Forum Topic

MP forGROVE PARK?

Can anyone tell me who the current Member of Parliament is for Grove Park.   I'd like to write to them.   Also who is responsible in Government for care of the disabled and elderly.   A friend tells me that as from tomorrow, my relatives and friends will only be permitted to drive to see me in in my home in Hartington Rd on Sundays - they will have to arrive before 8am and not be able to leave until 8pm.   If true - utterly impossible!!!   Both for me and for my dear relatives and friends.

Jennifer Selig ● 1704d26 Comments

Sounds like your friend has the wrong end of the stick … I expect that any visitors may only to able to get to yours via a different route to previously,

Andrew Jones ● 1704d

Your MP is Ruth Cadbury.It is not true people will only be able to drive to you on Sundays. The can visit you as normal unless they are approaching from the A316. In that case they will need to continue to the Hogarth Roundabout and turn left onto the A4 before heading south again. If they avoid busy times there shouldn't be too much of a delay.I stand to be corrected but if they are coming from the south they may also cross Kew Bridge and then turn into Thames Road. Although there are signs there, as far as I am aware there is no enforcement as yet and even if there was access is allowed for visitors.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 1704d

Paul Campbell

Richard Potts ● 1704d

Jeremy, please could you do a quick calculation for us?If someone were to visit Jennifer who, for the purposes of discussion lives across from Roko but just inside this new exclusion zone, what is the mileage for the longer journey and what is the increase in pollution generated? We can ignore the increase in fuel consumption for now. Although we should be mindful for carers and tradespeople the cost of fuel has skyrocketed but, as ever, let's ignore their bottom line or quality of life. It would appear, though, these exclusion zones will also lessen the quality of life for Jennifer. Not just Jennifer, but she deserves a cuddle. And the cost of that cuddle just broke the bank for some.

David Lesniak ● 1704d

David, I am not disputing that the restrictions cause unnecessary congestion and pollution and will cause confusion and anxiety to those who depend on carers who arrive by car.By the same token, it is important not to exaggerate the effect of the changes and reassure people like Jennifer who clearly have not fully understood what is happening. 'Disability carers' are supposed to get exemption from the restrictions and there are ways that other visitors can mitigate the worst effects of the scheme if they are well-informed.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 1704d

Jennifer, I assume you're aware of the restriction that has existed for about a year on traffic proceeding northwards along Hartington Road "except permit holders".  That restriction has applied at all times.The new arrangements effective from today make that restriction effective only from 8am to 7pm, Mon to Sat, so it is LESS RESTRICTIVE than it was previously.  And visitors can continue to reach you at all times via Sutton Court Road and Grove Park Bridge, and can leave at any time.Your visitors should also be aware that there is a ban on traffic passing through Strand on the Green (as distinct from accessing an address in SOTG). That restriction has existed for months but will now apply from 8am to 7pm, Mon to Sat, like the Hartington Road scheme. Enforcement can be expected soon, so I don't agree with Jeremy that you or your visitors could use the SOTG route to/from Kew Bridge during controlled hours.

Richard Jennings ● 1704d

Richard, does that mean a vehicle visiting Jennifer on Hartington Road would not be deemed to be accessing an address in SoTG? If so would stopping for provisions on the way avoid a PCN?

Jeremy Parkinson ● 1704d

"does that mean a vehicle visiting Jennifer on Hartington Road would not be deemed to be accessing an address in SoTG? If so would stopping for provisions on the way avoid a PCN?"Yes and yes.  There is a similar scheme on Green Dragon Lane in Brentford, where cameras at each end of the restricted area record the times of entry and exit.  Adjudicators generally accept this as determining whether access has been made to premises in the area.  If the times recorded indicate that the car passed through at more than the 20mph limit, the driver has no chance of winning his appeal!

Richard Jennings ● 1704d

It would make more sense(?!) if the whole Grove Park area was made 'Access Only'.  Then visitors, shoppers, taxis and deliveries could all drive in, but vehicles could not, in theory, drive straight through. This would need a few more 'Strand on the Green'-type cameras to be installed at all the access points, with estimated transit times programmed in, but it would remove all the 'permit only' fandangle.

Peter Evans ● 1703d

Unlike on Hartington Road (over £2m in fines) there has been no enforcement on Strand-on-the-Green. Strand-on-the Green is NOT like the Green Dragon Lane scheme that is enforced by ANPR cameras. Despite the signs there are no cameras no Strand-on-the-Green. It is a complete fake.  Officers finally admitted in November that there never will be any ANPR cameras on SOG.

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 1703d

“Disability carers are supposed to get excemption from the restrictions “Elderly Dad lives In Staveley Gardens, is a blue badge holder due to being particially sighted. I stay 2/3 alternative nights a week (and call in most mornings on way to work) but as I am not his official carer and my car is not registered to his address I am not entitled to exemption pass. I work other side of Chiswick and have to drive via Hogarth roundabout to get there. Hounslow council have advised “you just have to drive round”

Carol Charlwood ● 1703d

Sam, what about mobile camera cars paying random visits?

