Forum Topic

Beware!

Hartington Road in Chiswick is a definite no-go area.  If you ever used the route Barnes/Mortlake/A316/Chiswick Bridge and turned first left towards the M4, you cannot use it any longer. It is a route we have followed for over 30 odd years. You can, however, use it if you are coming from the M4 towards the A316.The signage is dreadful and not obvious, particularly as the trees cover the signs, which are confusing and appalling!  There is now a sign on the A316 indicating that, as from 320 yards from the turning, no motor vehicles are allowed to continue.  There are no entry signs anywhere!!! The problem is that there are ANPR cameras within those 320 yards photographing your vehicle and PCNs are issued.We learnt this the hard way my husband got a PCN.  We are told that any response to appeals from Hounslow Council could take up to three months...  I drove to it on the day we received the PCN and Waze and Google maps did tell you to use the road...  And the signage was really not clear.The residents in Chiswick have really protested in a consultation survey about this and 87% of the respondents said they were against it.  Unfortunately, one of the Councillors said that "this is not a democracy".  ?????

Ivonne Holliday ● 1607d15 Comments

I keep hearing an e-bike food delivery service being advertised.  I wonder how those bikes are classified?

Philippa Bond ● 1606d

You are right Phillipa Steptoes horse and cart is ok.

Andy Pike ● 1606d

I wish they would do much more to catch and fine speeding drivers as there is far too much of that through residential streets.  There are plenty of roads marked 20mph now - signs which you would have to be blind to miss - yet many cars still go much faster.  Many are just using them as shortcuts driving straight through aided by satnavs.There was a nasty accident in another part of London where a speeding driver actually drove crossing over onto the wrong side of the road to avoid speed cameras and hit someone so the placement of these cameras needs to be carefully considered.  There have been extra warning signs up and apparently someone kept tipping them over as there was someone constantly replacing them.With Hartington Road I understand you can go one way but can't return the way you came.  Restrictions are also often just for motor vehicles and not all vehicles.

Philippa Bond ● 1607d

I don't know if I am right, but thought  just past the marina on the signs says residents only. But would not have thought all the cars that have been mentioned would go down Hartington Rd anyway, as there are bollards you have to go slow past. It might be a bit busy before the restrictions with cars going into the Sports Club. Also another sports site now being built on the right side.

Barbara Stevens ● 1607d

Good idea.  A friend of mine was caught on this one. I believe satnav companies were told - so if they are not warning you of restrictions then they are just not working for you. It is better not to rely on them completely and if you've been caught complain to the satnav company.It is also well worth refreshing knowledge of road signs (see the Hounslow info Matt has given above) and we've already discussed some of this on the Putney website. It is also important to refresh on road signs.

Philippa Bond ● 1607d

Good morning Matt,Yes, my husband's colleagues sent us this link yesterday.As for the number of cars, I find that difficult to believe.  That road was never busy when we used to use it (fair enough, it was not during rush hour, it was before the closure of Hammersmith Bridge and we used it mostly during weekends).But I would take the number of cars mentioned by the Council with a pinch of salt, perhaps a mountain if salt?The timing of it all is rather suspicious too!  We went into lockdown in March 2020.  Not much moved then. The measures were slightly eased in June/July when we were asked to "eat out to help out".  There was another lockdown shortly afterwards and the LTNs were introduced in August 2020.Fast forward to December 2020, people were still working from home (not using many roads?), air travel had virtually stopped so not much traffic going to Heathrow? I cannot remember when schools went back.  The measures in Hartington Road came into effect on 7 December 2020 and we went into another lockdown around 18 December? Were there 8,000 cars a day from March to December 2020? Even with the closure of Hammersmith Bride, I find it difficult to believe that statistic.It is surprising that the Council is disregarding the consultation with residents which showed some 87% against the new measures....

