Council to Close Road in Dukes Meadows to Cars
New parking arrangements in the area continue to be controversial
Tunnel under railway bridge will be closed to cars. Picture: Google Streetview
Hounslow Council have announced a trial closure of a road in Dukes Meadows as part of their masterplan for the area.
There will be no access for motor vehicles through the passageway under the railway bridge near the Virgin Riverside Health Club at the point where Dan Mason Drive meets The Promenade.
Movement through the tunnel will only be possible on foot or by bike, removing a pinch-point where pedestrians and cyclists often come into conflict with vehicles in a narrow space with limited visibility.
The trial will be in place for a minimum of six months and reviewed before determining whether or not to make any permanent change.
The move is part of work that has continued on the Dukes Meadows masterplan over recent weeks. The Council say that workers onsite adhere to government guidance on social distancing.
Verges have been tidied up, overhanging vegetation cut back, drainage improved and over 5.5km of yellow lines have been painted to make it clear where parking is or isn’t permitted.
Further work starting this week will include the installation of ’bodpave’ – permeable hardstanding which allows grass to grow through it - parking bays on the northern side of the promenade. These will be fenced off for a number of weeks to allow the grass seed to grow through. Additional facilities for cycle parking are also being explored. Charging for the remaining parking at the weekends will start later in the summer.
The new parking spaces have resulted in an angry exchange on Twitter in which the @DukesMeadowsPark Twitter account accused the council of installing them without proper consultation and damaging the roots of trees as part of the work. This was dismissed by council leader Steve Curran who said the tweet was ‘Donald Trump’s version of the truth’.
You must be taking a leaf out of Donald Trump's version of the truth, in the masterplan plan planning permission given, back to cabinet approved the whole purpose of the changes is to restrict the number of cars to allow more walking & cycling
— Steve Curran (@CllrSteveCurran) May 4, 2020
safely you really need to move on
The council also recently settled a legal dispute with the Thames Tradesmen’s Rowing Club who they had evicted from their boat house in Dukes Meadows. As part of the agreement the club was given a lease which allowed them to return to the facility and will protect their tenancy if the building is redeveloped.
Cllr Samia Chaudhary, Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, said, “It is fantastic we have managed to carry on our ambitious investment programme into Dukes Meadows park even during this difficult time. The teams have done a great job tidying up the verges, trimming back vegetation and formalising the parking spaces. Undertaking this work at a time when people are making fewer trips by car will give the maximum chance of the planting to establishing itself in these parking areas.
“We are also keen to trial changes to how people access the park by car to provide more space for those walking and cycling in this beautiful space – we look forward to user feedback on that. There could well be varying requirements for social distancing for many months to come, so it’s important we develop plans to provide as much space for people as possible.”
We have asked the Dukes Meadows Trust for comment,
May 5, 2020