Bruce Hammal ● 1703d

Use this link to make your feelings known.  If you object to the personal questions tick 'prefer not to say'.Promote the 9 timed camera APNR scheme proposed by SoGA/GPG.https://haveyoursay.hounslow.gov.uk/traffic-and-transport/staveley-road-and-burlington-lane-trial-access-r/consultation/intro/

Strand on the Green Association ● 1703d

So, Sam, did officers explain to you why there won't be cameras to enforce the 'except for access' restriction along SOTG?Forgive me for saying "I told you so" as I was somewhat sceptical about this approach and am not surprised if there ended up being technical, operational, legal or other issues.  The fact that it hadn't been used anywhere else in the country was a clear sign that caution was needed.  Still, it was worth trying which is the whole point of an experimental traffic order.Just a reminder that you thought this method was "the answer to the maiden's prayer" and wanted it implemented everywhere in Grove Park, so you wanted even more drivers fined.Thinking that something which hadn't been proven for 2 cameras could easily be expanded to 9 or more cameras really didn't make sense, did it?

Michael Robinson ● 1703d

Carol, what a callous, although not surprising, response from LB Hounslow, absolutely shameful.ALL Chiswick residents and their immediate family should be able to access ALL of Chiswick without being penalised.

Loraine Pemberton ● 1703d

Sure it is inconvenient but I really struggle to understand why there is so much confusion about the restrictions on Hartingdon Road.  The restrictions have been in place for a year or more, if anything are going to get slightly easier.  Effectively it is a glorified one way system: you can drive north to south using Hartingdon Road (access via SCR and the railway bridge) but you cannot from the A316 north on that road.

Justin Stephenson ● 1703d

It's interesting to hear that using 'elapsed journey time' as a measure of 'Access', as we understood was/would be the case along Stand on the Green, seems to have been abandoned.  Is this because the camera technology couldn't deliver on its promise, or did the legal foundation for this equivalence not stand up?

Peter Evans ● 1703d

Justin, I think the Hartington Road restriction is not complicated as such. I think the difficulty is when you come to a wide road with cars exiting, and you haven’t been looking for a restriction sign that hasn’t been there for many many years. It’s a problem. Maybe drivers are concentrating on the traffic lights at that junction. A No Entry sign is something that is understood but I know is not appropriate here. but people just don’t get its a restricted road.A No Entry with an added plate would work better in all cases where the flying motor bike is in use. The time plates are often too complicated to take in whilst moving. The Counci don’t seem interested in peoples concerns, slight tweaks on times  is not enough. I don’t think the restrictions are appropriate and should now go. The cost of admin must be prohibitive

Maggie Dodge ● 1703d

Could the issue be with roads are restricted access but have exemptions be that SatNavs continue to direct people up them? The way these devices work is by tracking the journey times of vehicles and using that data to decide which is the quickest route between two points. For the driver, if they see cars going a particular way and the SatNav is telling them to do likewise they are likely to discount the ambiguous signs that they see by the road. The answer to this problem would be for the council to ensure that the map data which these devices use is properly updated.

Mark Evans ● 1703d

Of course Mark I missed this point. I mentioned cars exiting on to the A316 but forgot permit holders will turn down and it will definitely confuse others. It’s a flawed almost unworkable system. Not everyone has SatNav too

Maggie Dodge ● 1703d

“ answer to this problem would be for the council to ensure that the map data which these devices use is properly updated.”What?  Hounslow Council?  You are joking!

Steve Taylor ● 1703d

Some kind of partial barrier or chicane might help people realise that something's going on at this road restriction, or paint something on the road, like NO MOTOR VEHICLES or PERMIT HOLDERS ONLY or KEEP OUT PRIVATE ESTATE!

Peter Evans ● 1703d

Semi private

Lucas Cox ● 1702d

I remember seeing a sign when going to a festival in Sussex which said something along the lines of "Do not follow Satnav directions" or "Switch off your Satnav".  They don't work in all situations so should NOT be blindly followed.  No wonder the Council collects so many fines!  Why don't people complain to the satnav companies that they are not fit for purpose.

Philippa Bond ● 1702d

As I understand it, Philippa, not all satnav technology is programmed the same. Sometimes the car satnav says one thing while the phone satnav says another. And I'm told by an EMS friend we know that the LAS uses their own subscription service. For my money I think we should get together late one night, enter the zone (legally, of course) and then just drive in circles past the doors of all these people who opted to exclude us under the One Hounslow banner. I think the tee shirt reads One Hounslow 97.4 Chiswicks or something like that. They were out of my size so I couldn't get one. On the  plus side, all that driving around would tick the time box and qualify as a visit so on the way out we can honk our appreciation for letting us in!

David Lesniak ● 1702d

Known in the US as the ‘Waze Effect’ this technology is in many ways the cause of issues in cities. It’s also potentially the cure. But while we have the likes of Johnson and Curran (and co), making decisions there’s fat chance of that happening.

Russell Pearson ● 1702d