| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Is deferring CS9 till after the election a bit of an avoidance? | |
| Posted by: | Raymond Havelock | |
| Date/Time: | 21/01/18 11:47:00 |
| Brentford is dissected by the A4. it is both sides of it. It is a heavily residential area all the way up to Swyncombe avenue in the North. The A4 was built with cycle ways factored in. Brentford is a ribbon river town and does not really have a centre. Never really has. It was as busy at the Market end as it was at the High St end and dotted with shopping streets and industry all over. With Morrisons going, the one hub that remains have will be no more for a considerable time and will probably never be recovered. There is also very limited space on the highway. Carving up a park just for cyclists is not good for anyone. Moving bus stops to poor locations is not fair for bus users. South Ealing, Northfields, Boston Manor, Osterley, Spring Grove, Isleworth, Heston and Hounslow are all easily accessible via quiet routes from the A4. All are uphill from the A315. But the A315 offers very few southern alternatives as apart from Isleworth, all routes are to the North. It links far more places where people live and work and via much quieter routes. The section of the A4 from Gunnersbury to Hammersmith is long neglected, but the space is there. Chiswick High road is easily accessed again from a host of quiet routes from there. Chiswick High Road and King Street are less then 800m from the A4 at the furthest point and 600m on average. With a host of quiet streets to access precise parts of both roads. Most of the underpasses have been sealed up, which would have been better for cycling than for pedestrians and technology now exists to make them a lot safer than they were. If this were a new Town like Stevenage, then the Cycle routes would be well away from the vehicular highways, and linking into shopping areas etc. It is not possible here without robbing Peter to pay Paul. The gains are too minimal and the losses too great. This is a commercial city and conurbation. Thats why people are here. It is also old and cramped and best use must be made of space. We are already seeing what damage is being caused by poor policy and development. The foresight of our predecessors brought about the A4. It is not a by-pass. That is a TfL spin. iIt was built as a relief route and connector toped up residential and industrial developments from Brentford to Hounslow and Staines. A form of regeneration although then it was purely generation. It is a trunk road. Built because the original Bath Road was too cramped and congested and could not be developed or expanded for the increasing population prompted by the arrival of the District railway. TfL have not got it right on quite a few fronts and their consultations are full of loaded questions and rarely yield to other views to their own. They are wrong to not put this first and make use of an asset. Will people really cycle to the Town Centres? Why? What for? Town centres would not be dying if people did that. Local people already do and they walk and take the bus. Car Parking is minimal. But commercial traffic is essential. How do you do a large shop on a bike? Who is going to cycle uphill to a superstore and then ride back laden with shopping? Unless you do a pen pushing occupation with nothing more than an iPad and a sandwich box to carry, and have the luxury of changing and showering facilities then cycling is going to be a recreational thing for the vast majority. The there's the climate. How many have ventured out on a bike either yesterday or today? I did and turned back after about 400m. To spend such a vast amount of taxpayers money, much funded from levies from motor transport for such a small gain is wrong when it could be for a much wider and more practicable solution which would open up a whole opportunity for far more. No-one the length of the A4 from Heathrow to Chiswick and Hammersmith has even been consulted about a proper enhanced and safe rehabilitation of the A4 Cycle routes. The amount of people is the bulk of the boroughs population and the highest proportion of car users under 55. At the very least TfL should be consulting on what All people would like to see. |