'Keep Out' - Cycle Hub 'Sham'

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Tories claim Council organised bogus opening event

Conservatives have criticised Ealing Council saying they performed a PR stunt in the run-up to the Olympics.

They claim that 'in order to make a splash' the council opened the Cycle Hub on Haven Green opposite Ealing Broadway - before it was finished.

Cllr Bassam Mahfouz and Council Leader Julian Bell at the 'opening' of the new Cycle Hub.

It was 'officially opened' on 20th July but a month later the facility is still not complete.

A portion of the hub is fenced off and there is a large hand-written sign saying “Keep Out”.

Cllr Phil Taylor, Conservative spokesman for Transport and Environment, said: '' 'Keep Out' says it all really. The council arranged a bogus event so that they could announce that this facility was open before the Olympics. The reality is that it still isn’t finished a month later.

“Words should mean what they say. The council undermines its reputation for delivery and truthfulness with this kind of thing. We should open new facilities when they are finished, not when the politicians in charge want a photo in the paper.''

Cabinet member for Environment and Transport, Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, has described Cllr Taylor's comments as 'sour grapes'.

He told EalingToday: '' When we opened the Hub, the main stand was complete and everyone could use the new, innovative locks [the first of their type anywhere in the world] that have been introduced there; the new Bike Hire scheme was open and ready for use and the new Cabmen shelter was complete and ready to be used by the taxi drivers.

'' What had yet to be completed were the additional parking racks and as exciting as the whole project is, the additional stands in themselves are not the main focal point of the Hub.

''I am afraid it sounds like another case of sour grapes from a man who delivered nothing when he was a cabinet member and desperate to try to grab some headlines from a project that council officers and I have worked hard to deliver, overcoming a number of obstacles to see it installed. 

''The Bike Hub, the first of it's type anywhere in London, adds value to Haven Green, adds value to Ealing Broadway and adds value to the interests of cycling for both those who already get around on two wheels and especially for anyone who is keen to try it out''.

 

21st August 2012