Public consultation summary
Background
Transport for London (TfL) has a policy of no longer creating new sections of ‘Hail & Ride’ bus facilities and, where possible, to convert existing Hail & Ride sections to fixed stops.
Currently the bus route along The Common runs as a ‘Hail & Ride’ service where bus services are hailed at any location along a route. Fixed bus stops are preferable as they provide passenger accessibility and can be protected with bus stop ‘cages’, so that buses are physically able to pull up close to the kerb, assisting passengers to board or alight.
Moreover, a fatal accident occurred along The Common (between The Grove and Grange Road), raising concerns of road safety.
The council has developed proposals to convert the existing hail & ride section of route E11 into fixed stops and improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
Proposals:
- a new southbound bus stop
- a new northbound bus stop
- a new raised parallel crossing to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclist and reduce vehicular speed
- accessibility measures
Ealing Council ran a consultation between 17 October and 10 November 2024, during which people could view the plans and provide their feedback on the proposed changes. Information was provided on a webpage which included descriptions and plans of the proposals.
Feedback was collected on an online questionnaire, with paper copies available on request. The consultation questionnaire asked respondents for the following information:
- a UK postcode
- capacity in which the respondent was responding
- attitude towards the proposals
- an explanation for the attitude towards the proposals (open text format)
- any additional improvements wanted in the area (from a list provided, with an ‘other, please specify’ option)
A consultation plan was posted to residential and business addresses on The Common, between Uxbridge Road and Warwick Road. This included about 178 addresses.
The consultation generated a total of 28 valid responses to the questionnaire, a 15.73% response rate. Multiple responses from the same address have been allowed, as long as the names are different. The results of the analysis of these results are shown below.
There was the opportunity to provide an open text response, in which respondents were able to give a comment to explain their views. These responses were summarised into main themes.
A few respondents did not answer all questions.
Consultation results
All the 28 responses to the survey said they were residents.
Respondents were asked how they felt about the proposed improvements. The results indicate that the majority of respondents support the proposal as presented in the consultation:
- I support the proposals and have no improvements to suggest: 11 (39.29%)
- I support the proposals in general, but would like some changes (please explain in the box below): 7 (25%)
- I have no opinion on the proposals: 0 (0%)
- I believe the existing arrangements should be retained (please give reasons in box below): 10 (35.71%)
Comments (19 in total) from the open text box have been grouped with number of people who commented then and the response from the council:
- comment from 8 residents: sustainability and aesthetics - converting green spaces to paved surfaces is viewed as harmful to local biodiversity, drainage, and the visual character of the area.
- response from council: we understand the concern expressed by local residents, as a result the design was amended to minimise the loss of green space.
- comment from 7 residents: loss of parking - the changes could disrupt community events and reduce accessibility
- response from council: there will be a loss of seven parking spaces along The Common, which are not outside residential properties. The design was amended, so the parking outside residential properties will not be affected. We believe that the impact of the loss of parking spaces will be minimal and outweighed by the benefits delivered by the proposal.
- comment from 6 residents: traffic and safety issues: the proposed changes are expected to cause dangerous congestion, complicate traffic patterns, and increase the risk of accidents.
- response from council: the proposed fixed stops will contribute for safer bus operations, as they will have dedicated areas to board and alight passengers, increasing accessibility, especially for less able users. TfL have been receiving complaints from drivers and passengers, as there is confusion as to whether buses should or would stop. Moreover, the raised parallel crossing will provide a safer crossing point for pedestrians and cyclists and reduce vehicular speed. Therefore, the proposal will improve safety for all road users and especially for the more vulnerable.
- comment from 9 residents: additional/alternative safety measures: such as speed bumps, speed cameras, and clearly marked pedestrian crossings over the proposed layout
- response from council: this is out of scope of the current project, additional traffic calming features could be considered in future, if deemed appropriate, subject to funding availability.
- comment from 10 residents: redundancy of proposed bus stops: the new bus stops are deemed unnecessary due to the proximity of an existing, under-utilized stop.
- response from council: The proposed stops are located approximately 200m away from the nearest stops which is within the typical range for stop distances on London’s bus network. They will serve the local neighbourhood (including a nursing home) by providing physically accessible bus stops for all passengers including people with mobility impairments (in compliance with the Equality Act 2010).
- comment from 1 resident: speeding concerns: highlighting that cars frequently exceed the 20mph speed limit, increasing the risk of accidents.
- response from council: the raised parallel crossing should help to reduce vehicular speed.
- comment from 1 resident: proposal could encourage more speeding.
