Forum Topic

Acton Lane closed

Anyone got any idea why Acton Lane from the petrol station towards Chiswick Park station is closed this morning? Buses having to reverse into the petrol station in order to turn around .... what is going on?

Fiona Campbell ● 2102d39 Comments

The roadworks update on this site state that Thames Water are digging up the area today although unhelpfully it is described as Beaconsfield Road.

Mark Evans ● 2102d

A little more detail from Roadworks.Org, location described as '76 South Parade, on the roundabout'.  A day's closure for Thames Water to deal with a critical leaking main valve.  The closure would explain the number of cars using Fishers Lane underpass, hopefully not getting PCNs...

Mary Oppe ● 2102d

No doubt the Council(s) have it all under control.....

Bruce Hammal ● 2102d

I assume that if Acton Lane is closed past the petrol station, then Fishers Lane would have to be used as an alternative to get to the High Street?I will keep on saying that I still don't understand the reason for closing Fishers Lane to cars in the first place. Whenever I drive past, pedestrians continue to use the perfectly adequate pavement to the side, and with relatively few buses and cyclists going through, it leaves the road largely empty - a perfectly good route to the High Street that can't be used!

Mark Edwards ● 2102d

At least Turnham Green Terrace is open on this occasion. It just illustrates yet again the regularity with which roadworks afflict this bit of the area and how insane it was to think that TGT and Fishers Lane should be permanently closed to traffic, thereby  leaving Acton Lane to take the load. I don't think I'd be risking driving along Fishers Lane though as common sense on the part of the local authority isn't often in evidence.

Bruce Hammal ● 2102d

Is there a signed diversion route through Fisher's Lane?

Mark Evans ● 2102d

'Is there a signed diversion route through Fisher's Lane?. 'No. Whether the Ealing-side camera is operational, I don't know.  The Serco mobile camera unit has been parked on the Hounslow side for an hour or so every day last week.  Can the two councils be handing out PCNs either side?

Mary Oppe ● 2102d

Diversion signs placed on THE AVENUE during the night just over half way down and on TGT last night i see a diversion sign near the bridge. I take from above that The Avenue and TGT is the diversion and not fishers lane.

Julian Pavey ● 2102d

I'm afraid the raised pavement under the Fishers Lane railway bridge isn't 'perfectly adequate'.  It's too narrow and has a side railing so it's impossible to maintain two metres or even one metre separation if you meet anyone coming the other way. We therefore now walk under the bridge in the road, suitably protected by the 'No Motor Vehicles' arrangements - we hope. Of all the various recent local traffic management schemes, Fishers Lane and Turnham Green Terrace a least seem to be 'a rational response' to the Covid problem, as required in a recent court judgement, in the way that most of the arbitrary closures of residential streets are not.

Peter Evans ● 2102d

If Fishers Lane is still open to any traffic, even bicycles, then it is not safe to assume that its a wise move to use the road as a pavement.  Sometimes there just isn't a perfect solution to a problem.

Maggie Dodge ● 2101d

"impossible to maintain two metres or even one metre separation if you meet anyone coming the other way"This sounds an awful lot like every other pavement in Chiswick. Sometimes its simply impossible. Should pedestrians on the south side of CHR just step in to the cycle lane? Should those on the north side just step into the bus stops and loading zones and moving traffic? Or, should we simply wear masks, do the best we can and get on with it versus attempting to use this as an excuse to campaign for something that has just been shot down by the courts?

David Lesniak ● 2101d

David, it is a lot, lot easier to maintain social distancing on the pavements of CHR without having to stop making progress towards your destination. It is impossible on Fishers Lane under the bridge if there is someone coming the other way unless you stop and let them come through and hope there isn’t someone else coming though behind them (or unless you walk on the road)I don’t know if you know Fishers Lane bridge (I’d have thought you would bring local) but if you do surely you can see that the space available to pedestrians on Fishers Lane and the space on Chiswick High Road and the other pavements in Chiswick just don’t compare.

Andrew Jones ● 2101d

Very few people currently take the opportunity to walk under the bridge so closing the road to cars doesn't really help that much with social distancing. There is always the risk that when you are halfway through a bus will appear.Although the pass is narrow those using it have been scrupulous in observing social distancing in my experience, waiting for you to pass through the narrow sections before advancing.

