Local residents should not be asked to bear the brunt of the crossrail project

The Crossrail Paddington Community liaison Panel heard from contractors “BFK” last Wednesday night ( Western Lorry Routes presentation ) on how it intends to bring the tunnel segments for Crossrail into the Western Portal by a major number of lorry movements through neighbouring residential areas. That’s some 70 vehicles a day ( there and back ) for 18 months. This is contrary to the original understanding that it would all come in and out of the site by rail. This, when we already have issues about heavy lorries passing along Great Western Road and the Council has been asked to investigate issues raised by the tarmac cement site behind and on the side of the Westbourne Park garage.

I have heard complaints that very large bulk carriers from the tarmac cement site behind the Westbourne Park bus garage in Great Western Road used to have their raw materials delivered by rail; this has now stopped and been replaced by truck deliveries.  I am understanding of the fact that the contrators have a job to do, however, inflicting this sort of large articulated traffic 6 days a week until 10.00pm in a residential area is asking too much of residents to endure.

Also, in order to pass down Elgin Avenue and Chippenham Road to reach Harrow Road, they are crossing the canal bridge in Great Western Road which has a 7.5 ton prohibition on it. The outgoing cement trucks seem to have ignored this restriction for years, but this is now becoming even more frequent, so much so that there is evidence of damage to the road surface and corners.

 As planning does not cover this sort of activity, Crossrail will seek approval of the lorry routes under Schedule 7 of the Crossrail Act. This will include a request for exemption from a right turn ban at the Prince of Wales junction for segment deliveries.  But as my sister Cllr Papya Qureshi has commented, if granted, this exemption will ride roughshod over what is in fact a vital restriction on vehicle movements into her Westbourne Ward and others like Harrow Road & Bayswater. If large & heavy vehicles are made exempt, why not much smaller cars owned by local residents?

So look out for the Schedule 7 application to the City of Westminster to trigger alarm of lorry movements in the residential streets of Paddington during the Crossrail works.