Bright ● 2250d

Julian Pavey ● 2250d

Not sneaky at all. The prohibition is clearly signed.

Andrew Jones ● 2250d

Tbf, as of yesterday at least (not looked today), the signage northbound towards CHR was obvious enough, but it was much less so for southbound traffic.On a tangent, the OP refers to the Council as being "sneaky", which may be fair enough. But until now I reckon that at least some of the drivers using Fishers Lane were also being sneaky i.e. they knew they shouldn't, but also knew they wouldn't be caught out. For example, I've seen a black cab drive through, and you'd expect them to be up-to-date about such matters.

Richard Cathcart ● 2250d

I thought cabs were allowed?

Claire Moran ● 2250d

Totally agree, Andrew. It's so frustrating to sit in the steadily building queue of traffic along Acton Lane whilst cars just ignore the, now very obvious, no entry signs and happily drive down Fishers Lane.. I hope the bloody lot of 'em all get tickets! Mrs Grumpy.

Jill Merrett ● 2250d

Thanks for the reminder, Julian.

Sarah Bucknill ● 2250d

Not on Fishers Lane. As far as motorised traffic goes it’s local buses only AFAIK.

Andrew Jones ● 2250d

Even if Ealing are saying they can't afford to put up a camera, Hounslow could put one up on their side and catch everyone going through in both directions and pocket the proceeds.

Peter Evans ● 2250d

As for the camera car, wouldn't it be more effective if, instead of 'lurking' in South Parade taking pictures, it parked itself under the bridge and simply blocked any motor traffic trying to go through, only moving out of the way for the occasional 272 bus?

Peter Evans ● 2250d

Or those silly people who walk under the bridge in the road.

Julian Pavey ● 2250d

Difficult to maintain social distancing on the path though. I don’t object to waiting for someone to finish walking on the narrow path from the other side of the bridge before I set off myself, but if the road isn’t meant to have any motorised traffic on it apart from the occasional 272 and/or emergency vehicle, walking in the road seems a sensible alternative if you keep your wits about you.

Andrew Jones ● 2250d

I was there on Bank Hol Monday and thought that the signs were different at the end of the afternoon which seemed odd.  Was there any change?  When we left it was clearly signed when approaching from the St Michaels & All Angels side with a No Left Turn sign, there was the flying bike sign on a pole in the middle of the road but I didn't notice a No Right Turn on the approach from the other side which I thought I'd seen earlier.  We watched a small black Honda drive hesitatingly through.  Why do people have so much trouble with that sign?  If LBH can use a camera and fine everybody then LBE have lost a trick.

Philippa Bond ● 2250d

A couple of points: Ealing have repeatedly said that the scheme is not a means of raising revenue, it was repeated by the Portfolio holder, Cllr. Mike Sabiers at the meeting I attended on the 25th when they admitted no enforcement would take place.However, it does indeed seem that the headline 'U-turn on traffic restrictions' can finally be written, as the indications are that cameras are going to be introduced, and fines will be issued. I await confirmation of the date this will commence.

Andrew Steed ● 2250d

Enforcement - good. Why should we tolerate ignorant drivers willing to break rules for their convenience ?

Carl Wynne ● 2250d

Quite right CW, more pearls of wisdom from you, what an  ignorant lot. Far better to add to the congestion of traffic trying to traverse south from Bath Road.

Jennifer Selig ● 2249d

Once it's settled down the Fishers Lane closure to all motorised traffic may indeed turn out to cause more problems than it solves - but we won't know that unless the scheme starts operating the way it's intended to including no cars driving along Fishers Lane.If car drivers can't police themselves to obey the road restrictions, then either we ignore it or we try to find other ways to persuade them to comply.In a few years time I expect we will get dynamic road pricing, though I can't see any of the mainstream political parties putting that high on their agenda.

Andrew Jones ● 2249d

You may well be correct but how on earth do all those people in cars, delivery vans etc drive south if the only available routes to the south are the Goldhawk Rd to the east or Acton Lane to the west, both heavily congested at the best of times when both Turnham Green Terrace and Fishers Lane are closed to through traffic?    Is a magician going to whisk all that traffic away and squeeze a gallon into a pint pot?  People have lives to live and businesses to run - pretty vital in the current situation.

Jennifer Selig ● 2249d

I don't have an answer for that Jennifer. Using road closures to encourage those who don't really need to use their cars to seek an alternative mode of transport (or to travel at different times) is a very blunt instrument.I would prefer to see TGT still open to all traffic going in one direction, and possibly have Fishers Lane still open to traffic going in the opposite direction, rather than what's in place currently (not that it seems to have discouraged traffic from driving along TGT)

Andrew Jones ● 2249d

but when the Council's camera catchers them from their roving car and they get a heafty fine they will.  The whole so called safer street scheme is complete and utter B????CKS!

