Traffic disruption at key intersection with Turnham Green Terrace

Work has started on a major programme of improvement at the junction of Chiswick High Road and Turnham Green Terrace, which is expected to take three months. The work is causing traffic disruption at one of the key junctions in the area.

The works by Hounslow Highways include replacing traffic signals and upgrading pedestrian crossings to include 'countdown' timing signals. At present the eastbound approach to the junction is now effectively down to one lane, and there have been long queues at busy periods. People have also complained about the phasing of the temporary traffic lights.

The company said there would inevitably be "minor delays" to traffic. The work would be mostly undertaken in the daytime and there would be limited night-time working.

Residents in nearby Elliott Road have complained that they were given no advance warning and woke on May 29th to find themselves living on a "construction site", with three-month long parking restrictions along their street and restricted access.

Temporary traffic signals, including pedestrian lights, are being used at the junction between Turnham Green Terrace and the High Road. The pedestrian crossing in front of Sofa Workshop is not in use and there are temporary traffic lights at the junction between Annandale Road and the High Road. There are also parking restrictions in Elliott Road which are also expected to be in place until mid- August.

This upgrade is the first in what is expected to be a major programme of improvements and reconfigurations to the public highway (for road safety, traffic flow, pedestrian accessibility and sustainable transport purposes) designed by the London Borough of Hounslow in conjunction with Transport for London and timed to coincide with Hounslow Highways’ five-year core investment period of carriageway resurfacing, footway repaving and streetlight replacements.

The scheme includes:

New traffic signal equipment and timings, replacing the outdated equipment currently on site with new combined lighting and signal columns;

Minor kerb-line changes on the south side of the junction to allow for a dedicated 1.5m westbound cycle lane;
Two eastbound traffic lanes on the approach to the junction, to allow for a dedicated left turn lane into Turnham Green Terrace;
Upgraded pedestrian crossings with new traffic islands;
New advanced stop lines for cyclists on Chiswick High Road and Turnham Green Terrace;
New paving on footways adjacent to the junction;
New carriageway surface at the junction and new coloured antiskid;
Decluttering, especially in front of the William Hogarth statue.

The scheme also features new pedestrian “countdown” signals, which will allow pedestrians to ascertain how long they have to finish crossing the road before the traffic lights go to green for Chiswick High Road traffic.

Hounslow Highways started implementing the scheme on 29 May and the duration of the works will be approximately 12 weeks. 

Most of the work will be undertaken in the daytime. There should be no banned turns, but there will inevitably be some minor delays to traffic while the works proceed, the company said. There will be some limited night time working to ensure minimum traffic disruption at key times.

A statement from the Mid Chiswick Society said the residents woke up last week to find their street had become part of a "construction site". There had been no warning or contact details, no guidance as to what it was all about and they were casually told by one of the workers that it was going on for fourteen weeks.

"The Council have behaved in a way that was casual and discourteous that neither businesses nor residents were given any warning and still haven't been given any information", said a spokeswoman for the Society.

"People would expect either as a rule or a courtesy to be informed in advance of what is happening and how it would impact on their lives. We would also expect to have some point of contact. None of these things have happened."

She said that access to the road was now significantly restricted and half the parking had been suspended while noisy works were going on.

There did not appear to be any information on the Hounslow Highways web site of the plans, she added. The plan has now been published on the Hounslow Council web site.

June 8, 2013