A NEW RIVERSIDE DESIGN (part1)
In case you missed it, earlier this month the Council published a revised design for Twickenham Riverside. Details can be seen on the link below, including a video of their zoom meeting on 06 Jan with a presentation of the scheme from Chris Bannister (Hopkins Architects):
LBRuT Riverside Development web page
Here are our key thoughts:
Positives - the Water Lane building has been slimmed down to open up the vista towards the riverside. This has enabled the pavements to be widened and full two-way traffic on Water Lane. As a result, all motor vehicles accessing the East side of the Embankment and servicing Eel Pie Island can now exit the riverside via Water Lane. So there is no need for service road access or any vehicle movements along the riverfront. Hooray, you say.
Negatives - Hooray, we thought. Until we read the small print, and noticed the fine blue dotted line along the riverfront denoting a route for large trucks through the pedestrianised town square event area and the river activity space!!! What’s more the Council’s spiel promises a ‘car free’ riverside, but fails to mention the parking spaces for 5 vans/trucks to the West of EPI bridge and the new TRUCK ROUTE along the riverfront. The very same riverfront which was intended for pedestrians and cyclists only. ‘A Space for People…and Trucks’ could be LBRuT’s new strapline. Yes, really? Trucking Hell!
TRUCK ROUTE
We are very surprised by this new route for large trucks, especially since Hopkins Architects and their transport consultants WSP designed the area at the bottom of Water Lane for trucks of all sizes (including artics) to turn around and return up Water Lane. Our own specialist transport team (of an architect, civil engineer, highways consultant and transport and logistics consultant) have also confirmed that this is 100% achievable*. Not only that, but the exit onto King Street can be designed to be very much easier for trucks than the extremely tight exit from Wharf Lane (which often results in trucks either getting stuck on the bollard or major traffic congestion. Or both). If this very significant and damaging change is being made just to accommodate Iceland delivery trucks, other solutions are available. ie smaller trucks can deliver to Wharf Lane from King Street, and artics can deliver to the front of the store (outside busy hours) in the same way the Poundland do. The whole riverfront must not be re-designed to suit one retailer.
OK, you say, but there won’t be that many trucks, will there? Maybe not initially. But our concern is that that this will be the thin end of the wedge, and that once a ‘road’ suitable for massive trucks is incorporated in the riverfront design, it won’t be long before it’s used by medium and small trucks too, and vans, and cars and motorbikes... Inevitably parking will probably be reinstated along the riverfront when the Council administration changes (possibly as soon as May next year).
This would be a disaster for Twickenham Riverside and kill it dead as a major attraction for the town, its residents and visitors alike. The riverfront must be A Space For People Not Motor Vehicles
What Can You Do?
1. Respond to the Council’s Consultation. It’s open now, until Wed 03 Feb. Same link as above.
2. Attend the Council’s Zoom Presentation and Discussion on Sat 23 Jan at 11.00-12.30 (everyone welcome, registration required)
3. Let the Council Leader, the Riverside Cllrs and/or your local Cllr know what you think.
It’s not too late to tell the Council to TRUCK OFF ruining our riverfront.
Details of the Movement Plan, including the truck route, can be seen on the Council’s Zoom video after 13mins.
*More technical details of why the riverfront can, should and must be motor vehicle free will be issued shortly in part2 of this petition update.
#ParkNotCarPark
#ParkNotTruckRoute
#ASpaceForPeopleNotMotorVehicles
@TwRiversidePark