Details
The gridlock is affecting most residents and businesses across the borough, particularly in the Manor Circus area, is portraying a negative image to the borough. By working better and more closely with partners, this could be avoided.
Started by: Seamus Joyce (on behalf of An Independent voice in Richmond )
This petition ran from 26/09/2023 to 26/12/2023.
Council response
The council have a Network Management duty under section 16 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, to ensure the expeditious movement of traffic on the authority's road network. The council also has a duty to coordinate all works on the borough network under section 59 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The council receive hundreds of permits each month from utilities proposing works and all these works have to be coordinated. However, the task is somewhat difficult as utilities also have powers to carryout ‘immediate urgent’, or ‘immediate emergency works’ without giving any prior notice to the council.
It is often these ‘immediate works’ that can lead to the conclusion there is not much coordination as these can often come in during planned works which are already in progress leading to traffic management conflicts and further disruption. Also, the council is a stakeholder when it comes to works on neighbouring road networks and on TFL’s road network, which runs through the borough. As a stakeholder the council can comment and raise concerns but the relevant highway authority remains responsible for approving and managing the works on their network.
The council also chairs a quarterly coordination meeting with all utilities and neighbouring highway authorities invited, where plans are shared and major projects discussed in order to explore collaboration and ultimately reduce disruption where possible. Other key stakeholders are also invited including the emergency services and London buses. Unfortunately, when reducing capacity on any road network to accommodate these necessary works disruption to traffic flows and journey times are often an unfortunate inevitable side effect.
Considering the TfL work on the A316 TLRN at Manor Circus, this is a critical and necessary deck maintenance project for the rail bridge. It was recognised that this would be a challenging project and in response, the Council convened and chairs an ongoing weekly project meeting attended by numerous parties including TfL and their contractors, London Buses and Council Officers.
Working in challenging urban environments often comes with the risk of being affected by unforeseen incidents. Unfortunately one arose at Manor Circus before Christmas when a Thames Water (TW) main was disturbed and damaged beyond repair, requiring TW to manufacture and instal new equipment. This has resulted in inevitable delays to TfL’s delivery programme. Through the weekly project meetings instigated by the Council we have been able to challenge working practices and help overcome day to day issues as efficiently as possible, such as the TW incident.
The meetings provide a forum where a number of benefits can be realised including expediting the works with a view to minimising network disruption both locally and more broadly across the borough. Positive outputs from these meetings have provided a number of real benefits including:
- Applying pressure on TfL to increase contractor site working hours to bring forward the completion date
- Ensure better communication/dissemination of information about the works with the public, ward Councillors and Officers
- Attending joint site meetings/walkabouts to aid issue identification and options for resolutions or mitigation
- Delivering ancillary temporary traffic measures to improve conditions on affected local roads including road closures, parking suspensions, the installation of no-idling engine signs throughout the immediate area and yellow box junctions and keep clear road markings at relevant junctions on the A316 to maintain traffic flow
- Creating opportunities for possible long-term traffic management improvements in Kew such as exploring the potential for permanent measures in Sandycombe Road
- Providing support to ensure the works progress as efficiently as possible, accepting this is a sensitive and challenging project
- Coordinated embargoes on all non-emergency road works in the surrounding area until completion of the more significant elements of the Manor Circus works
Signatures
359 people have signed this petition.
