Pedestrianisation of Three Ealing Town Centre Streets Proposed

Bond Street, High Street and Springbridge Road could be closed to traffic

High Street in Ealing could be closed to traffic. Picture: Google Streetview

November 24, 2022

Three streets in Ealing town centre could be pedestrianised as part of the new local plan being developed by the council.

The proposal is to close Bond Street, High Street and Springbridge Road to through traffic. These three roads are key routes just off New Broadway in the town centre.

The aim is to promote walking, cycling and public transport across the borough. If these proposals are taken on board, the council hopes to improve air quality and the general environment in the town centre.

Ealing Council is determined to influence residents to keep their cars at home when they go to their local shops, restaurants, cafes and parks.

Philippa Ivens, a Senior Transport Consultant at Arup, presented the plans for transport in Ealing at the Local Development Plan Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday (22 November). Ms Ivens told councillors that the proposals had been designed to reflect the current needs of the borough, while also considering the forecast population increase in the next few years.

Councillor Ray Wall expressed concerns about the pedestrianisation of such key roads in Ealing. He said, “Is full pedestrianisation of some or all of those roads actually on the agenda? If so, isn’t there a concern that there will be the same issues that there were with the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) that there was so much public objection to that, that it wouldn’t be viable politically?”

In the summer of 2020, Ealing Council introduced nine LTNs across the borough to encourage walking and cycling. But, after one year the council had to remove seven LTNs after a local outcry which saw 2,000 residents protest outside the council officers in April 2021.

Ms Ivens said, “Nothing that is included in this pack has been created or developed as part of the topic paper, it has been taken from emerging documentation being developed by the towns. I think the inclusion of these are as ideas and proposals for consultation.”

Councillors acknowledged that single-lane, calming traffic measures, might be more appropriate for Ealing town centre rather than complete pedestrianisation. Other measures on the cards include creating cycling lanes and removing on-street parking from Uxbridge Road.

The streets proposed for pedestrianisation marked in red. Picture: Google Streetview

The council also hopes to make the streets safer for cyclists with proposals in place to remove on-street parking and introduce traffic calming measures on a number of roads including Gordon Road, Madeley Road, Castlebar Road and Kent Gardens.

New proposals have been made to improve safety around schools which may see a widening of pavements, new cycle lanes and zebra crossing. There may also be a ban on private vehicles dropping children off directly outside schools.

Next week Ealing Council will begin its second public consultation period on the new Local Plan with residents invited to make comments on the proposals which will shape the borough over the next 15 years.

Megan Stanley - Local Democracy Reporter