That was the week that was
Story 154
This blog is focussed on the important rather than the urgent. It looks to the medium and long term and, more awkwardly, it tries to work out how we navigate from here to there.
I’m deep into a longer piece on what to do with Castlenau. I’ll publish it next week. Until then, I’ve updated my first proposal for a better Barnes: keep Hammersmith Bridge car-free, permanently.
I still don’t love that title but the alternatives are worse. Though I admit it’s tempting to test the Bugle’s Euro-credentials with a spot of (double) Dutch.
With one eye on that longer arc, there were plenty of smaller signals, stories, this week worth recalling..
Better towpath .. with added lighting, maybe
I had not realised there’s 17km of river towpaths in Barnes. Given Richmond is the only London borough on both sides of the Thames, perhaps I should have.
These paths are a gem, to borrow a phrase from a councillor at this week’s meeting of Richmond council’s Transport and Air Quality committee. They were discussing a new strategy for the towpaths.
I thought the councillors and officers managed this well, although others disagree.
The first step is to regularise the legal management of the paths. House-keeping but messy and necessary. Next: improve accessibility including a more even surface so it works for more people, more of the time. The towpath will feature again on Bridged.
The surprise was a detailed discussion about low-level lighting for the path. The council has already run trials. Bridged has argued for this as part of renewing The Terrace. Much more to come on that.
River buses - yes please
Passenger numbers on Uber’s river buses are 23% up over the last five years. The mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, made several points worth sharing, saying he sees the river buses as
.. effectively being the above-ground Tube.
We’ve got to think now about how we bring the rivers back into use. We’re now also working on a strategy to make the rivers more accessible, but also clean them up as well.
Bridged supported the current strategic focus on the east in the last decade. That is why these services end at Putney.
In the next phase, the Mayor and Transport for London need to look west. Restore Barnes Pier and introduce new river buses.
Londoners love members clubs
There are dozens of private members’ clubs across the city. Barnes has one at the Olympic.
Full disclosure: I’m a member. If you ever want to introduce yourself, I’m usually there on Friday afternoons. Say hello.
This Observer article, which should be free the first time you read it, provides a useful background on this sector.
Twenty’s plenty
If you’re thinking long-term, ideas like this become plausible. Richmond — and probably Barnes — has the space, the connections, and enough affluent residents to make experiments possible. Personally, I’d still rather have the river bus.
Back on the ground and the present, Evan Evan Davies from BBC Radio 4 and Dragons Den has a thoughtful piece on the politicis and psychology of 20mph speed limit.
The keen-eyed might have spotted a familiar face from Barnes Community Association Travel Barnes using a speed gun on The Terrace. When the results appear, I’ll share.
The Terrace remains central to Bridged’s view of the future of Barnes. A trial car-free afternoon during the next Boat Race is one of many ideas for this under-loved stretch of road. These car-free days are becoming normal in London now; the latest example was Regent Street.
bridge and Bridge
I keep an eye on Wandsworth Bridge because the changes there are the kind of thing Hammersmith Bridge would have endured — had it not been forced closed by structural problems in an era of climate stress.
The headline on FulhamSW6.com suggests the easy story, ‘growing opposition’ to a ‘meandering’ design. But the quotes tell the real one:
Growing opposition to council’s ‘meandering’ design for new layout
.. but there’s more to it than that.
Many non-Hammersmith and Fulham motorists have signed this petition because they object to facing fines if they use our residential roads as cut-throughs.
But local residents are overwhelmingly pleased that there are 15,000 fewer vehicles every day clogging their streets with noise and pollution.
So: who gets to decide how a road should function? And how much weight should belong to the people who live closest to it?
A follow-up chat with Nick Maini also reminded me to read footnotes properly. His post, Where did 25,000 vehicles go?, remains the clearest single account of the Hammersmith Bridge story I’ve seen online. But I’d missed something important: he references a 3-tonne weight limit when discussing possible “people mover” options. The stabilised bridge limit is actually 1.5 tonnes at present. As Maini notes here, the 3-tonne figure depends on a further review:
Following the Stabilisation Works, consideration will be given to the interim reopening of the road carriageway to special vehicle(s) which, at the time of writing, would be restricted to 3T GVW.
(H&F council) Freedom of Information request, 16th May 2022.
I am going to follow up with Hammersmith & Fulham council.
UKG and walking and cycling
Changes in the medium to longer term is often not possible without UK government (UKG) enabling or allowing,. Policy matters.
The UK Government is working on its latest walking and cycling policy. Active travel groups argue the draft needs far clearer targets — that the current plan is too vague. Remember, cars can drive us apart. Walking brings us together.
One other thing
I’ll end ith an email from Transport for London. Even if their Transport Wrapped was impressive - and I’m not convinced- it could never compete my Spotify Wrapped this year.
Apparently my listening age of 21.
Not a typo.
[Drops mic]