Mark Evans ● 2101d

Glad to hear that Mark, and it sounds like you’re more local than I am. It was last year (and a lot warmer) when I last walked there and after a few times waiting for people to pass I took to the road. I reckon it’s likely there were more people about then than currently.

Andrew Jones ● 2101d

Good points - putting it very simply, just because a pavement isn't wide enough to allow social distancing, that is no reason to close the road next to it to cars. It is still unsafe for people to walk on the road, which happens to provide an important link between north Chiswick and the High Road.

Mark Edwards ● 2101d

the road is an important link for buses and cycles.

Philippa Bond ● 2101d

Every time recently I have walked through that bridge, people have waited for those coming the other way to clear.No-one has walked on the road.

Sara Nathan ● 2101d

You walk on the road at your own risk. Id say anyone walking on the road going south and not walking on the left is putting own lives at serious risk if a car comes from the south going north as your looking for a car or bus coming the other way from distance to enter and not pedestrians walking on the right against traffic going south. Cars should not be entering is not a matter of debate if your going to walk in the road,your most definately putting your self at risk instead of the path. Personally,when i walk under the bridge i put my mask on and while some wait as long as i have a mask on im not in any way bothered from oncoming pedestrains even if your walking quite close to them with no 1-2 metre distance.

Julian Pavey ● 2101d

Julian Pavey ● 2101d

Should have added that the view as a driver is lower down and can be a little further back.Only takes one driver to enter at a reasonable speed with line of vision for being clear to enter from a distance back and then its only when you start to enter do you see those on the left to middle. Not that it may or not happen,but its a risk, that is for sure.

Julian Pavey ● 2101d

Yes, Andrew, I'm familiar with Fisher's Lane.I'm also familiar with Turnham Green Terrace a short distance away where, in fact, the pavement was widened to allow for distancing. So if we think about it as a whole, there is no need for pedestrians to walk along FL at all. They can either go to Acton Lane or TGT.I figure if I'm being told to rat run as a driver, then certainly we can all weigh in on pedestrian rat runs, no? Otherwise it would be a good idea to engage constructively and democratically without idiotic polls being passed off as data to steer us into the future.

David Lesniak ● 2101d

Hopefully these latest roadworks on Acton Lane will put paid to any suggestion that Turnham Green Terrace will be closed to traffic again.

Alison Howard ● 2100d

Is Turnham Green Terrace still open to traffic at the moment?

Cormac Cullen ● 2100d

I believe so. The restriction was suspended after the Acton Lane roadworks last year. There are suggestions that it will be reimposed although in light of the Streetspace ruling recently the council may hold back for now.

Mark Evans ● 2100d

I wonder if it will stay open,not admit closing was a bad idea,. Wink wink, nudge nudge,say no more

Julian Pavey ● 2100d

Although they're still working on a big hole in the road right by Chiswick Park Station, only one lane is actually closed.There are temporary traffic lights allowing traffic to take it in turns to proceed North or South, but with lockdown traffic being light anyhow, the tailbacks aren't too long.(Or at least it wasn't when I went both ways at teatime today)

Richard Cathcart ● 2099d

No sign of any work going on there for days now. At least its not causing the mayhem it would do in normal times.

Paul Green ● 2099d

There is no such thing as normal.

Philippa Bond ● 2099d

I would think there would be absolute uproar if TGT was once again closed to cars. I think it is clear that they intend to keep it open without actually admitting they were wrong to close it in the first place. Now we just need this review meeting on Fishers Lane to happen, which I note has been put back again until March, and get that opened up again. Slowly but surely we can get Chiswick back to the lovely and accessible place it once was.

Mark Edwards ● 2098d

The theory that TGT will be closed again is based on the view that the restriction is essential for the operation of temporary Cycleway 9. The balance between traffic light phases at the junction with Chiswick High Road will be difficult to manage and tailbacks will become endemic.

Mark Evans ● 2098d

Indeed Mark. But as the High court judge stated, it shows how we were lied to by both TFL and LBH, claiming these were temporary measures when the intention was to sneak them through without proper consultation or scrutiny.We may see more queues on TGT, but closing it again will add to the queues on South Parade and Acton Lane and Goldhawk. Mass of new construction up Bollo Lane will add to local traffic, as will completion of Empire House, the new Brentford stadium (and all the lovely parking spaces now offered in W4) etc etc.

