Tram Protest this Saturday

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Save Ealing's Streets to march to Haven Green

The pressure group Save Ealing's Streets is holding a public protest on Ealing's Haven Green on Saturday July 3. The event will include a march, and speakers will explain what the scheme will mean for residents and businesses in West London.

"We want to give people the chance to find out how the tram will affect them," says Jane Ashley of SES. "There's a lot of opposition to the scheme throughout the route. Two years on and TfL still hasn't addressed the key issues concerning residents and businesses. Closures of the Uxbridge Road and the environmental problems associated with it are a key issue, but not the only problem."

Special guests at the event will include The Fire Poet, Philip Wells, a local resident. SES has chosen Haven Green as the venue because this open space, close to Ealing Broadway station, is threatened by Transport for London's scheme. To accommodate the tram, TfL plans to part-close the Uxbridge Road at Ealing Broadway and build a new road along the south side of Haven Green to take eastbound traffic. This would involve felling mature chestnut trees. Plans for the tram on the Uxbridge Road between Uxbridge and Shepherd's Bush also include closures of the A4020 at Shepherd's Bush, Acton and West Ealing.

"The threat to well-established trees on Haven Green is an emotive issue, and will distress many local people. Residents are also upset that building a new 'A' road on the south side of Haven Green will destroy the tranquility of this beautiful green space." says Ms Ashley.

"Even more alarming, TfL have warned that if residents' reject this proposal in the consultation, main road traffic could be routed around the other three sides of Haven Green, a route that clearly wouldn't be able to cope with Uxbridge Road traffic."

In Acton, there is enormous concern about the chaos that would be caused by closing part of Acton High Street, with drivers being forced to take unacceptably long diversions to get through. SES are concerned that Tfl has only considered what will suit the tram, and that little consideration has been given to what is good for the Uxbridge Road, the communities and businesses along the route. "

Ms. Ashley said, "West London is being presented with a scheme which is simply not good enough, and better solutions, which TfL discussed with community groups during their consultation meetings, appear to have been discarded."

SES has written to Tim Jones asking him to come up with a better way to manage the traffic. TfL will consult with residents on the scheme this summer.

June 28, 2004