A road traffic incident involving a pedestrian and a vehicle near Lido Junction in West Ealing has raised concerns and claims from locals and campaigners that Ealing Council and Transport for London is not doing anything to make the junction area safe.
During the early afternoon on Friday (2 February 2024), an incident occurred near the junction which saw police close Uxbridge Road in West Ealing going towards Ealing Broadway as emergency services attended the incident.
In a statement, Met Police said: “At about 1:30pm on Friday 2 February, Police and the London Ambulance Service were called to the Uxbridge Road, near the junction with Chapel Road following reports of a collision involving a lorry and a pedestrian. The pedestrian, a woman in her 70s was treated at the scene by the London Ambulance Service before being transported to a west London Hospital. She is believed to be in a critical but stable condition. Next of kin have been informed.”
Thery added: “The air ambulance was called to the location to assist. A police investigation is underway. A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and has subsequently been released under further investigation. Road closures were in place however they have now been lifted. If you were a witness to this incident or have dash-cam footage of the incident please call 101 and quote police reference 3629/02FEB24
Make Uxbridge Road Safe! says the council and Transport for London has been ignoring the issue of the junction for years.
A spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned about yet another serious road traffic incident near Lido Junction on the Uxbridge Road, West Ealing. Our sympathies go out to those affected.”
The group was formed after former police officer Claudia Manera was killed when she was knocked from her bike by the driver of a lorry near Lido Junction in West Ealing in October 2017.
They added: “Since the tragic death of Claudia Manera at this junction in 2017, we have made repeated calls on both Ealing Council and Transport for London to take urgent action to make this notoriously dangerous junction safe. Sadly, our calls have gone unanswered.”
Since the death of Ms Manera, there have been a number of further incidents along the road. These include a female pedestrian suffering life-changing injuries after being struck by the driver of a lorry in March 2020 and a schoolgirl being knocked down by the driver of a van in 2021. Both incidents took place on West Ealing high street.
The spokesperson added: “Despite the council and TfL saying the junction would be overhauled as part of the West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhoods scheme, not a single element of the junction has been improved in the past seven years. We are staggered at the lack of action. It is not a case of ‘if’ another person will be killed or seriously injured at this junction, but ‘when’.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, leader of Ealing Liberal Democrats Councillor Gary Malcolm said: “Lib Dems say where there are junctions with higher deaths or near misses the council and TFL need to be proactive in find ways to reduce problems whether that be re-engineering or signage or other solutions. Lib Dems want a safer Ealing.”
Ealing Green Party chair Neil Reynolds told EALING.NEWS: “Yesterday’s serious incident is another depressing reminder of Ealing Labour’s failure to put people’s safety first on the Uxbridge road.”
Mr Reynolds added: “The council should frame any proposal about reducing casualties, and reducing car journeys to make our air healthier. They have more than enough time to save lives and improve health. The best time to act was before a serious incident, the next best time is now.”
Campaigners say the council’s latest draft Local Plan includes proposals for the Uxbridge Road to be made safer by improving crossings and installing cycle lanes but they say there is no commitment about when the changes will be implemented.
In a previous interview with EALING.NEWS, Andy Hillier, co-founder of Make Uxbridge Road Safe! said: “To date, the council has failed to produce any designs for an improved Lido Junction in West Ealing, despite spending more than £1.6m on consultation and design on the West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhood scheme. Neither has any overall design proposal for the Uxbridge Road ever been produced, despite the council commissioning separate audits from consultants Sustrans and Urban Movement.”
Mr Hillier added: “The council seems to be happy to spend money on consultants and consultations but then do little with the findings. Yet, audit after audit and consultation after consultation all point to the same conclusion: the Uxbridge Road is unsafe and requires urgent attention.”
Make Uxbridge Road Safe! say the council is not using opportunities to improve and upgrade Uxbridge Road and has highlighted how the council gave permission for works to be carried out to the traffic signals outside the Marks & Spencer crossing in Ealing Broadway.
According to Make Uxbridge Road Safe!, Ealing Council didn’t make any physical upgrades to the crossing itself but caused inconvenience to pedestrians and road users while the works required closing crossings and installing temporary traffic lights.
Mr Hillier said: “We have previously informed the council about residents’ concerns about this crossing. We’ve heard reports of wheelchair users almost falling out of their chairs because of the steepness of the ramps. Parents also struggle to fit their pushchairs on the narrow islands. The recent works presented the council with a unique opportunity to make much-needed changes but, sadly, once again it failed.”
Make Uxbridge Road Safe! is calling on Ealing Council to action its commitment to overhaul Lido Junction and put in place a comprehensive plan for the entire road. It wants to see a plan detailing the junctions and crossings that require urgent action as well as deadlines for the completion of the work and the group says this should be completed by the end of 2023.
In a previous statement to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “Safety along Uxbridge Road is of high priority to the council, as is creating sustainable highways and tackling climate change. We aim to make the streets and environment safer and healthier for everyone, including cyclists and pedestrians.
“TfL have allocated a grant of £7 million towards the West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhood (WELN) programme, specifically to improve safety along Uxbridge Road. This grant is released as and when design, consultation and implementation takes place. £1 million has been allocated to the design and consultation process to date. As partners in the WELN, Make Uxbridge Road Safe! campaigners have been kept informed and engaged on this activity and will continue to take part in reconvened meetings due to start in the new year.
“The WELN programme was paused for 2.5 years during Covid, and this impacted on improvements to the Lido Junction as well as other improvement activity.
“Uxbridge Road, where it passes through Ealing, is 11km in length, therefore works happen in phases to allow the road to continue to operate. Work completed and currently underway include:
- Continuing to implement a high quality cycle route, sections of which have already been implemented from Ealing Common to Acton and the Iron Bridge to Southall Park.
- Hanwell Bridge to Iron Bridge will begin design and implementation in 2023/24
- Junction modification at Lido Junction with Northfields Avenue – consultation currently underway with TfL to consider impacts on pedestrians, cyclists, buses and traffic.
- Crossings to enhance pedestrian safety along West Ealing and at Lido Junction.”
