Public Engagement on Olympic Route Network – Traffic Order Group 15 Engagement Report April 2011 1 Contents Section Page 1 Executive Summary 3 2 Introduction 3 3 The Engagement Process 5 4 Responses from members of the public 8 5 Responses from statutory bodies and other stakeholders 12 6 Conclusion and actions from engagement 13 7 Appendices 14 A – Engagement Materials B - Distribution Area C – Stakeholder List 2 1 Executive Summary A three week engagement exercise for Traffic Order Group 15 in the London Boroughs of Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham was held between 8 March and 12 April 2011. 125 letters were sent to key stakeholders and approx 15,852 local residents and businesses within c. 400m radius of the Olympic and Paralympic Route Networks (ORN and PRN) 36 people attended the four drop in sessions 40 responses were received via email, website, telephone and drop in session feedback forms. Responses included concerns about the impact of the proposals on general congestion and resulting pollution, negative impact on local businesses, the impact of the banned right turns from the A40 into Savoy Circus and Old Oak Common Lane and the impact the proposals may have on emergency services. TfL has considered the feedback received back from this exercise, and is taking it into account in developing the detailed designs. In particular, concerns were made about the proposed closure of Coronation Road Bridge between Park Royal and the A40 Western Avenue and the potential impacts this closure would have on the Park Royal Industrial Estate. In response, TfL’s technical team have looked again at this area and decided the Park Royal Industrial Estate entrance and exit would be reopened to general traffic. However, in order to mitigate the impact on the ORN the signals at this location are proposed to be on a minimum green time. In addition, the proposed westbound Games Lane on the A40 Western Avenue will be removed between Old Oak Common and the A4000 Wales Farm Road. LOCOG have made a recent request seeking an uplift of Games Lane operational times on the A40 to 06:00 to 00:00 (midnight), to coincide with the latest competition times. The A40 Games Lanes for this TOG will include a modification of hours from 06:00 to 23:00 to 06:00 to 00:00 (midnight). 2 Introduction 2.1 Purpose Transport for London (TfL), acting as the delivery partner on the ORN and PRN for the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), has been engaging local residents and stakeholders on the temporary changes to the way the roads can be used in their local area. 3 This engagement aims to identify concerns and unforeseen issues and consider potential solutions to these when finalising the designs. It is carried out in advance of a formal statutory consultation that will take place as part of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process which is required to introduce many of the changes. TfL proposes to engage on TROs in phases to ease the absorption of detailed information. There are five phases in total and this process has to be completed by November 2011 to ensure that the ORN/ PRN can be constructed before the Games. This report covers the section of the ORN known as TOG 15, which falls into phase one of the ORN and PRN engagement. TOG 15 covers roads within the London Boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It was agreed with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that no public engagement was needed for the elevated section of the A40 Westway that fell within their borough. 2.2 Background The ORN and PRN is a network of roads linking all the competition and key non- competition venues for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The roads that will be used for the ORN and PRN were formally designated by the Secretary of State for Transport in summer 2009. The ORN will enable key participants, such as athletes, officials and media, to travel safely, securely and efficiently between venues and their accommodation, while also keeping London and the rest of the UK moving. The ORN is required along Westway/ the Western Avenue (A40) to link central London to the Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena Olympic competition venues. The temporary changes that will be needed to operate the ORN have been developed in agreement with the local authorities listed above. These proposed changes are likely to operate from mid July to mid August 2012. The proposed measures consulted on are: Offside Games Lanes on eastbound and westbound parts of the A40 (proposed from 6am – 11pm) No right turn (except buses)into Old Oak Road from the A40 eastbound direction Closure of one lane on the A40 eastbound approach to the Hanger Lane gyratory Closure of Coronation Road bridge between Park Royal and the A40 Western Avenue Closure of slip road (on the westbound approach to Hanger Lane) 4 3 Stakeholder Engagement The engagement exercise was designed to enable TfL to share the details of the proposed changes so people on or near the routes could find out how they might be affected. This would allow TfL to understand local opinion about the measures. The potential outcome of this process is that TfL modifies the scheme in response to issues raised during this engagement exercise. 3.1 Engagement objectives The objectives of the consultation were: To give stakeholders and the public information about the proposals and allow them to respond To understand any issues that might affect the proposal of which we were not previously aware To understand concerns and objections To allow respondents to make suggestions 3.2 Who we engaged with The engagement exercise sought the views of targeted stakeholders and people who live/work/run businesses on or near to the ORN in this TOG area: Elected politicians - We informed councillors in relevant Wards, Members of Parliament, and Assembly Members to ensure they were aware of the engagement Local stakeholders - We engaged with local traffic police, London Travel Watch and a range of local stakeholder groups, such as residents groups, business groups and organisations in the local area . Residents and businesses Emergency Services A list of the stakeholders we engaged with is shown in Appendix C. 3.3 Engagement methodology A public engagement plan was developed in collaboration with Council officers and a number of meetings took place to discuss and agree an appropriate consultation approach. This was also supported with email and telephone correspondence on a regular basis. 5 A variety of methods have been used to inform local residents and businesses about the engagement and to encourage them to take part. 3.3.1 Meetings with key stakeholders The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and TfL have extensively engaged with relevant council officers about the detailed design of the ORN measures since the publication of the network in 2006. This includes regular technical meetings, conferences, the Olympic Transport Plan and the borough transport forum. The ODA made the locations of the temporary Games Lanes across London and the rest of the UK public in July 2010. Prior to this launch a number of political and key stakeholder briefings took place This was followed by a consultation on the re-designated route and Penalty Charge Notification Levels in Summer 2009 Regular engagement has taken place with the emergency services, in particular with the Metropolitan Police during the design process and comments have been incorporated into latest designs. A presentation was given at the East Acton Ward Forum in November 2010. This was an opportunity to communicate general messages about the ORN/PRN, including the location of the Games Lanes. The audience were also informed that public engagement was likely to take place in early 2011 which would involve drop in sessions. Members of the audience included East Acton Ward Councillors and local residents. In March 2011, and prior to any public activity, written correspondence was sent to local politicians and key stakeholders in the area informing them of the temporary changes as well as the public engagement exercises in the local area. 3.3.2 Letter A letter detailing the key changes was delivered by a mail delivery agency to 15,852 properties along the route and by post and email to targeted stakeholders listed in Appendix C. The letter: provided an overview of the key temporary changes signposted people to the dedicated microsite containing detailed maps encouraged people to attend drop-in sessions where they would be able to ask questions and/or find out additional information asked people to provide comments on the proposed temporary changes and respond using TfL’s on-line consultation tool and by emailing, writing or telephoning. A copy of this letter is shown in Appendix A and a map of the distribution area can be found in Appendix B. 6 3.3.3 Web microsite A dedicated microsite displayed the extent of the route concerned and allowed users to click on to detailed maps that showed the proposed changes. The site included an on-line consultation tool for instant feedback. 3.3. 4 Public drop-In sessions Four drop in sessions were held: The Ramada Encore Hotel, 4 Portal Way W3 6RT o 4pm – 8pm on 23 March o 10.30am – 1pm on 25 March White City Community Centre, India Way W12 7QT o 4pm – 8pm on 1 April o 10.30am – 2.30pm on 2 April 23 people attended the Ramada Encore (Ealing) sessions. 12 people attended the White City (Hammersmith) sessions. Each drop in session comprised: a display stand explaining the purpose of and background to the Olympic and Paralympic Route Networks large area maps of the section involved and proposed maps large scale maps showing the proposed measures in detail (reproduced on the web microsite) Drop in session attendees were able to engage with the design specialists to gain a better understanding of the proposals and the Games in general.