Forum Topic

Have you read this?

'School street restrictions' on front page - unbelievable! I especially liked this bit below, as truth is the first casualty of war - it seems that Covid has been one of the excuses to erode local demoracy."Resident only access restrictions would mean that residents' vehicles and residents' visitors would be permitted to enter the affected roads. Residents would not be exempt from the Edensor Road stopping restrictions. Residents can register their own and their visitors' vehicles free of charge. The council say there is no impact on traffic leaving the roads during the hours of operation.If you are expecting a visitor during the hours or restriction, you would ideally need to register them by letting the council know in advance using an online form which is not yet available. However, in the case of unplanned visitors, you will be allowed to register them with the council until the end of the same working day. Regular visitors such as carers would need to be registered once, and blue badge holders living in the area would also need to be registered.The council say, “While the need to register vehicles presents a slight inconvenience to residents, we have streamlined the process as much as possible, and made it free of charge. Feedback from existing schemes suggests the benefits greatly outweigh any inconvenience.”No explanation given as to what those who are not online can do.

Vanessa Smith ● 1943d22 Comments

The 'school street closures' for a specific hour each morning and afternoon are going to be somewhat compromised if schools are going to stagger the arrival and departure of their pupils.

Peter Evans ● 1940d

Sincere apologies Anne, that was in no way a criticism of your own post.

N V Brooks ● 1940d

Two physios who work there and a 'duty administrator'. Unlike some I actually speak to people.

N V Brooks ● 1940d

By 'the staff', how many have you actually spoken to?

Anne England ● 1940d

Good Lollipop ladies and gents were a fantastic asset.The one in Little Ealing Lane must have been the same lady for 30 years !But it worked and worked very well. Simple, effective and reliable.

Raymond Havelock ● 1941d

What utter arrogant nonsense about the 'rehabilitation hospital' if you mean Clayponds.Have you actually spoken to the staff? What a world we live in when elected representatives treat residents legitimate concerns with contempt. I thought better of you, oh well, seems I was wrong Mr. Lambert.

N V Brooks ● 1942d

You state CPZ are only introduced as a result of residents petition    This is not true.  We had a consultation for parking permits voted down by residents . Hounslow council come along and redevelop on my estate knocking down garages taking away current resident parking building 102 more properties on a estate that is currently 84 . Oh and the only way current residents can park is pay for a CPZ which wasn't wanted in the first place . Disgusting hounslow council

Gill Hutchison ● 1942d

CPZ's are only introduced as a result of a residents' petition.The rehabilitation hospital nonsense has already been debunked.All schools in Hounslow borough are rated good or outstanding, except a primary school in Hanworth and Hounslow Town school (which are rated as requiring improvement)

Guy Lambert ● 1942d

Our much valued 'Lollipop ladies and gents' went the way of the Dodo sometime ago - yet another victim of cuts in budgets.I would absolutely agree that secondary school children should be more than capable of going to and from school on their own, and yes, times have changed. I too went to primary school on my own - but there wasn't the volumes of traffic around then, and a lot of mothers didn't work or if they did there was more part-time working for them.

Vanessa Smith ● 1942d

Without looking back at the Ofsted ratings for schools, I believe I am correct in saying that the vast majority of Hounslow schools are rated Good or above. The exam results for children in the borough are also high taken on a borough by borough (county by county?) basis.Agreed, though, that there is always room for improvement and that some schools probably are to be avoided if at all possible.

Anne England ● 1942d

Re children walking to school on their own: I can see that for some the school is perhaps too far away to walk or on a particularly dangerous route or not easily accessible by public transport. Where I live, though, there are two schools within easy walking distance and I do indeed see a lot of parents walking with their children. I'm wondering whether the lollipop people still exist - there used to be one employed on South Ealing Road. Failing that, there is a zebra crossing somewhat further down the road which children could access.Times have changed, that's for sure. I started Kindergarten age 7 in Canada and my sister (9) and I walked unaccompanied to each of the three schools we attended there. In fact I walked home alone at midday as Kindergarten was half a day only. On coming to this country at 9 I walked alone to both of the primaries I attended. Likewise, my first day at high school was an unaccompanied bus ride and so it went down the years. There were dangers about in those days too and yet the vast majority of us walked or got the bus.

Anne England ● 1942d

I personally would only let kids in the last year of primary go to school on their own, and yes, in a perfect world people would walk. However, the government are now urging people to go back to work and many people drop their offspring off on their way to work, quite often by car. It's just not possible to square that circle as I see it. Also I take great exception to the council making these arbitrary rules and using Covid as an excuse - never has something been handier as an excuse to either impose things on the log suffering public - or conversley to not provide some services that some of us might consider essential.

