OK - we've been grumbling for months now about the weekend Jubilee closures, the Overground closures - but it was still possible, with a bit of careful plannng, to get about - however this weekend it became totally impossible!
Transport for London, in its infinite unwisdom, decided to resurface and close Finchley Road southbound for the weekend. All the Finchley Road traffic then diverted to Fortune Green Road (see pic for the amazing site of buses nose to tail opposite the police station!)I tried my usual escape route in time of crisis - bus to Golders Green and then the Northern Line - wrong decision! No Northern Line and replacement buses crawling all the way up past the Bull and Bush to Hampstead (and then to Euston)!
Add to this Thames Water's Stop/Go lights in West End Lane and almost everything was at a standstill! Definitely a weekend for staying at home! Is someone punishing West Hampstead for something? If this carries on I shall be forced to move south of the river!
The crazy thing was that all the Finchley Rd southbound traffic was being diverted down Fortune Green Rd into West End Lane, where there is temporary traffic lights due to more roadworks (a small hole in the ground!). This was really bad planning. I don't know why TfL didn't just put a contraflow on Finchley Road like a few months back when there was a burst water main. Not impressed!
ReplyDeleteTfL argue that local councils shouldn't take a bigger role in transport issues because they lack the strategic overview necessary for cross borough matters.
ReplyDeleteAs this weekend proved though - TfL are completely incapable of strategic overview itself. Doing the works on the Finchley Road on the same day as a closed Northern Line, closed overground, the extra rail replacement services clogging up the streets, and two sets of traffic lights on West End Lane (outside the library - and at the top of Abbey Road) was bonkers.
I saw a huge articulated lorry turning into Lithos Road because of the road closure - I don't know how long it took to get out but it wouldn't have been pretty. A contraflow would have been much, much better. I'll be writing to them to make this point.
Looks like we need to add on a few more points to the NW6 transport petition (see http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/jubilee-overground-closures/)