The Bristow Blog

Alcohol ban protests organised by a Fulham man

If I am being honest, when Boris promised to ban alcohol on the tube I was not thrilled. 

I could understand why he was doing it.  People are sick of drunks being a nuisance on the tube and swigging cans of lager is anti social.  Indeed, on my way to work last week the passeanger next to me opened a can of very strong lager and started to drink - at 7.30am! 

However, in my view the real problem is drunk people getting on the tube, rather than people getting drunk whilst on the tube.  I also hoped that this example would not be extended to overground trains.  Who can bear the delays, expense and overcrowding associated with GNER without a beer or two?

Nevertheless, after seeing the drunks and the revellers at the 'protest' over the weekend - once again Boris has got it spot on.  No one deserves to travel (after paying the highest prices in Europe) putting up with drink fuelled anti social behaviour.  The ban is a message that enough is enough and this behaviour will not be tolerated in our city any longer.  If this policy needed some justifaction then this protest provided it with bells on.

It turns out the organiser of the protest was a Fulham man.  The Evening Standard says:

Today Mr Graham, of Fulham who now fears for his job, said he did it because a female friend who worked in a senior position for former mayor Ken Livingstone lost her job following Boris Johnson's election victory.

So we can blame it all on Labour!  Nice one. :-)

New Bus Route in Hammersmith & Fulham

Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled plans to introduce a new bus route, the 288, and to extend the already existing 316, both of which take in the White City area.

 

TfL says the new 228 route has been developed in partnership with local councils, to meet a long-standing request for new transport links in the area.

 

The proposed route would operate between Central Middlesex Hospital in Park Royal, and Elgin Avenue in Maida Vale, running through White City, Ladbroke and Harrow Road.

 

TfL says it is also planning to extend the 316 route, which currently operates between Cricklewood (Edgware Road) and St. Charles’ Hospital in North Kensington.  The plans involve extending the route from St. Charles’ Hospital to White City, along St. Mark’s Road and St. Ann’s Road.

 

TfL says the extension will provide a high frequency link between North Kensington and the areas around Latimer Road and White City, as well as providing links from Queen’s Park, Kilburn High Road, Brondesbury and Cricklewood.

 

It is envisaged that both routes will use single-deck buses and provide new bus links to White City and the new Westfield development in Shepherd’s Bush.

 

Leaflets with details of the proposals will be sent to around 30,000 local residents, including those living in and around the White City and Ladbroke Grove roads to be served by the proposed changes.

 

The consultation period runs from 26 May until 11 July 2008

Imperial Wharf Overground Station gets the go ahead

Work to build a brand new station in the south of Fulham could start as early as June 2008 after a multi-million funding package to pay for it looks likely to be agreed.

If Hammersmith & Fulham Council agrees the multi-million funding package that will mean that Imperial Wharf Overground Station, which has been talked about for nearly twenty years, will finally be built.

It has been a long road to get here but after 15 years there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for Imperial Wharf Overground Station.

Thanks to the collaboration of Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea councils we are nearly at the stage when construction can begin. We promised to work tirelessly to deliver this station, our construction partners can now get on and start building this important station.

The new station, on the west London line will, will be built by Imperial Wharf developers St George and the news will come as a boon to local people trapped in one of west London’s most notorious transport dead ends.

The area scores just two, out of six, in official ‘transport accessibility’ surveys and recent developments like Imperial Wharf, Chelsea Harbour and Lots Road Power Station are only adding to the number of people commuting to and from the area on a regular basis.

Without Imperial Wharf Overground Station the full development potential of the south of the borough is unlikely to be realised. More car traffic would be created adding to local congestion and pollution and those without cars would struggle to get around easily.  The station will be built just north of the West London Line railway bridge over the River Thames. The station will allow residents much easier access to the Underground at West Brompton and the myriad of rail services at Clapham Junction.

Rail experts predict that the station should now be open in 2010

New Report says 'Stop the war on the motorist'

I have been asked to blog about about a report from Conservative Way Forward - a Conservative pressure group - that recommends raising speed limits and abolishing speed cameras.

The author is Malcolm Heymer.  He was the Principal Engineer then Transportation Planning Manager at the London Borough of Havering from 1991-2002.

To be honest - much of this stuff is controversial though I am sure Jeremy Clarkson would approve!  Not sure I agree with everything in this report.  Hammersmith Broadway needs urgent redevelopment to be more traffic friendly.  I travel everywhere by public transport and scrapping the bus lanes would mean I would take twice as long to get anywhere within the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

However, I shall let readers decide for themeselves.

