Sir,-We read your editorial and felt as two people who are campaigning to have this particular bus lane removed we would like to put our views.
Our campaign is not political, it has nothing to do with class and, like Dr Tonge, we have both been lucky enough to have lived in Kew for many years. We are also in favour of bus lanes and changes, so long as they work.
We agree with the editorial where it says that any change needs time to settle down' and the bus lane has now had the six months which was the period Transport for London initially set as the trial period.
As Transport for London set the period, they obviously believe six months is the time that any change needs to see whether or not it works. However, they have now changed the rules to a one year period.
From the first day the bus lane came into operation it increased congestion in the Kew area - we now have increased noise and air pollution because of the stationary traffic and more rat running around the side roads to avoid the long queues in Mortlake Road and Kew Road. As you state in your editorial, buses are now taking longer to get from Richmond to the other side of Kew Bridge - in fact eight minutes.
The bus lane has also adversely affected traffic coming north-south across the bridge because of the narrowing of the road lanes. This causes tailbacks to Chiswick Roundabout and Brentford.
We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from residents of Kew contacting Richmond upon Thames Council within the time limit for submissions. We are continuing to receive signatures and these will be forwarded to Transport for London and the Council.
The Transport for London slogan of Getting London Moving has not applied to Kew.-Fiona Prior and Jill Wilson-Brown, Kew Road, Kew.
Sir,-Your support for buses using Kew Bridge instead of affluent middle class motorists' is omitting the fact that the Ministry of Transport signs approximately 5000 heavy goods vehicles a day through Kew.
Kew Bridge being designated the only north/south bridge to carry heavy goods vehicles for the whole of the west side of London.
This is a vital artery and to jam it up with thousands of extra people using an enormous stadium right at the bridge is bad planning however exciting it might be.-Graham R Willis, Kew Road, Richmond.
Sir,-All I can say is thank goodness our local MP, Jenny Tonge, has her finger on the pulse of what's happening in her community because our local paper certainly doesn't.
You should be aware that the inconvenience to motorists is of minor concern compared to the pollution and danger this ridiculous experiment has already caused.
The permanent traffic jams are polluting large parts of Kew all the way down Mortlake Road and across Kew Green; and, even worse, are promoting speeding 'rat runs' on the deceptively quiet back roads.
A pedestrian has already been knocked down on the crossing at the junction of Mortlake Road, a direct result of a car turning illegally left to escape the gridlock.
How long do we have to wait for the failure of this experiment to be recognised? Until someone is killed, maybe? Stephanie Chilman, Kew.Sir,-Traffic in this great city of ours is unbelievably badly managed. I thought there was supposed to be some co-ordination by Traffic for London or some such body.
In which case which idiotic bureaucrat thought it would be a good idea to have road works reducing the A316 to one lane over Chiswick Bridge at the same time as road works on Barnes High Street?
Presumably the same halfwit that decided it would be sensible to reduce Kew Bridge to one lane by introducing a bus lane that has the effect of nearly doubling journey times along the Kew Road for both car drivers and bus passengers alike.
( Buses get caught up in the tailback along the Kew Road caused by the bus lane over Kew Bridge ).
Obdurately and contrary to any empirical evidence that must be evident to any sentient being, I read that this 'experiment' is to be continued for a further year.
Presumably in the hope that by then we will have got used to it. Complete madness.
So the upshot of all this - surprise surprise - when you reduce traffic flow on three main roads into the city - gridlock, pollution is increased and quality of life takes another dive.
The economic cost is incalculable and yet nobody knows who to blame. I would love somebody who is responsible for these decisions to come forward and say 'I made that decision because of such and such a reason', but probably we will never know which is a shame because I should be writing to him instead of the Times - or at the very least not voting for him.-Graham Ball Rosebank, off River Lane Petersham.
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