West London Orbital 2008 Update Document reference CS25605/D/1E Issue date 27 February 2008 © Capita Symonds Ltd 2008 Extracts may be reproduced provided that the source is acknowledged 24 – 30 Holborn London EC1N 2LX +44 (0) 20 7870 9300 Email:
[email protected] Foreword by Peter Handcock, West London Business West London hosts a large and diverse base of business clients, contributing £27 billion annually to the UK economy and employment to almost 750,000 people. West London accounts for approximately 17% of the output of Greater London. With Heathrow Airport, some of the biggest blue chip businesses in the world, and an important creative industries sector, West London possesses a number of unique factors that distinguish it from its neighbours and the rest of the UK. There is also a significant concentration of employment within the transport and logistics sector, particularly air transport, with excellent road links to all parts of Britain. Residents, employers and suppliers in West London all continue to rely on an overburdened road network to move around. There is growing concern that the increasing use of cars is not sustainable, but that car usage can only be discouraged if there is public transport infrastructure that can support the transport needs of West London and provide a genuine alternative to road travel. The present rail infrastructure provides good links to central London, and these are due to be improved with Crossrail. But for orbital trips the only alternatives to car travel are buses and cycling, which only cater for relatively short journeys. The coming decade could be a turning point in west London’s economic success story, if the sub-region’s strategic transport requirements are allowed to continue to drift in an unplanned way such that economic growth will be impaired.