Forum Topic

The law of unintended consequences.

Sorry to be boring - but, the nightmare on South St. otherwise known as the mini roundabout, is causing the very problem I said it would when traffic on the Twickenham Rd. gets backed up, as it was this morning, almost to the A316. Drivers are making the illegal right  hand turn across the shortened median strip into Dawes Avenue to avoid sitting in the traffic. This, as I pointed out at the time Planet Traffic came up with this whizzy idea, is THE very reason we got it lengthened in the first bloody place. I came face to face with two of these idiots this morning, and as more drivers sitting in the jam see them do it, then as night follows day, more will copy them. This of course puts more traffic on Worple Avenue which is busy with kids going to the three primary schools, Worple, St. Marys and The Blue School. This is again the result of arrogant people who only look at maps and seemingly cannot stir from their offices to see the results of their bright ideas when local people are trying to tell them that what looks good and works in theory, very often is a disaster in reality. They won't be happy until there is an accident, what do we have to do to get someone to listen?

Vanessa Smith ● 4200d14 Comments

Well, that figures!

Vanessa Smith ● 4196d

I drove home that way around 17.30 last night and every vehicle infront of me was at least partially in the cycle lane, with the white van infront of me obstructing the whole of the cycle lane.Then again the cycle lane marking is now only dotted, not permanent, and as yet the signage does indicate what the hours of operation are - in my view if you're going to put a cycle lane approaching a junction like that it should be in operation 24/7.Just to give you an idea of the "high quality" contractors that LBH employ, if you get chance head along London Road towards Hounslow.  Just after the Busch Corner junction there's a newly installed "slow down school ahead" sign fairly high up on a lamppost (i.e. out of pedestrian reach),  yet the bright sparks who installed it have managed to do so upside down !!!.  Wish I'd not been driving past it this morning as needs a photo !.

Adam Beamish ● 4196d

I still drive along Twickenham road through this roundabout twice a day - between 6 and 7 am southbound and between 5and 6 pm northbound. I have to admit that in the last few days - after new road marking were finally done - it is not too bad. Today i did not see any cars in the cycle lane and nobody tried to make and additional lane to turn right.

Alex Shpinkov ● 4196d

This is exactly the problem, I don't think these traffic scheme 'designers' ever get out of their offices and take a look at the area in reality. It's all done off maps, there's a lot of " we hopes" and "in our view" comments in their various replies, none of which gives me any confidence in their ability to get it right. They don't listen to us the users, after all we only use the blasted roads. I've listened to so much rubbish about flooding etc. this last week I'm beginning to think that instead of all these highly paid muppets running things they should just turn up at a queue in any supermarket and pick someone at random, things could hardly be worse. I think any one of us could make a better stab at sorting South St. roundabout out than the current bunch of numpties.

Vanessa Smith ● 4197d

Hmm, he could always just walk, cycle or get the bus and just stand there and observe.Aside from all the inherent dangers I just don't see how the design actually works in terms of managing traffic flows, due to the presence to the traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing to the north and the zebra crossing in South Street.  No doubt someone sat infront of a computer and ran some kind of model which said it would all be great, but models and reality are two entirely different things - only last week I was at a planning appeal where our highways consultant gave the impression that it would take 15 minutes to get out of a site, when what he actually meant was that the model factored in a 15 minute queuing time because the model couldn't take into account time periods of under 15 minutes..great lot of use that model was !.

Adam Beamish ● 4197d

"in order to give himself some kind of importance/gravitas, as opposed to day to day issues like driving through his constituency."Errr - Cllr Mayne doesn't drive so unless he gets someone to drive him through the area during rush hours who would have no idea of what is happening.

Steve Taylor ● 4197d

Regular weekday road users will duck and dive to find 'better' routes to avoid this disaster area roundabout but its quite interesting  to see the dimwits during the weekends who come across this rounbdabout and have no idea what to do. They seem to forget the basic laws on who should give way etc.The frustrated hooting and fist waving is one thing but sooner or later there is going to be a serious accident. Who is accountable for this mess?

