Ealing to receive major boost for transport improvements

People living, working visiting and travelling in Ealing will benefit from a range of projects delivered by local councils during 2007/08.

This includes improved town centres, better access to stations road renewal schemes, road safety projects, and schemes to reduce pollution through increased walking and cycling.

Ealing's allocation is part of a record £160m of funding announced for boroughs across the Capital.

Since the Mayor was first elected in 2000, funding for boroughs has almost doubled - this year's allocation shows a 92 per cent increase from 1999/2000.

It is part of the record-breaking five-year £792m programme for local transport schemes included in Transport for London's (TfL's) £10bn Investment Programme, and is an increase on the £765m previously announced.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "People in Ealing are benefiting from Transport for London funding, which is providing real, local travel improvements.

"All parts of our city, from the suburbs to the centre, are supported directly through this transport investment.

"This money will help to make millions of daily journeys more convenient and pleasant whether in a car, on foot, on a bus or by bike.

"By supporting transport spending in the boroughs over the past six years we have improved town centres, increased cycling by 72 per cent and approved more than 1000 travel plans to get children to and from school safely.

"I strongly encourage Ealing to continue discussions with TfL on the issue of the bus lanes in Northolt which currently at risk of suspension by the council.

"If a satisfactory conclusion cannot be reached on this, or any other proposed bus lane withdrawals in Ealing, then TfL may need to consider withdrawing funding in the borough."

London's Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: "This money should go directly towards improving transport for people in Ealing.

"We would greatly regret any withdrawal of funding should a satisfactory outcome not be reached over the issue of bus lanes in Northolt and elsewhere in Ealing.

"It is almost certain that suspension or steps towards the Northolt removals would impair the business case for the Petts Hill Bridge project, which has strong local support.

"Our prime concern is that alterations of the Northolt bus lanes would lead to the return of a declining bus service and reduced reliability for passengers. The same applies to reviews elsewhere in Ealing, for example in Southall.

"I welcome recent engagement and the prospect of new bus priority schemes elsewhere in Ealing but I must underline that as for all boroughs, Ealing Council must use today's allocation to support the delivery of the Mayor's Transport Strategy and assist TfL in delivering safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities and services within London"

Projects funded in Ealing for 2007/08 will include:

• £130,000 to be spent over three years on the improvement of walking links in Hanwell, including new footpaths, improved crossings and better lighting
• £50,000 to improve cycling conditions in Northolt on Church Road and Mandeville Road between the Target Roundabout and Eastcote Lane North, including the introduction of Advanced Stop Lines (ASLs) for cyclists, the redesign of pedestrian islands and construction of drop kerbs to improve station access
• £40,000 to improve pedestrian safety around Edward Bethan School in Greenford, as proposed in their School Travel Plan
• £202,000 for repairs to the surface of The Broadway (A4020) on the Uxbridge Road in West Ealing between Church Road and Ecclestone Road, improving safety and comfort for road users and minimising the need for disruptive works in the near future

• This is the first year the money allocated has been directly linked to borough Local Implementation Plans (LIPs). Each borough has been preparing a LIP showing how it proposes to implement the Mayor's Transport Strategy locally over the coming years
• While TfL awards funding for individual schemes, project delivery is the responsibility of the boroughs
• Attached is a table with a breakdown of funding for the borough by transport topic
• LIPs submitted by Islington, Croydon, Harrow, Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth, Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham, Lewisham, Merton and Kingston have all been approved by the Mayor; others are still pending
• Priorities for all Local Implementation Plans include:
  • Improving road safety
  • Improving bus journey times and reliability
  • Relieving traffic congestion and improving journey time reliability
  • Improving the working of parking and loading arrangements
  • Improving accessibility for all on the transport network
  • Encouraging walking and cycling
  • Bringing transport infrastructure into a state of good repair
• TfL has powers to provide financial assistance, described in the Greater London Authority Act 1999, section 159, conducive to safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities or services within Greater London. This includes the ability to set conditions for the receipt and/or return of TfL provided funding
• Definition of terms:
• Raised crossing - A raised crossing is essentially a speed table, with a pedestrian crossing installed across the flat section
• Speed table - A speed table is a broad speed hump
• School Travel Plan - A School Travel Plan is a package of measures, tailored to the needs of individual schools, to deliver alternative transport methods for the school run. The aim of a school travel plan is to reduce single occupancy car journeys for school travel, reduce congestion and increase safety around schools
• Toucan crossing - A Toucan (two-can) crossing provides both pedestrians and cyclists with a wide crossing area. Toucan crossings are usually four metres wide, rather than the standard 2.8m for a Pelican or Puffin crossing
• Advanced Stop Lines (ASLs) - Advanced Stop Lines are a set of white stop lines placed at traffic light junctions; they provide a safe area, ahead of the rest of the traffic, where cyclists can wait for the lights to go green