How Southall motorists react to road closures
Fri 30 Dec 2022
The busy part of Beaconsfield Rd, Southall was closed due to urgent utility repair and maintenance works by Affinity Water. The actual road closure and work took place in front of Beaconsfield Primary School.
The work was scheduled to take place from 21 December 2022 to 3 January 2023. The actual work did not take long to complete but the bank holidays and the normal inactivity meant that nothing happened for around 6 days on a normally busy main road.
There were “Road closed” and diversion signs posted at the junctions of Abbotts Road and South Road.
Ever heard the one about "How many people does it take to change a light bulb?" Ninety-nine to watch and ONLY one to change it.
Roadworks (especially in Southall) are similar. One day to fix the problem, followed by a week/month siesta and finally one day to patch up the road. How many of these road works/closures would you put up with?
It did not take long for frustrated motorists to take things into their own hands. The flimsy "road closed" and diversion signs were easy to move, dismantle or kick. This is led to more motorists driving to the blockage point.
Sensible motorists would turn back when confronted with a "road closed" sign and the whole road blocked.
Southall motorists ignore such signs and start driving on the pavement, where residents are walking. Anyone putting up no entry cones to stop this, would see them removed within minutes.
Motorists were driving in both direction on a single pavement used by pedestrians. Many cars were seen doing this EVERY MINUTE.
ROAD CLOSURE - Beaconsfield Rd, #Southall
— VisitSouthall (@VisitSouthall) December 29, 2022
in front of Beaconsfield Primary School
TOTAL INCOMPETENCE by @affinitywater & @ealingcouncil
LOTS of motorist EVERY MINUTE driving on PAVEMENT
DANGEROUS for pedestrians@EalingCustSer When will @ealingcouncil wake up?@_petermason pic.twitter.com/nVLJOrlOVB
If the ask the motorists "Why are you behaving so stupidly?" Their response is because no one in authority (Ealing Council) is here to STOP US.
They won’t listen to you or me.
Who do you blame for this?
Just "Blame the motorist" is not going to solve the problem.
"It's got FA to do with the local authorities". You can’t blame Ealing Council and Affinity Water because they cannot enforce against this.
The pavements are the responsibility of Ealing Council. Affinity Water are the ones closing the road and putting up flimsy signs. Both have a responsibility to carry out the work responsibly and avoid unnecessary road closures.
Which motorist are you going to ask to behave responsibly?
Will that solve the problem?
"Whilst each driver here is showing a breath-taking level of self-entitlement, a general lack of enforcement has serious and potentially deadly ramifications."
"I don't for a minute condone what the drivers are doing there, but putting pedestrian lives at risk? Give over."
"While I cannot condone driving on the pavement, I would not like to fink on my neighbours like some on here."
Very busy road - day and night – no easy alternative
— VisitSouthall (@VisitSouthall) December 30, 2022
The actual work was done a week ago.
The road repair was carried out this morning.
A week’s siesta in between let the nutters out.#Southall residents are fed up of too many such repairs.@affinitywater @ealingcouncil pic.twitter.com/fhebCkFt8Q
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