Steve Taylor ● 4197d

I give up!

Vanessa Smith ● 4199d

What about Councillor Sampson, she lives very close to the junction of Twickenham Road and Dawes Avenue. Surely she has something to say about this?

Andrew Sibley ● 4199d

Re your second paragraph which I think is the issue here, since the inception of this 'cabinet' style of governance we seem to get several all seeing borough wide councillors who must find it a distraction. That is in no way an excuse, but I think when we had the committee structure there was more involvement for all councillors, who also then found it easier to stay in touch with more local issues in their own wards. Now I have no idea if councillors divide their work up in the ward and take responsibility for specific areas - I think they should all know what the hell is going on in their own area and get involved, as it is I never hear from the others only Ed.  As I say it isn't any excuse at all and it is reasonable to expect local people to inform you when they have concerns they cannot resolve through the officer channels, but I feel it is also incumbent, as you say, for them all to keep abreast of day to day issues that have been brought to their attention already.

Vanessa Smith ● 4200d

Thanks, but surely Cllr. Mayne must see what is going on with his own eyes and shouldn't wait until residents contact him ?.  I could be wrong, after all as I well know us residents don't know what goes on in the Civic Centre, but there seems an attitude of total complacency in respect of this matter from both Officers and Councillors.  When I was there I'd be hounded by Councillors sometimes on a daily basis to get certain things sorted, but in respect of this issue that doesn't seem to be happening.I don't know Cllr. Mayne at all, but my perception is that he's more interested in borough wide issues like banning spitting, drinking in public and such like (which whilst I don't disagree with isn't something I personally regard as a priority and seems to be more about PR than anything else), in order to give himself some kind of importance/gravitas, as opposed to day to day issues like driving through his constituency.

Adam Beamish ● 4200d

My e-mail is being forwarded direct to officers. I also asked Ed to bring to their attention the old signage was still in situ and that because of the lack of road marking which affects lane discipline that the cycle lane was being encroached on which is dangerous for cyclists approaching the roundabout. We await a response!!!

Vanessa Smith ● 4200d

Well, Cllr. Mayne is going to be even more annoyed because I've sent him an e-mail this morning pointing out the folly of this shameful saga and the knock on effects of it. I have requested he goes back to Planet Traffic and points out the total balls-up they have caused through their ineptitude and arrogance by not listening to what local people are saying. Problem is they do everything off a map in an office, they should drive down here and look at what mayhem they have caused and have the good grace and humility to apologise and put things right.

Vanessa Smith ● 4200d

It really is a disaster isn't it ?.Whilst due to the cycle lanes on both sides of the carriageway immediately to the south of the mini-roundabout the northern approach isn't now wide enough for a vehicle to pass traffic to turn right, I've already witnessed one driver doing exactly that and thus ending up with over half their car width within the southbound carriageway.The line in the middle should be solid (i.e. to make overtaking illegal) and also I've noticed the cycle lane marking on both carriageways is dotted, not permanent.Finally my old friends the red triangular "turn ahead" signs are still in place, and whilst I see there's some roadwork barriers around them no-one seems keen to actually replace the incorrect signage.On top of all this the queues heading northbound are now longer than ever, so the whole project is completely pointless.I also noticed driving along Ealing Road the other day that some roadworks which started on 13th January, which the warning signs said would last "approximately one week" were still in place the best part of 2 weeks after the end of that period.I genuinely wonder if the inhabitants of Hounslow's Traffic Department actually set out outside the Civic Centre, perhaps they all arrive by tube and have absolutely no awareness of the road network within the Borough.Either way I seem to have upset the powers that be as I've never had any further responses from any Officers or Councillor Mayne since I dared to suggest this whole saga was a farce...

Adam Beamish ● 4200d