Ealing Council Slammed for Inaction on Uxbridge Road Safety

Campaign group says nothing done despite pledges following cyclist death

Calls for the council to commit to promises to make the busy road safe. Picture: Make Uxbridge Road Safe!

December 20, 2022

A busy road where a former police officer died after being knocked off her bike remains “unsafe” five years on, campaigners have claimed.

Ealing residents have accused the council of “failing” to make Uxbridge Road safe after a number of incidents, including a school child being hit by a van, and a woman pedestrian suffering ‘life-changing’ injuries.

Commitments were first made by the council in 2017 after ex-police officer Claudia Manera was killed near the Lido Junction in West Ealing in October of that year.

In the five years before Ms Manera’s death, 46 people suffered serious injuries and accidents along Uxbridge Road, with two pedestrians killed. The string of incidents along the busy road meant that councillors from all parties agreed that action needed to be taken.

Five years later, local campaigners from ‘Make Uxbridge Road Safe!’ have called for the council to commit to what was promised half a decade ago. Andy Hillier, co-founder of Make Uxbridge Road Safe!, said, ”To date, the council has failed to produce any designs for an improved Lido Junction in West Ealing, despite spending more than £1.6m on consultation and design on the West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhood scheme.

“Neither has any overall design proposal for the Uxbridge Road ever been produced, despite the council commissioning separate audits from consultants Sustrans and Urban Movement.

“The council seems to be happy to spend money on consultants and consultations but then do little with the findings. Yet, audit after audit and consultation after consultation all point to the same conclusion: the Uxbridge Road is unsafe and requires urgent attention.”

There have been a number of serious accidents on Uxbridge Road since 2017. Picture: Make Uxbridge Road Safe!

In 2017 councillors committed to carry out a review of “accident black spots”, look at cycle lanes and identify sections that fail to meet safety standards. The council’s latest draft Local Plan includes proposals for the Uxbridge Road to be made safer by improving crossings and installing cycle lanes.

The campaign group is also concerned about the busy crossing outside M&S in Ealing Broadway. In November, works at the traffic lights closed the crossings but campaigners claim that no upgrades were made to the crossings.

Mr Hiller added, “We have previously informed the council about residents’ concerns about this crossing, We’ve heard reports of wheelchair users almost falling out of their chairs because of the steepness of the ramps.

“Parents also struggle to fit their pushchairs on the narrow islands. The recent works presented the council with a unique opportunity to make much-needed changes but, sadly, once again it failed.”

Campaigners are worried that the draft Local Plan has no commitment about when these changes will be implemented. Make Uxbridge Road Safe! is demanding that the council put in place a plan for the road and implement safety measures by 2023.

An Ealing Council spokesperson has said, “Safety along Uxbridge Road is of high priority to the council, as is creating sustainable highways and tackling climate change. We aim to make the streets and environment safer and healthier for everyone, including cyclists and pedestrians.

“TfL has allocated a grant of £7million towards the West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhood (WELN) programme, specifically to improve safety along Uxbridge Road. This grant is released as and when design, consultation and implementation takes place. £1m has been allocated to the design and consultation process to date.

“As partners in the WELN, Make Uxbridge Road Safe campaigners have been kept informed and engaged on this activity and will continue to take part in reconvened meetings due to start in the new year. The WELN programme was paused for 2.5 years during Covid, and this impacted on improvements to the Lido Junction as well as other improvement activity.”

Ealing Council has said the following works are underway along the 11km Uxbridge Road:

• Continuing to implement a high-quality cycle route, sections of which have already been implemented from Ealing Common to Acton and the Iron Bridge to Southall Park.
• Hanwell Bridge to Iron Bridge will begin design and implementation in 2023/24
• Junction modification at Lido Junction with Northfields Avenue – consultation currently underway with TfL to consider impacts on pedestrians, cyclists, buses and traffic.
• Crossings to enhance pedestrian safety along West Ealing and at Lido Junction.
  

Megan Stanley - Local Democracy Reporter