Update from the Make Uxbridge Road Safe Campaign
On 26 June members of Make Uxbridge Road Safe and Ealing Cycling campaign met Ealing Council to discuss the findings of the cycling level of service assessment it recently carried out along the Uxbridge Road. The audit was one of Make Uxbridge Road Safe's key campaign demands. Brian Deegan, co-author of the London Cycling Design Standards and a consultant at Urban Movement, carried out the audit on behalf of the council.
The audit covered the 6.5-mile stretch of the Uxbridge Road that falls within Ealing Council's borough boundary. The road was split into 28 sections and each section was awarded a mark out of 100. The majority of the sections scored badly. Many were awarded a score of between 24 and 35. (A score of above 50 is usually considered good.) The survey revealed quite a few 'critical' areas - i.e locations that need to be addressed immediately. One section scored exceptionally well. This was the new £1m cycle lane along Ealing Common. It received a score of 84, which shows the difference investment can make.
The findings essentially reinforce Make Uxbridge Road Safe's initial argument: most of the Uxbridge Road is unsafe and therefore requires investment.
The council is now in the process of appointing a second consultancy to carry out a pedestrian/vulnerable road users audit. This process is more complicated because there's no current audit standard. The council is hopeful that it will have a consultancy in place over the summer with the pedestrian audit taking place in early autumn.
The big elephant in the room remains funding. Ealing Council has some money but not lots. TfL has thus far not shown any signs of giving additional funds to outer London areas for such one-off schemes. Instead, TfL is investing in outer London through its Liveable Neighbourhood schemes, which includes a £6.5m investment in West Ealing.
Thanks to Andy Hillier for this update which was first published on the Make Uxbridge Road Safe Facebook Page
The council wants us to help identify priority areas so we can create a list of the places we believe need the most urgent attention. If you have suggestions, please email them to: info@ealingcycling.org.uk before 10 July 2018.