Tough transport talks outline top problems
by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
31/07/2008
Major improvements to the borough's road, rail and Tube network were called for at a summit between Hammersmith and Fulham Council and Transport for London (TfL) leaders.
The western extension of the congestion charge was the key issue, and a better Tube, road links, and overground rail provision were also big priorities in the talks. The top six priorities discussed were:
Western extension of the c-charge
TfL said it will be in full listening mode to find out views on the western extension of the C-charge when the five-week consultation starts on September. H&F Council is planning a public meeting in early September attended by TfL, and the council will continue to collect views from residents on the website. Council leader Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh said that while he has his own doubts on whether the extension is working, ultimately it will be up to residents to decide its fate. “My own personal view is that the extension has created an invisible toll barrier that is stifling trade and dividing communities. However, our motto is putting residents first and that is exactly what we will be doing by ensuring that their views count.”
Tube woes on District Line
H&F has the highest proportion of residents in London who rely on the Tube to get to work - yet we are having to put up with one of the least reliable services, on the District line. That was the message delivered to Mr Hendy by Cllr Botterill, who said the line was ‘at best unreliable, at worst prone to failure at a moment’s notice’. He said that the lack of reliability meant that journey times between Parsons Green and Paddington could vary from 20 minutes to one hour. Overall, 36 per cent of residents rely on the Tube to get to work. Mr Hendy said that most of the failures were on the Wimbledon branch and that ‘when it goes wrong it goes badly wrong’. He said that the entire network needs resignalling after suffering from ‘30 years of underinvestment’. He said that work on replacing signalling will not start until 2010 and beyond - but did offer one crumb of hope: refurbished carriages will be ready soon. Mr Hendy backed council calls for user groups to be set up at borough stations, ensuring that local residents are given a bigger say in how the service is run. He also promised TfL support for a public transport summit which H&F Council would like to hold by the end of the year.
Unblocking the bottlenecks on our roads
TfL promised to look at junction improvements on major routes - including the A40 - as well as improved traffic light synchronisation to cut congestion. Cllr Botterill told Mr Hendy that at times ‘north-south’ routes are becoming virtually impassable with Fulham Palace Road cited as a major problem. Mr Hendy said a combination of junction improvements and improved synchronisation on major routes are more likely to be the answer than road widening.
Crossrail to stop in H&F
While there will be no H&F station under the current proposed £16billion Crossrail scheme - due to be completed by 2017 - TfL did not rule out expanding the number of stations in the future. This would most likely provide an additional platform at Willesden Junction in what TfL called ‘Crossrail phase two’. However, getting phase one built was the major priority. Mr Hendy also said he would like to see more investment in the West London Line in 2013 and beyond.
Step-free access for Shepherds Bush Underground
TfL commissioner Peter Hendy promised that providing step-free access at a newly refurbished Shepherds Bush station was still a priority, but said that TfL ‘needs time’ to solve major engineering difficulties which are threatening to substantially inflate costs.
It has been reported that providing a lift shaft at the station could cost up to £100million. Mr Hendy said buried water mains, sewers, gas pipes and electricity cables - as well as the configuration of the platforms - were causing major engineering difficulties. However he told deputy council leader Cllr Nicholas Botterill: “This has not slipped off our agenda, nor will it. We just need time and space to try and work through these engineering difficulties in order to find a solution. We understand this is a major priority for the council.”
The Central line station has been closed for refurbishment since February and, although the new lifts were not due to be installed in the current revamp, councillors reminded TfL of its intention to install them at a later date. Cllr Botterill said: “We will simply not let this issue rest and TfL are well aware of that.”
Safer stations
Mr Hendy said he remained committed to ensuring that stations are manned - but insisted the best use of resources is not putting people behind counters. He said that at some stations so many people are using Oyster cards staff are better redeployed on platforms.
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