The Turnham Green consultation has begun - a "how to" guide...

It has finally happened. When we recieved confirmation a year ago we have patiently been pressing Transport for London and the Mayor of London to get a move on!

A lot of hard work took place since the campaign was taken up by the Southfield Liberal Democrats but here is a "how to" guide so you can get to the consultation and know what the key questions are.

• Questions 1 to 6 - these are to ask for your current use of the transport system include the tube

• Question 7 - a key question asking "Would you like the Piccadilly line to stop at Turnham Green?" I put YES unsurprisingly. I hope you do too.

• Question 8 - this is a very important question but it is a loaded one, stressing the negatives (which are not necessarily true) without giving the positive aspects. I put YES for this one.

• Question 9 - this is an open ended question about what you want to see improved about Turnham Green station. I talked about the need for better access for those who are disabled as well as the need for the Piccadilly line to stop there!

The Southfield Tunham Green contingent at City Hall

So to get to the survey click this link here!

It is crucial to get as many people as possible to complete the short two minute survey, as TfL might ignore the results saying not enough people were interested.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at > southfield@ealinglibdems.org.uk

Turnham Green consultation will begin on 27th August

For many years local residents in Chiswick have campaigned for the Piccadilly line to stop at Turnham Green station on a regular basis. The Liberal Democrats are the only party to campaign for this, year in, year out. Like a terrier we will not give up until residents get what they deserve. The other parties tend to only raise the matter in and around elections.

Councillors Andrew Steed and Gary Malcolm with
 Caroline Pidgeon at a TG demo

This morning, we have received confirmation that the consultation will start on 27th August. Those to be consulted will include Piccadilly line customers, Turnham Green station customers, residents, businesses and commuters.

There will be an online link which we will inform residents of nearer the time. If you want to be updated about this please email us at   southfield@ealinglibdems.org.uk

For many years we have been supported by Caroline Pidgeon, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the Greater London Assembly (GLA). She has been magnificent and with her assistance we have held meetings with Transport for London, who have not adequately explained why the wishes of Ealing and Hounslow residents have been ignored.

Councillors Rose and me petitioning

I have included some photos of the demonstrations we have held and the petition sessions organised to raise awareness of this important local matter.

The reasons for having the Piccadilly line stopping at Turnham Green are too many for a blog post but here are some:

• There have been a large number of developments (including the Chiswick Business Park and a lot of new housing) in this part of West London within twenty minutes walking distance, as well as housing developments that have been agreed by Ealing Council to proceed.
• It is too long to wait until the Piccadilly Line's major upgrade, given the state of the PPP review, to schedule new trains and new signaling. 

At City Hall with Caroline Pidgeon

And a few more reasons!

• The requirement to change trains for Piccadilly line users using Turnham Green means an increased journey time of up to 15 minutes. Many Chiswick residents drive to work because the journey time is quicker. The reduced journey time would make many leave their cars at home and use the tube. Public transport should have priority over cars given the need to reduce pollution.
• There are at least 6 million people who use Turnham Green station (Transport for London figures). This makes it one of the most used stations in the tube network outside Zone 1. Also many users of the Piccadilly line are tourists and whilst their needs should not be ignored, they should not take priority over workers in London.

And another set of reasons.....

At City Hall again, handing
 in our large petition

• Turnham Green has a narrow platform and forcing people to use the District line leads to serious congestion at rush-hour. 
• Late at night the lack of clarity as to when the Piccadilly line does stop at Turnham Green and drivers failure to make the appropriate announcements means that passengers sometime accidentally travel to Acton Town or Hammersmith.

Let's get the consultation started and ensure local residents' views are heard.