Vanessa Smith ● 1942d

Funny how you wheel out statistics when it suits.If that's the case then we don't need CPZ's or car use deterrents then do we?Or making rehabilitation hospitals even harder for people in pain and of mobility limitations to access.Or removing amenities and recreational/sports facilities that serve all those less well off who cannot drive longer distances instead.No mention of the statistics of those who have no safe online access, or how many rely on someone else car?And far too many kids travel too far to school. It's been like that for a generation or two now and that's more to do with the wildly differing standards of schools both on discipline, behavioural and academic fronts.All children should be able to have a short distance to school. And makes for a better cohesive community.  But that means all schools have to be equally of a standard.That standards had to be the highest standard possible.Unfortunately ( my own school included) that often meant dragging the standards down rather than up.

Raymond Havelock ● 1942d

40% of households in Brentford have no car. I suppose their children should be excluded from school on the grounds they cannot be dropped off there?A further 46% have only one car. Should they also be excluded from school if a parent uses the car and is unable to drop them off and pick them up?I suppose that would help with social distancing but it doesn't seem a very sensible policy.If you lived in (say) Carville Crescent or Darcy Road and were unable to leave or access your house by car for a variable amount of time in the mornings and mid-afternoons  you would have a very different view of school streets.

Guy Lambert ● 1943d

Cannot believe a TfL advert suggesting children of all ages cycle to school.Even in the 1960s the LCC required children to have a road safety certificate and hold a LCC later GLC cycling licence stamped with their school and LCC proficiency test.Even then you had to be over 11 to cycle to school.What is on the cards is insane.  Can a child stop safely in rain like last weeks? Can they ride home in the dark when the clocks change? Have they any road sense? Clearly, round here, some parents out teaching their kids to ride, are well short of road sense when on a bike themselves.What about  the icy and slippery surfaces that dog Ealing and Hounslow streets, the streets still with last winters leaf detritus,In Benelux countries every cycle route and street route is sprayed daily to ensure a safe surface. Has been for near 70 years. And those original spray vehicles were designed and built where?  Coventry.Insane and irresponsible. No child under 12 and without some clear proof of proper cycle proficiency should be on any road or footway or even a dedicated route.

Raymond Havelock ● 1943d

Sadly Ruth Cadbury is supportive of a wide ranging road closure programme in Hounslow.https://twitter.com/RuthCadbury/status/1300096942425419782?s=20&fbclid=IwAR30HcKHoyFYUXtIqkdQi0hQWCv1gWIb-BX1E080kIAXRuxF3mbJghhWylU

N V Brooks ● 1943d

Do I understand you correctly, Vanessa? Do you think it is necessary to drop (at least older) primary age children off at school? I can see that you would want to do that if there are a number of busy roads - without crossings - to cross but otherwise why couldn't they/you walk?

Anne England ● 1943d

I know I'm a cynic but I think it's all about the money, who in their right mind with primary school age children, isn't going to drop them off at school and pick them up?

Vanessa Smith ● 1943d

Dead right - these madmen have finally killed off Chiswick by the staggering plans for C.Hi Road - on yer bike or yer dead-o, that's it.  No movement other than by bike west to east and forget about trying to get from north to south through Chiswick well, you can't!    Don't really see what's in it for the Council other than "We have the power" and that's one way of grabbing the bribe of all that loverly dosh from Grant Shapps.

Jennifer Selig ● 1943d

Councils channelling their inner Lukashenko or Trump aspirations?Have to say Covid has provided the power mad with a hell of an excuse tp ride roughshod over local people, for all sorts of pretty spurious reasons.

Vanessa Smith ● 1943d

All over Ealing as well with, in one case, restrictions applying from 07:00-19:00. WHY?

N V Brooks ● 1943d

"In Isleworth restrictions will apply on the same basis around Isleworth Town Primary School on Ferne Meade Way, Linkfield Road (between Kendall Road and Grainger Road), Mandeville Road, Teck Close, Thackeray Close, Town Field Way, Smallberry Avenue, and White Lodge Close during school term-time drop-off and pick-up times.North to south arm of Summerwood Road leading to Ivybridge Primary School situated to the west of Nos.241-260, from its junction with the east to west arm of Summerwood Road to its southernmost extremity will also be restricted."Seriously? you'll need a bloody compass to venture around there! Typical traffic engineer speak.

Vanessa Smith ● 1943d