The full set of recommendations include: 

The scrapping of: Instead calling for: - Speed cameras - Bus lanes that reduce road capacity - 40mph and 50mph speed limits for heavy goods vehicles - Tolls on the Dartford Crossing - Obstructive traffic calming schemes - Road user charging schemes - Maximum parking standards in new developments - Any form of technology that takes decisions away from the driver - Urban cycle lanes - A surge of spending on the inter-urban motorway and trunk road network - 80mph national speed limit on motorways        - A return to the 85th percentile principle in speed limit setting - Vehicle-activated signs on the approaches to hazards instead of speed cameras - Positive licence points for advanced driver training - Shared-space traffic calming schemes where appropriate

You can read the full report by clicking here - Download CWF_Transport_Policy_Paper_web.pdf

Heathrow Summit last night

Hammersmith & Fulham council last night organised a summit on the expansion of Heathrow Airport so that local people were able to comment on Government proposals.  700 people turned up to have their say. 

Unfortunately until recently the Government did not think that the people of Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush deserved a say on the controversial expansion proposals despite that these two areas are likely to suffer the brunt of noise pollution as new flight paths to the airport are created.  It was only thanks to the intervention of Stephen Greenhalgh the council leader that saw everyone receive a consyultation letter. 

This is why the Cleaner/Greener scrutiny committee of Hammersmith & Fulham council decided to hold this meeting allowing people to make their voice heard.

On the panel was Lord Soley (former Labour MP for Hammersmith) the campaign director of Future Heathrow who is in favour of expansion, Nick Ferriday of HACAN Clearskys who are against expansion, and chaired by Cllr Nick Botterill the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cllr Eugenie White, the Chair of the Cleaner/Greener scrutiny committee.  There were plenty of comments from members of the public.

Labour Split on Heathrow Plans

One slightly embarassing moment was when Andrew Slaughter MP (Ealing/Acton MP) and Labour councillor Stephen Cowan sat on the top table refusing to move until they had their say.  It made everyone feel a bit uncomfortable.  However this should not be party political and we want as many people as possible joining our campaign.  Cross party campaigns are best.  Andrew Slaughter actually made a good speech attacking his predecessor Clive Soley.

It did reveal a Labour split on the issue with the Labour Government pushing this and locally Clive Soley supporting expansion.  The Labour group and the MP are against this.  Let's hope they can make their colleagues at Westminster think again.

Have your say - The consultation documents can be accessed: at: www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/heathrowconsultation/consultationdocument

The closing date for the consultation is 27 February 2008.

Public Meeting on Heathrow Expansion

H&F Council has written to every resident in the borough inviting them to a public meeting at Hammersmith Town Hall on Tuesday February 12, starting at 7.00pm.

We have had to step in and arrange this meeting because both BAA and the Government have refused to hold an event in this borough where residents could hear for themselves what is proposed.  Thanks to lobbying from H&F council the Government has agreed to extend consultation on Heathrow expansion across the entire borough.  Up until now, only residents in Fulham have been consulted, even though the plans would affect the entire borough.

It was outrageous that residents in Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush would have been denied the chance to have their say, even though they are the ones who will have to put up with extra noise, pollution, overcrowded trains and road congestion should these plans ever be implemented.  Thankfully the Minister saw sense and the consultation will be extended.  It is absolutely vital that residents now use this opportunity to have their say.

H&F Council’s major concerns are:
- The increased numbers of arrivals over Fulham, a new arrivals flight path over Hammersmith and two new departure flight paths over Shepherd's Bush.
- The increase in flights predicted by experts which will soar from less than 500,000 a year now to more than 700,000. This increase is equivalent to building a new airport at least the size of Gatwick.
- The threat of more night flights.
- The noise pollution from planes which researchers have proved dominates areas up to 13 miles away from Heathrow – which would include Hammersmith & Fulham.
- The plans for a third runway which would bring this disturbance to parts of the borough previously unaffected by aircraft noise.
- The expansion which would also put further strain on the road network and our already overcrowded Piccadilly and District Lines.

Come along to the public meeting and have your say!

We need to get tough over Road Works

In a borough with very poor north to south routes, and added congestion factors such as the C charge extension, the one thing that is likely to infuriate residents and motorists are overrunning road works.  Hammersmith & Fulham council are getting tough and last year fined utility companies £220,000 for overrunning road works - this equates to an incredible 1008 days!

