Its disappointing but equally frustrating that the usual suspects have nothing constructive to add. We all want cleaner air, less congestion and less traffic. But unless you understand the problem you cant possibly agree the right solutions.Paul, when he is not attacking people, continues with the false straw argument that the problem is local residents making unnecessary journeys, whether its popping to the shops or his now bizarre obsession with people commuting to Richmond by car. By ignoring the problems of commuter traffic and large numbers of trade/ commercial vehicles, he can pretend that LTNs and cycle lanes are the solution. Of course, he and many other commentators have benefitted directly from these schemes and their own quiet roads, so why should they care about others.Tom relies on an out of date report drawing on traffic data collected during the worst pandemic of our lifetime, with regular lockdowns, many social venues shut, airports empty and many WFH, even when strictly not obliged to do so.Rather than rely on old data, one could simply travel around W4. Any evening last week there was 3-4 hours of gridlock expanding across all major and minor routes in W4, including the A316. Primarily caused by roadwords by Kew Bridge, TFL responds to congestion by prioritising A4 traffic. This prevents traffic looking to leave London by the A4/ M4 route from exiting W4, while traffic entering London by the same route floods off the A4 into Chsiwick, as the A4 eastbound blocks back from the congested Hogarth roundabout. It is an interesting example of where TFL seem not to understand the impact of their own actions.As a general point, it would appear that traffic volumes are close now to pre-pandemic levels, but with congestion on certain routes higher that is a result of traffic forced onto fewer routes. Last week has categorically debunked the traffic evaporation myth as propogated by cycling campaigners and LBH. If we just look at W4, the question for traffic planners is how traffic is meant to move between north and south Chiswick where it is divided by the tube lines. The new bus gate on CHR, the closure of Fishers Lane, the reduction to a single lane northbound on Chiswick Lane, plus the reduced vehicle capacity through central Chiswick on the High Road/ TGT, all serve to cut by well over half the available road capacity for such journeys. It seems that as W4 is split between LBH and LBE noone cares, but the results on congestion are inevitable. Other posters are attacked for merely noting that the increased unreliability and higher cost of buses will encourage more people to use cars. That is the choice many people will make, which is why cheaper and more reliable public transport is key. David is right that any starting point should be step free access at TGT, given we have no tube station in W4 that offers that and is a travesty for the very young and the old or infirm. Of course, none of these solutions benefit those that focus solely on bikes. That is why we need policy makers to take holistic views, which needs to start with public transport and then look at bikes as part of that, not instead of. Congestion charging may also be part of the solution, unpalatable as some may find that.
Bill George ● 1577d