- response from council: it is expected that the proposal will reduce vehicular speeding as a result of the raised parallel crossing and reduction of carriageway width.
- comment from 1 resident: need for a footpath on the eastern side of The Common.
- response from council: it is out of the scope of this project, however we will pass this request to the relevant department for their consideration.
- comment from 1 resident: accessibility for cyclist, provide ramp for cyclist.
- response from council: the ramp for cyclists is included in the proposal.
- comment from 1 resident: concerns over share path safety, prefer cycle track and pedestrian path to be separated.
- response from council: the path across The Common is already shared, with little conflict. At the west end, the cycle track is on the wrong side to keep pedestrians and cyclists separate as they cross the road. Therefore, it is better to have it all shared, so that users can choose a side. Cyclists turning right from the path onto The Common will go to the left of pedestrians, those crossing will go to the right. Segregation is impossible to achieve when people are going in multiple directions, as here. West of the crossing, the existing cycle track injects cyclists into a junction at a point where drivers may not expect them. The shared area allows them to choose a better route. Many will go directly from the crossing into The Grove, avoiding the shared area. Low pedestrian and cyclist volumes here mean that conflicts will be rare.
- comment from 1 resident: would prefer the southbound stop further south near Warwick Dene.
- response from council: the area by Warwick Dene is already served by the existing bus stop at the terminus of route E11. Moving the southbound stop further south would have brought it too close to this stop. The proposed stop locations also allow for a new (parallel) zebra crossing to link with the Ealing Common green space and the existing footways and cycle path.
- comment from 1 resident: addition of shelters at the bus stops.
- response from council: it is only proposed one shelter, at the northbound stop, none needed at the southbound stop as it is the penultimate stop on the route.
- comment from 1 resident: suggest using e-ink displays at bus stop timetable.
- response from council: we have passed this suggestion to TfL as they are responsible to install and maintain bus stop infrastructures (Shelters and flags). The e-ink displays would be able to show timetables as well as real time information, similar to Countdown. However, this technology may still be at trial stage (eg route 63) and there is no plan of a roll-out yet.
- comment from 1 resident: importance of the zebra crossing lights complying with TR12 requirements and maintaining the heritage look of the area, as the common is in a heritage conservation zone.
- response from council: heritage lights will be installed.
- comment from 1 resident: there has been an increase in traffic over the years and the proposed bus stops could make it worse.
- response from council: the impact of the proposed bus stops would have a negligible impact on traffic, considering that will serve only a low frequency (three buses per hour) route.
- comment from 1 resident: addressing the broader traffic issue would be more effective to improve road safety.
- response from council: this is out of scope of this proposal.
- comment from 1 resident: concern about lighting at zebra crossing could impact nearby houses.
- response from council: shrouds will be installed to prevent light flashing to nearby houses.
- comment from 2 residents: support for bus stops.
- comment from 1 resident: proposal will improve safety.
- comment from 5 residents: need for pedestrian crossing: emphasizing the importance of a pedestrian crossing at the accident site, which is heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists. it would significantly enhance safety and potentially save lives.
Respondents were asked to choose another improvement they would like, from a list, plus ‘other, please specify’. Only one could be selected, and two people who responded ‘other’ wanted to select more than one of the options. The rest made different suggestions.
Would you like to see any of the following improvements to the public realm on (or around) The Common?
- additional greenery - 6
- additional traffic calming measures - 5
- improved pavements - 5
- more places to cross the road - 3
- improved cycle parking - 3
- better road maintenance - 1
- improved cycling infrastructure - 0
- improved signage - 0
- other, (please specify) - 5
The 5 responded, who selected “other”, specified as follows:
- speed bumps
- improved and more comprehensive landscape maintenance to The Common
- ‘additional greenery' and 'improved signage' – specifically signage prohibiting overnight parking of coaches and lorries as the single small sign on lamp post at the start of The Common is never seen by many coach drivers, who park further along, opposite No's 5 to 15 The Common.
- all of the above, but particularly traffic calming
- weight restrictions on vehicles
Conclusions and recommendations
The majority of respondents were supportive of the proposal (64.29% in total, combining who responded “I support the proposals and have no improvements to suggest” and “I support the proposals in general, but would like some changes (please explain in the box below)”). The response rate was 15.73%.
The proposal was revised, taking into consideration the feedback received by local residents, as far as practicable. As a result, we have minimised the loss of green space and parking spaces. View the revised proposal here
If you would like more information about the proposals, please email highways@ealing.gov.uk
Taking into consideration the support of local residents and the benefits of the proposal such as improved accessibility and safety for bus users and improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists, it is recommended to implement the amended proposal.