| Topic: | Re:Re:Hounslow Cabinet approves cycleway | |
| Posted by: | Cllr Sam Hearn | |
| Date/Time: | 04/09/19 13:28:00 |
| It is my judgement that following the exchanges at last night's Cabinet meeting there remains considerable doubt about two key matters i. Will CS9/CW9 improve safety for all road users and ii. Will CS9/CW9 improve air quality along its route. The pro-CS9/CW9 supporters maintain that it will reduce the overall number of accidents involving cyclists. Whilst this proposition seems to be self evident it in fact flies in the face of the evidence provided by leading Dutch Traffic consultants. The construction of two way cycle highways has deliberately been avoided by authorities in London and elsewhere because they are inherently risky to all road users including cyclists. The ONLY reason (as was confirmed last night) that a two way segregated cycle way is being considered at all is that it would be impossible to push a single lane cycle route along the north-side of CHR - too many pedestrians and too many mature trees. So because we cannot have a gold standard cycle scheme we must except a low quality substitute - this is outrageous. At every junction cyclists will find their progress partially obstructed by vehicles turning off and on to CHR. Drivers turning in/out will not only have to look out for vehicles on the opposite carriageway and pedestrians crossing, but will also have to cross a two way cycleway subject to separate traffic signalling. An independent professional risk assessment needs to carried out urgently on TfL's proposals to see whether or not the safety of all road users will be impaired by the implementation of CS9/CW9. The report prepared by TfL's own air quality consultants concludes that CS9/CW9 will have no overall impact on air quality (there will be small localised improvements and small localised 'worsenings'). It was argued last night by supporters of CS9/CW9 that this report had been prepared on the basis of there being would be no modal shift to cycling and that in fact there would be substantial increases in cycle journeys if/when CS9/CW9 is completed. However as was revealed at the meeting the majority of vehicles currently using CHR are transitting the Borough. In addition most bike jorneys are short local "hops". The potential for modal shift from vehicle journeys to bike journeys (other than that which is occurring anyway) is extremely slim. More journeys by cyclists yes - but no evidence of significant modal shift. TfL confirmed this in the estimates included in their original consultation. So to cut to the chase, unless significant modal shift occurs the same vehicles will be using CHR and air quality will not improve other than by the gradual introduction of electric vehicles and the long over due replacement of TfL's "dirty diesel" buses. The introduction of ULEZ will also take many of the worse polluting vehicles of the roads. If the opinion of TfL's own air quality consultants is not accepted by those supporting CS9/CW9 (a quite extraordinary situation) then surely it is about time that LBH commissioned its own independent report on the impact of the scheme on air quality on CHR. This road is one of the most polluted in London and to date TfL's only direct contribution to improving air quality is to ABOLISH the extension of the No.27 Bus route to Chiswick Business Park. I sympathise with my councillor colleagues who had huge amounts of paperwork to absorb and a very difficult decision to make last night. However, it regrettable that they chose not to defer a decision until the safety and air quality issues had been comprehensively resolved. Those over 5,000 individuals (mainly local residenst) who signed the petition against CS9/CW9 must be feeling astonished that their clearly expressed opinion has been ignored. At public meetings during last year's local elections Labour Candidates supported CS9/CW9 only "wilting" when exposed to the disatisfaction expressed on the doorstep and in public meetings. If Labour candidates had been elected last year it is highly unlikely that any of them would have been Cabinet members making the decision last night. Sadly the Lib-Dems whilst initially opposing CS9 went strangely silent and have been absent from the fray. The lesson from this is clear - you cannot place your trust in them to represent your views on local issues. |