On Wednesday 25 June at 3:30pm, local councillors will be joined by parents and residents at a street assembly against Transport for London’s (TfL’s) plans to decommission an existing footbridge over the A316 in St Margarets, Twickenham.
Local Liberal Democrat Councillors, Alexander Ehmann, Ben Khosa and Geoff Acton (Councillors for St Margarets and North Twickenham Ward) have put their weight behind local residents and concerned parents, who have expressed dismay over TfL’s recent proposal to dismantle the current footbridge crossing of the A316 at St Margarets roundabout and replace it with Toucan crossings.
The current bridge is extensively used by parents and children commuting too and from schools in the locality and the proposed changes have sparked outrage from many, who believe that the changes create unnecessary risks for young people crossing the busy dual-carriageway.
Councillors Ehmann, Khosa and Acton have written to London Mayor, Boris Johnson and Richmond Council Leader, Lord True, asking for the current consultation to be withdrawn and for a proper investigation of alternatives to be undertaken.
Commenting on the proposals, Cllr Ehmann said…
“The consultation is a sham. It offers no explanation of the rationale for the bridge’s destruction. It offers no options beyond the replacement of the bridge with a surface crossing and it doesn’t offer even the simplest information on the usage and capacity impacts of the proposal regarding pedestrian safety and the free-flow of traffic on the A316 He added “The primary focus of any change to the road crossing arrangements on the A316 should be pedestrian safety and thereafter the free passage of road traffic. We have written to Lord True and Mayor Boris Johnson to ask them to intervene in this botched plan and to ask them withdraw the current consultation, until TfL are in a position to provide a more reasonable set of options to local residents and parents.”
– from a Lib Dem press release - 24 June 2014
More Information
- There is a Facebook page that is updated regularly
- The change.org petition asking for the consultation to be withdrawn
- Read the original article - TFL Consultation on A316 St Margarets Crossing
Comments
Update:
In light of resident concerns, Cllr Ben Khosa asked TfL for the consultation period to be extended so that fuller consultation could take place and more views from the community could be collected.
Our primary request of TfL is the withdrawal of this consultation, but the request for more time provided a useful back-up if TfL could not be moved further.
Yesterday, we heard that TfL have decided to extend the consultation as an interim measure and are discussing the consultation more fully, next week. This two week extension to the consultation doesn't address the core concerns of local people, but TfL seem to have recognised the consultation has deficiencies, which is an achievement in itself.
We as your Councillors will continue to ask for a face to face and/or a public meeting with TfL so we can put parents concerns and strength of feelings to them first hand and explore alternatives to the consultation's proposal.
Please keep up the pressure on TfL and sign the 500+ strong petition at: www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/transport-for-london-withdraw-the-consultation-calling-for-the-removal-of-the-existing-st-margaret-s-footbridge-over-the-a316-and-its-replacement-with-toucan-crossings
Cllr Alexander Ehmann on 2014-06-27 14:02:27 +0000