Demonstration for safer crossing planned
Traffic is likely to be disrupted this afternoon on the Uxbridge Road in Hanwell W7 as local residents and businesses protest about a dangerous junction in Hanwell Town Centre.
Residents aren't happy with Council plans for the busy junction of Uxbridge Road/ Church Road and St Georges Road and will be taking direct action at the site at 3.30pm today.
The major east/west artery of the Uxbridge Road crosses one of the main, heavily used north/south routes through the Borough at this junction, making it one of the busiest in Ealing. Locals believe it is also the most remarkable for the absence of any safe crossing phase at all for pedestrians.
Local community group, Hanwell Community Forum, are supporting the Action Half Hour, which has been organised by West London Citizens (WLC) - an alliance of over 40 civic and faith groups.
Crowds of people are expect to gather and walk in a circle on the pavements around this four-armed junction.
At a meeting last month attended by about 100 people, Ealing Council said it planned to build raised tables as a traffic calming measure. But many residents were in favour of Green Man phases in order to cut down on speeding vehicles.
"The community, and local traders, have been fighting for a safe crossing at this junction for at least forty years," stated Carolyn Brown, Chair of Hanwell Community Forum, "And both the Council and TfL continue to ignore the risk to pedestrians, prioritising the speed of flow of traffic along the Uxbridge Road over public safety. We believe that a green man phase is desperately needed here.
"Direct action is never the first option," she continued, "But we need to demonstrate the strength of feeling of the community in the face of relentless excuses and inaction by the powers that be over decades."
"We are truly sorry if road users are inconvenienced by this direct action, but, by having breaks to allow traffic through, we hope that people aren't held up for too long," she concluded.
Ealing Council's public consultation is in development, and is to be implemented before the end of the year.
9th November 2010