TfL target Talgarth Road parking

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
29/02/2008

Hammersmith and Fulham Council and local residents are up in arms about Transport for London’s (TfL) latest slap in the face to the people of Hammersmith and Fulham.

While H&F Council look after the majority of the roads in the borough, TfL have responsibility for some of the major routes running through Hammersmith & Fulham. 

One such road is the A4, which includes the stretch more commonly known as Talgarth Road. It is along this stretch that TfL are proposing to get rid of a significant number of parking bays, including scrapping disabled parking bays.

TfL have angered local residents by relying on a three-year-old survey to suggest they have carried out adequate consultation about the idea. They have further compounded the sense that they are trying to steamroller through this proposal by citing spurious reasons for the move.

The two major points that they have cited to H&F Council are that accidents can be caused by cars pulling out into the traffic from the parking spaces, and, somewhat bizarrely, that the weight of parked cars are having an affect on cellars in the area.

The latter reason has come as news to the council, and the former seems to have very little basis in reality – there have been no accidents caused by the parking arrangements reported along that stretch of road in the last three years.

Councillor Nicholas Botterill, H&F Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said, “This is another example of TfL attempting to ride roughshod over the wishes of local people.

“If TfL want to propose such a move, they should at least have the decency to consult properly about the plan specifically and cite facts that back up their argument, not detract from it or confuse the issue with irrelevances.”

Should TfL get their way, it will mean residents having to apply for parking permits on already overcrowded side streets. As many as 70 extra vehicles could find themselves vying for spaces on adjoining streets such as Baron’s Court Road, Palliser Road, Comeragh Road and Barton Road. 

In a cruel irony, these are some of the roads that have been most affected by the extension of the congestion charge zone a year ago. Many commuters have taken to parking up on the borough’s streets and taking the tube into central London. Baron’s Court and West Kensington stations have proved favourite destinations, with street parking jumping by 75 per cent on some streets.

In addition to residents’ parking, the removal of the parking bays would also have a profound affect on delivery services. A replacement loading bay would mean that anyone wishing to arrange a delivery would need to pre-arrange a slot and stump up a £48 fee for the privilege. 

Given that some companies are not prepared to meet prearranged times, and others will effectively ‘blacklist’ properties where this is an issue, local residents are understandably furious at the prospect. One local man, who lives on Talgarth Road, Leon Alexander, has started a petition and many others have expressed their anger at the scheme.

Another local resident, Jocelyn Jones, says, “There are an overwhelming number of residents opposing TfL’s plan. One of my neighbours is blind and relies on deliveries. He will not be able to afford the £48 every time they need to unload his shopping. There are many families with young children who will be unable to afford deliveries and even if a parking space were to be available around the back, they would not be able to carry their weekly shopping to their homes.”

Cllr Botterill concluded, “While the road is not the responsibility of the council, we are doing everything we can to put pressure on TfL to reconsider this course of action.

“If all these parking bays vanish overnight, it will make life very difficult for residents, particularly the more vulnerable, such as the elderly and disabled, but also for young families who will have to park some distance from where they live.”

H&F Council officials are meeting with TfL to try to talk sense over the proposal and to express the concerns of local residents.