CONSTITUENCY MATTERS
LABOUR’S arrogance is the cause of residents’ anger on “Covid” traffic schemes.
Over the weekend, protests have erupted across Ealing about the latest “Covid” traffic schemes which have included the ten Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTNs), where the Labourrun council has put up temporary cones and “flower pot” concrete blockades to force traffic diversion.
The original intention is to encourage walking and cycling, and therefore reduce air pollution and obesity – a leading health condition that worsens the effects of Coronavirus.
Yet, my inbox is full of emails from furious residents sending me photos of their nightmare commute experiences. A petition currently going around about the opposition to this scheme has almost amassed 5000 signatures. One resident told me it took him an hour to get through South Parade (next to Acton Green) to Chiswick High Road which normally is a three-minute journey!
A simple consultation letter and liaising with neighbouring boroughs who were also planning similar schemes would have avoided some badly designed schemes that caused such chaos across Ealing (and other parts of London). Yet, due to a combination of self-imposed urgency and arrogance, they couldn’t even be bothered with that.
This arrogance is astounding - but frankly far from shocking: years of absolute majority in Ealing council has made this undesirable attitude in a democracy ingrained in Labour’s DNA.
Will it reduce pollution? Arguable, possible. Did it cause massive disruption and anger among residents? Definitely!
Introducing such schemes will always be controversial. The key is how to bring residents together with you, not against you, on such proposals.
The Ealing Council leader’s woeful response on BBC News was the textbook example of how not to respond in a PR crisis.
He was dismissive of residents’ anger and their experiences, and adamant that such unpopular measures will not change. The “if-you-don’t-likeit, so-be-it” attitude is toxic in any democracy.
In contrast, Ealing Liberal Democrat councillors are actively sending letters to our ward constituents about their views on these types of issues, written to multiple local media outlets regarding our concerns, and requested a formal review on the decision-making process.
The council is intending to have a six-month trial period on some of these schemes. Local Liberal Democrats believe this period needs to shorten, along with an evidence-based approach in collecting quantitative and qualitative evidence during the trial period.
There is no transparency in how the council will monitor whether a scheme has been successful. It appears that they may just use the data they publish to prove what they want people to see. That is why being open and transparent is so important.
Examples include actively monitoring pollution levels from congestion or otherwise in key diversions and calculating whether more people decided to walk or cycle instead.
Is Wandsworth clear cut scrapping of the scheme the way to go?
I am not sure. I am a keen cyclist, and support evidencebased projects that create a safe, environmentally friendly environment for Londoners to cycle in the city.
Only by proper consultation can
well-planned and sustainable projects be with us long term.
But it is clear there needs to be an urgent review - and a change in attitude by the Labour administration that puts listening and humility at the heart of their agenda.