I find this extraordinary.  This is 1,008 days that local residents were inconvenienced when they should not have been.  I know that on occasion there are unforeseen circumstances, but 1,008 days? 

The council is doing everything they can to get utility companies to keep the time they dig up the road to an absolute minimum - we are disputing proposals where we feel companies are overstating the time it will take.  However, I think the council needs more powers to hold these companies to account. 

The charges that can be applied are set by the Department of Transport, and the level is dependant on the amount of traffic using the road and the likely duration of the works.  On major routes the council can charge £2,000 a day on works that will take more than ten days to complete, and £500 a day on works that will take no more than three days.  In less congested or residential areas these fees are reduced to £250 and £100 a day respectively. 

Councils should have the power to charge a great deal more than this.  Perhaps work would then finish on time much more often.  I despair for the residents of Winslow Road in my ward who have had to put up with the entrance to their road looking like a building site for far too long.

In 2005/2006 the three worst offenders were Thames Water, National Grid and EDF Energy, with the same three companies topping the list in 2006/2007.

Last year Thames Water was summoned to a town hall summit to explain themselves to councillors, residents and amenity groups.  We need more meetings like this!

266 - the worst bus route in London?

Of course I have not been on every bus route in London so there might be worse, but the 266 has to be the most unreliable route I have travelled on.

Yesterday Cllr Andy Johnson and I were waiting at Hammersmith Broadway for nearly 40 mins for a bus after a door to door surgery and leaflet drop off in Fulham Reach.  There was very little traffic at that time in the evening.  This is a bus that is supposed to run every 8 mins at peak times and even every 15 mins later in the evening.  See the timetable http://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/266.htm

They could be forgiven if this was an isolated incident - there was also a small diversion on the route.  However, time and time again I am kept wating for a 266 bus at Hammersmith Broadway - a service that originates in Hammersmith.  Scores of 283, 72, 220, and 295 buses filed past but no 266.

It is a popular route.  The bus almost immediately filled up when it eventually did arrive with angry passengers.

This is a post that has allowed me to vent my frustration - I will also sent an email of complaint to TFL.  I shall let readers know the contents of any response I receive.   

District Line improvements shelved

I despair of the district line.  I do not have a car and rely on this line to get me to work, to central London and beyond.  It is fair to suggest that at times I have a tendancy to deal with things at last minute or not really think about commitments until they are upon me - as a result I spend many moments waiting for a platform to come free at Earls Court looking anxiously at my watch. 

Work is urgently needed to make the district line more reliable.  However, millions of pounds worth of improvements to the line are to be shelved.  This will be greeted with despair by residents in Fulham Reach and beyond.

Livingstone's Transport for London (TFL) is taking over the tube maintenance company Metronet and are looking at ways to save money.  As a result improvements have been prioritised for the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines leaving other projects without funding. 

Suprise, suprise.  West Londoners lose out again.  We put up with disasterous schemes like the C charge extension, and millions wasted on the Uxbridge Tram, but our crucial transport infrastructure is ignored.      

Heathrow Airport report ignored

I know it will not suprise anyone but I wanted to highlight yet another occasion when the views of west London residents are being ignored despite a consultation clearly showing opposition to government policy - this time concerning Heathrow Airport.

A six year study measuring local residents' attitudes towards aircraft noise has been ignored by the Government.  It shows that people have become significantly more annoyed at aircraft noise over the past 20 yrs (the last report was done in 1985).  The Department of Transport in 2001 said that this study would undepin government policy on aircraft noise.  This at a time when the Government is about to launch their campaign for a third runway.  This can only go ahead if ministers are able to show that expansion will not breach EU law on noise and air quality.

The report shows that people become annoyed at levels above 50 decibels.  This covers Hammersmith & Fulham - lords knows how the people of Hayes and Harlington feel.  It covers more than 2 million residents stretching from Slough to Hammersmith.

Of course - the Government is unmoved.  Transport Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick says that "It does not give us the robust figures on which it would be safe to change policy."  Sound familiar?  Exactly the same response we got with the congestion charge and the Uxbridge Road Tran (until the recent embarassing climbdown). 

The government has said it will publish the latest expansion plans at the end of December. The current annual movements limit at the airport is 480,000. If both runway alternation were ended and a third runway built the number of flights each year at Heathrow could rise to around 800,000. This is equivalent to building a new airport the size of Gatwick.

Sign up to stop uncontrolled Heathrow expansion by clicking on: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopheathrowexpansion/?e