Paul Green ● 2098d

I don't think the judge stated that TfL lied to anyone. There is also not an issue with consultation as the ETOs were a recognised way of introducing these schemes promoted by the government. The problem was that insufficient consideration was given to the impact particularly with regard to the disabled. TfL failed by not adequately account for Black Cabs as a means of transport for those with mobility issues. It seems highly unlikely that Hounslow would have avoided the same mistake and the removal of the bus lanes for the temporary cycleway has an impact on Black Cabs along Chiswick High Road. The Cycleway makes it very difficult now for disabled passengers to be dropped of for much of the High Road.With a judicial review pending Hounslow are unlikely to make any sort of statement but an outcome favourable to them seems unlikely. The probability is that they will try to delay the inevitable by the appeal but they would no longer be able to issue a permanent traffic order for the scheme so it will have to go when the temporary order expires.

Paul Corcoran ● 2098d

Let's hope it all gets reversed as the traffic down Chiswick High Road was awful and my bus journeys were in complete tatters without a bus lane and left hand turn from CHR to Chiswick Lane. Not sure about anyone else, but the removal of refuges for crossing the high road in places, feels like you are dicing with your life trying to cross the road and that is not from vehicle traffic, more likely the cyclists who get annoyed you have the audacity to cross on the zebra.

J Morse ● 2098d

Paul, I guess it depends on your definition of lying. If its to intentionally mislead then they did indeed lie. According to Justice Lang:TFL sought to “take advantage of the pandemic to push through, on an emergency basis without consultation”,Lang believed that “the Mayor and TFL intended that these schemes would become permanent, once the temporary orders expired”SO between TFL and LBH we see a huge abuse of democracy and a groteseque waste of public money. In the interim, in the pouring rain the new cyclelane sits empty whilst a few hardy souls brave the shelter less bus stops.

Paul Green ● 2098d

My definition of lying would be the one in the dictionary.TfL and Hounslow did not lie. The schemes were described as temporary because that was a requirement of the conditions set out by the government. Obviously the intention was to make them permanent should the trials prove successful. You may quibble about what the criteria for success would be but there was no intention to mislead.I agree this has been a huge waste of public money and the council and TfL must take the share of the blame but the ultimate architect of these schemes and the way they were structured was Andrew Gilligan the Prime Minister's personal appointee. The legal and regulatory weaknesses that are no becoming apparent are down to the desire to circumvent the objections of more experienced transport planners at the Department for Transport, TfL and local authorities.

Paul Corcoran ● 2098d

Pal, not sure there is much point on further debate around wordings, but the judgement against TFL was far more damning than you seem to acknowledge. THey were indeed flagged as temporary but we were then all assured there would be clear consultation before they became permanent. A key aspect of the judgement was the judge believed there was never any intention to have a meaningful consultation, hence her comments about sneaking them through under cover of the pandemic. Whether you choose to call it lying or not, its shameful behaviour from TFL. Blaming Boris's cycling pal, who may have been the architect, does not let off the hook the many highly paid professionals in TFL who pushed this through and have actively misled all of us.

Paul Green ● 2098d

It does matter because you shouldn't accuse people of lying when they haven't lied.Damning as the judgement may be, you are misinterpreting it. The use of an ETO requires ultimately that it be replaced by a permanent order which must be preceded by a statutory consultation. TfL could not have avoided having a consultation on any of the schemes it wished to keep after the trial.In no way am I seeking to let TfL off the hook. They clearly made a major mistake with Bishopsgate which calls into question the competence of the people involved but the explicit instruction from government was to get these  schemes implemented quickly. The blame needs to be shared .

Paul Corcoran ● 2098d

What has been introduced under these ETOs is an insult to democracy. Shame on Hounslow Council and Sadiq Khan. Last day today to have your say and it needs to be completed street by street https://haveyoursay.hounslow.gov.uk/

Mandy Waters ● 2097d

If you really want to see these schemes unwound it would be best to avoid politicising the issue. ETOs were mandated by central Government and TfL and local authorities were told they would only get funding for projects such as the ones they have put in place. Sadiq Khan and TfL are complicit but they are not pulling the strings. If the government think that residents are blaming Labour politicians only they will be less inclined to reverse this policy.

Paul Corcoran ● 2097d