Pavement width to be reduced by 2.45m, forcing pedestrians onto the road on a very busy bit of Edgware Rd

TfL are not happy with just selling off Shepherds Bush market to developers and quite possibly all ticket offices on the tube system but even the pavement used as public highway in highly dense locations like the Edgware Rd are up for sale, in the sale of the century.

The block along Edgware Rd which is affected is between Nutford Place and George St which has an extremely high footfall particularly at the end Ramadan. So much so that barriers have to be put along the Edgware Rd to stop people walking onto the busy road. Its clear that narrowing the pavements will put people’s lives at risk as local Traders like Pharmacist Mahmoud Abdul have suggested with petitions and appeals to the local council.

Which makes me wonder why are TfL selling off public highways that belong to the public so readily to developers like the Portman Estates?

Obstensively l am being told by TfL when l have enquired thate there was no overriding reason to prevent this being built on when the Great Portman Estate made the approach. This after an impact assessment by WSP suggests an overall improvement in the area of footway which is stands in sharp contrast to how traders and many users of the Rd will tell you. Indeed its not clear whether any public consultation has undertaken and indeed how much the land was sold for in the first place. So much so you have to wonder what regard TfL must have for pedestrians? Not very much is the clear measure from this instance. This all the while as it getting grateful publicity in the Economist for being pedestrian friendly.

It is time the Mayor got involved. After all this is being done under his mayoralty!