Jennifer Selig ● 2249d

Mobile camera was there around 5pm today. I stood and watched for a short while. I reckon a car was going down Fishers Lane every 10 seconds or so...

Simon Tranter ● 2249d

Great Maybe LBE will have enough money in the piggy bank to make my road bice and flat and free from noise and vibrations

Julian Pavey ● 2249d

Great Maybe LBE will have enough money in the piggy bank to make my road nice and flat and free from noise and vibrations

Julian Pavey ● 2249d

In fairness what is the point of a road closure if you are not going to enforce it?I am not against the Closure of Fishers Lane but I do think that closing it and TGT is a stupid idea which will inevitably result in horrendous queues on South Parade/Acton Lane as the only other main north/south route crossing the tube line.  This will not result in reduced traffic it will merely move the traffic elsewhere probably to Goldhawk Road to the East (and therefore not LBH's problem) or to the West onto the North Circular which will make Chiswick Roundabout an even worse traffic blackspot than it already is (maybe that is the idea)

Justin Stephenson ● 2249d

But it's not in Hounslow town centre so it doesn't matter to LBH. Bear in mind their unspoken motto: Where's Chiswick?

Colin Jordan ● 2248d

Just a thought If your entering into LBE from LBH on fishers lane can a ticket  be inforced from LBE  as the sighnage from LBE is no left or right turn into fishers lane entering LBH and not the reverse

Julian Pavey ● 2248d

There was a police mobile camera van on South Parade today monitoring Fishers Lane.As I crossed over the zebra x-ing by the underpass, a car swung round the mini-roundabout to enter FL.Being a good citizen I stopped mid-crossing and pointed towards the camera van. The driver completely blanked me, so I leaned round to her door window to explain. Other than a scowl, she resolutely refused to acknowledge me as she stared resolutely ahead, window up."Fair enough", I thought as I walked away, "but if she thinks I'm an irritant, wait until she opens her post next week!"

Richard Cathcart ● 2244d

I will be potentially getting 3 tickets then and this will be an interesting case. I had an emergency call from my daughter at the GP surgery at the Health Centre in Fishers Lane at 4.30. She was being ambulanced to A&E with a potentially extremely serious diagnosis. I took the decision to drive from Ealing side through Fishers Lane to get to her whilst the ambulance was being called. Given the time of day and the nature of the emergency I wasn’t prepared to drive up to either end of Chiswick and deal with the traffic. I got to her as the ambulance arrived but had to make an emergency dash back home to pick up medication for her that she has to take. Note, I had to do this as I wasn’t going to be allowed to go into the hospital with her. So I made 2 further trips through Fishers Lane to reach her with the medication before the ambulance departed.I made my decision knowing the consequences of getting a ticket but if I do get tickets I will challenge them as this clearly demonstrated the impact the closure is having on access across Chiswick.

Alison Gascoigne ● 2243d

Gosh, I am sure I speak for everyone when wishing your daughter a full and speedy recovery.

Adrian Irving ● 2243d

As far as I am aware the police have no involvement in enforcing the underpass restrictions so if the vehicle was actually a police vehicle it was probably there to monitor something else like theft from motor cars.If on the other hand it was a Serco vehicle and you get a ticket let us know. Ealing have been shamed into rescinding a number of PCNs recently including one given to a charity worker legitimately parked outside a foodbank and one given to a resident who had boxed up windfall apples for neighbours to pick from. Their policy seems to be to ticket everything but cave in quickly when challenged as they know a good proportion will be unjust. However, it only seems to be people who publicise their fines who get refunded.

Francis Rowe ● 2243d

Re Francis Rowe:I had thought it must be a police vehicle but I could have been wrong. However from the clear markings on the vehicle, plus the big camera on the roof, I'd have thought it far too obvious to be montoring suspicious activity - I'd expect them to be unobtrusive.Meanwhile if it was Serco then unless one has a genuine and exceptional excuse like eg Alison Gascoigne (above), I simply cannot see on what grounds one might normally challenge a ticket for driving through the underpass in either direction. The warning signs are there and most people are now obeying them.

Richard Cathcart ● 2243d

Adrian, thank you for your kind thoughts. After a very worrying evening, the issue was identified, treated, she was discharged at 2.30 am and is now recovering at home.

Alison Gascoigne ● 2243d

Very good to hear that!

Andrew Jones ● 2243d

Great!

Adrian Irving ● 2243d