Ealing retailer worried shop will not survive low traffic move

Ealing’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods [LTNs] could be in place until August next year as changes to the trials have been approved by the council’s cabinet, but one convenience store owner fears his shop won’t survive until then due to the scheme’s impact on trade.

Ricky Singh, who owns Jay’s Superstore in the hotly contested West Ealing South trial zone known as LTN21, said many residents in the area “don’t come anymore” as they can’t drive and park nearby due to the series of barriers affecting his location on Midhurst Road.

During the first lockdown, Ricky says the shop was “very busy” and even ran free deliveries for elderly people to their homes. But since the trial began in late August, the businessman of 15 years feels there’s been a big impact from the traffic changes.

On Tuesday, December 8, Ealing’s cabinet approved reforms to the schemes across the borough, including to remove all bollards to allow emergency service access, and exemptions for blue badge holders within their own LTN.

The law requires the new traffic order to begin now, and due to disruption of the mayoral elections next May, this means the trials could run until July or August next year.

But Ricky said: “I don’t think we would still be here then, I can’t see myself here. It was just because of the support of people we were surviving, but I don’t see a choice here.”

Amongst a group of residents stood braving the cold by diagonal LTN barriers separating Woodstock Avenue and Mayfield Avenue, some feel uneasy that the bollards are being replaced with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras by the end of January, saying it will feel like “Big Brother” is watching.

Others also point out that no exemptions will be given for pharmacy deliveries or district nurse visits which they say many residents in the area use.

LTNs support group, Better Ealing Streets, welcomed the interim assessment by Ealing Council, adding: “Important stuff, good to see ANPR access for blue badge holders is being recommended.”

But in the crunch meeting of Ealing’s cabinet, Lib Dem opposition leader Gary Malcolm warned the changes do not go “anywhere near far enough” and called for key workers and carers to also be exempt from the road blocks.

Cllr Malcolm also said there are “too frequently” cases where 10-minute car journeys are now taking over an hour in the borough at least three months into the process.

He said: “Three months is more than enough time for residents to work out if they can do more affordably, they can go quicker on public transport, cycle or walk to do what they need to do…and many people haven’t found an alternative that is suitable for them.

“Therefore there is no real way of addressing this in the report and it doesn’t go far enough.”

The changes which come as part of the interim assessment of the scheme, will impact more than 20,000 households who live within LTNs.

Transport cabinet member Jasbir Anand said “nothing is off the table” for the future of the schemes and that changes being made to the trials showed the council’s commitment to responding to evidence and feedback.

“We know from the feedback that residents remained concerned about emergency services access to their homes,” she said.

“I hope that in making these changes we will be able to demonstrate we can address some of the most commonly raised concerns about the trial while also keeping the benefits that many have seen from them.”