Ealing Council leader Peter Mason officially opened the Merrick Road Footbridge, in Southall, on Thursday 1st December 2022.

He was joined by deputy leader and cabinet member for climate action, Deirdre Costigan, the Let’s Go Southall initiative, the local community, Transport for London (TfL), and other partners in Southall to mark the opening.

The new more secure bridge replaces an older one which was demolished in 2017 and reopens a vital route across the railway right next to Southall Station.

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The new bridge includes the installation of cycle rails on the steps to make it easier to wheel bikes up and down the stairs. New lighting and CCTV coverage will also make the route safer for people using the bridge.

There are also plans to introduce lifts and disabled access but no date has been supplied and will come after some other work being carried out at the same location.

The project is funded by Ealing Council with support from the Mayor of London, and partners. Councillor Mason said: "A bridging loan from the GLA,has helped us get the project off the ground."

At the event, local cyclists from Let’s Go Southall joined Councillor Mason on the first trip across the footbridge after the official opening.

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Councillor Mason said: "Great privilege and the honour of being a councillor right here in Southall and wards that will be connected by this fantastic bridge."

"This is a long-awaited moment. It is not easy to build a bridge over a railway. The project has taken seven years, since our original decision in 2015, right up till today."

"Soon enough, this small little area, will be opened up even more to create an absolutely fantastic landing on this side of the bridge. This is going to join up Old Southall with New Southall, north and south, and it is going to be a really important and incredible connection for walking and cycling in this town."

"We set out just a few months ago, Southall Reset Programme, which is fundamentally about ensuring that we make Southall the place it needs to be. Not a dormitory town that ends people off on Crossrail to Central London to well paid jobs from expensive tower blocks."

"But a place in its self, where people come to when they come off Crossrail. Where we are able to move around the community, where we think pf ourselves, as we always have done, as one community together. More accessible, more open, able to cycle, walk, enjoy the incredible town that is around us."

"The project has mainly been funded by Ealing Council, but we are incredibly pleased to have had a bridging loan from the GLA, that has helped us get the project off the ground."

"We rely on everybody, we rely on our partners, we rely on developers, we rely on businesses, but most importantly we rely on you, the community who are ultimately going to use this fantastic bridge. We are working together to build a better Southall and I thank you very much for being here today."

An individual that has been taking an active part in the Let’s Go Southall initiative said, it has taken 7 years to REPLACE a bridge and it STILL has no disabled access (for people like me). This is "discriminating against people in push chairs."

Cllr Mason also said: "The next phase will see a lift installed, as well as even better public squares opened up at either end."

No one was able to supply any dates.

Soon afterwards, residents on social media were asking: "Does it have a ramp for wheelchairs/prams/ mobility scooters or those of us who can't do lots of steps?"

"Took kids there now and closed."

Peter Mason tweeted; "I’m told that there’s a final electricity inspection for health & safety reasons happening right now. Shouldn’t be much longer."

Took longer than that. The footbridge was not open even on the following day.