Council Agree to Uxbridge Road Safety Review

After thousands sign petition urging urgent improvements

( (photo courtesy Liz Jenner)

Ealing Council has backed plans for a review of safety on the Uxbridge Road.

Thousands of people signed a petition which was presented before full council at a meeting yesterday (Tuesday 19th December)

It follows a rally held in October after cyclist Claudia Manera, 51, a fitness instructor and former Ealing police officer, was involved in a collision with a truck while cycling near the Lido Junction in Ealing - she died a week later from her injuries.

Manera was the fourth vulnerable road user to be killed on the Ealing section of the Uxbridge Road since 2012 after the deaths of two pedestrians and a cyclist. A further 46 people were seriously injured and 300 people injured on the road between 2012 and 2016.

In October, local residents formed a pressure group called Make Uxbridge Road Safe! to call for radical improvements to the road for vulnerable users including  pedestrians, wheelchair users, cyclists and parents with buggies.

The petition was backed by a motion put forward by Joanna Dabrowska, Conservative councillor for Ealing Common, that called for an urgent review of pedestrian high-risk zones along the Uxbridge Road and for a Cycle Level of Service audit to be completed by no later than July 2019.  Last night's motion received cross party support.

Council Leader Julian Bell agreed that it was a time for action not words and ultimately pledged agreement. 

Helen King, who spoke on behalf of Make Uxbridge Road Safe! at the council meeting, said: “We’re pleased that councillors have listened to residents and voted for an independent review of the Uxbridge Road. The road only makes up two per cent of Ealing’s road network but accounts for 20 per cent of pedestrian casualties and 25 per cent of its cycling casualties.
“Sadly, very few of us feel safe using the road, which is why an independent review is needed along with a commitment to improvement. We want to make the Uxbridge Road a calmer, quieter and healthier place, making it even more beneficial to our community.”

Councillor Gary Malcolm, Liberal Democrat Leader, said:

"Every time a cyclist dies on our roads, like the Uxbridge Road, we need to make changes so this doesn't happen again. I have uncovered a pot of around £350,000 of unspent Council money which could be used to make improvements to reduce the number of deaths and injuries to cyclists and pedestrians. I hope the Council does walk the walk and not talk the talk!"

20th December 2017