| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Write in support | |
| Posted by: | Francis Rowe | |
| Date/Time: | 04/07/23 08:29:00 |
| Tom, just to clarify footfall on the southside has always been lower and this is reflected in rents. All the main supermarkets are on the northside and so this is where people will head to and spend most of their time. C9 has reinforced this difference. You are falling into the trap of relying on one piece of data to reach an unsound conclusion. It may will be the case that there has been no serious collision reported yet involving a pedestrian and a cyclist. Even if you don't believe that there will have been a number of less serious but not trivial collisions since the cycleway has been introduced, one thing that is undeniable is that it is a lot more stressful to cross Chiswick High Road and fewer people will be inclined to do so. As an abled bodied former member of the Tufty Club who is more often than not sober still find getting across much more challenging than I used to. I've witnessed dozens of close shaves and myself have been narrowly missed while on a zebra crossing by someone on a large machine which was quite legitimately able to use the cycleway but would have seriously injured me if it had made contact. At the same time the Cycleway has made it much more difficult to access the car park at Old Market Place. Rather than a very obvious entrance at the centre there is only a much more obscure access point which generally only people with local knowledge will be aware of. You combine these factors and therefore the southside, which already had a significant disadvantage has been further hampered. Talk to businesses based in the area about what is happening. Covid and economic difficulties can make it difficult to see the underlying trend clearly but it is very evident. Businesses like Ngon and Pot Pourri didn't move because of a single factor but due to the overarching reason that the location was becoming less attractive. The remaining businesses are finding it really tough and the only ones that are thriving are delivery enabled ones which have more moped riders than customers eating in. Another huge setback for the area is the design of the old people's home which has passed on the opportunity to reintroduce retail on the ground floor level. As for the existing markets impact on this trend, it has to be said that it has been broadly good. Whether the people attending these markets are from outside the area or local people who for once are crossing the road doesn't really matter, for three days a month the southside is busy. Some businesses, generally in hospitality, will benefit from this but others believe that the extra footfall does not compensate them for the loss of business from customers who would have used the car park. Overall the impact is positive but that doesn't mean there aren't winners and losers. As for the Street Food market, the balance is quite different because the hospitality businesses won't benefit (based on what they are telling me). As far as I can see only Borough Kitchen has come out in support of the idea. Something needs to be done to revitalise the southside of the High Road and markets can play a part in that but on their own they are insufficient. One change that might work is making the section of the Cycleway between TGT and Dukes Avenue a shared space with pedestrian priority reducing stress levels for people crossing the road and discouraging high speed travel through the area. |