| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re: Lamberts Folly -Is Church Street really the reason for such huge delays? | |
| Posted by: | Joseph Gerald Bourke | |
| Date/Time: | 29/04/18 19:47:00 |
| Vanessa, puts the issue very well when she says “There are a great many problems that bugger up the traffic on Twickenham Rd…I do think that Hounslow have to do a lot more work and talk and LISTEN to more local people than they have so far." We can all understand why the residents of Church Street would want to rid themselves of through traffic in the Riverside area of Isleworth. The problem is of course that closing a public highway in one area simply shifts the problem to an adjoining area as does so many of the CPZ schemes. For the Council to do so in the face of overwhelming opposition by residents living in the adjoining areas; and without having developed a comprehensive traffic plan to mitigate the impact of the closure is both a flouting of democratic principles and a dereliction of civic duty. Regardless of the benefits that closure may bring to the enjoyment of the Riverside area, what cannot be ignored is the increased health risks from air pollution to school children and residents along the Twickenham Road. Ignoring this danger (to borrow a term from the Grenfell residents) is a clear example of institutional indifference. The problem of dangerous levels of air pollution is not unique to Isleworth. According to the Department of Transport, Hounslow has the most congested roads in the country. Our colleagues in Chiswick and across the borough are wrestling with similar problems http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=conschools148airqualitya.htm We will need to work across the borough, with our Libdem colleagues in Richmond and Twickenham, with TFL and the GLA, and perhaps most importantly, as Vanessa points out, listen to and use the knowledge and expertise of local people, to tackle these issues. Institutional indifference within Hounslow Council is unacceptable to Hounslow Liberal Democrats and I trust will prove to be unacceptable to voters across the borough on May 3rd. |