Ivonne Holliday ● 1607d

I don't want to discuss the merits of this as I not very familiar with the area (although I seem to remember a friend using that route in the 1970a to drive to a riverside pub). The main problem seems to be the clarity of signage; perhaps at the start of these restricted sections and at the point the ANPRs are located there should be some road markings, I'd suggest big red crosses or stripes (in the same way box junctions are indicated by the use of yellow crosses)?Alternatively, rather than ban unregistered vehicles and fining them them the ANPRs could be used to charge a toll - anywhere between £1 and £10, perhaps determined by time of day or vehicle type (discounts for delivery vans, Ubers, taxis, etc)? Up to 8,000 cars a day should assist council finances?

Michael Ixer ● 1607d

Good morning Heather,I agree, it is all very messy indeed!  The sign you mention I saw in one of the photographs of the PCN.  It is not one you would see when driving towards the roundabout just beyond Chiswick Quay.I am not too sure how to inform Google Maps about this and am not too sure they would listen to us.  I suppose it is a question of finding out and see if they accept our information.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1607d

There's some info belowhttps://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20053/transport/2181/south_chiswick_liveable_neighbourhood/38,000 cars a day is a lot!

Matt Palmer ● 1607d

Ivonne, thank you for raising this.  My husband got a fine some time ago from this, when it first started.  By the time it arrived he had used this route about 6 further times as it is (was) his morning commute out west via the M4.  Fortunately we only got one fine, but it was a worrying few days!  His observation when we worked out the signs was that the only one on his approach road was on the wrong side of the road as you approach a roundabout (when it would be dangerous to look around you rather than focus on the junction ahead).  It might be better signed now.  I think it is a deliberate ploy if google maps still hasn’t been informed of the change, and I wonder if that is an update we can give them ourselves?

Heather Christie ● 1607d

It is annoying Ivonne, because sometimes  we would come out of the marina and go for a ride up to Kew Bridge and come back Richmond way. Especially when the virus was bad just to get out.

Barbara Stevens ● 1607d

Thank you Barbara.But, as you said, you go there about once a week.We had not been there since before the first lockdown!  When I drove my husband there asking him to follow Waze (Google maps on my computer took us to that route), it did not mention any "prohibition" nor did it highlight cameras (which it did as we approached the camera slightly before the bridge).The signs on the A316 on 27 August 2021 were one behind the other so I saw only one (we went to Dukes Meadows last week and they were separated by a good yard or two).But driving up Hartington Road, the signs were iffy even if we were looking for them; some were covered by tree branches.  There was not a single "no entry" sign anywhere to be seen.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1607d

True Ivonne, the other half has been having a good hose down on the boat. But we do go once a week to make sure all OK. Also they are filming there from tomorrow, a new series call Emerald, as they said it was the only Marina that looked like one in Ireland. There also filming in one of the properties. Sorry Ivonne doesn't help you, hope you get it sorted. I might be talking out of my bottom, but I am sure a few months ago some people were fed up and had cut the wires to the camera's, I think it was on one of the other forums Chiswick etc.

Barbara Stevens ● 1607d

There are signs Barbara, if you are looking for them.There is a sign on the A316, but there is no sign of "prohibition" (meaning no entry sign) beyond that.We are not the only ones protesting about this.  My husband asked some colleagues about this and they were protesting about it for more than 20 minutes. The main complaint was that the signs were not easily seen or clear.Apparently, Hounslow Borough has reaped over £2.0m in fines.......When I drove there with my husband, we were looking for signs.  Yes, there is one on the A316 which I do not know if it existed when he drove past it.  There was a sign of cameras operating on the ground within the 320 yards of supposedly "free road"... I drove past Chiswick Quay (apparently the 320 yard boundary) and there were signs (as we were looking for them) but none showing prohibition.  In fact, it was a yellow sign saying you could not go beyond.  But we were looking for them!!  I turned right on Cavendish Road onto Spencer Road till we reach Grove Park Road where we stopped to have a coffee.  My husband walked to Hartington Road from there and there were no signs.  We then drove back to Cavendish Road to turn left to Hartington Road and there were no obvious signs either way.The main problem you had was that the branches from the trees on Hartington Road covered most of the signs (you could not see them either from the pictures taken from the ANPR camera - it was all luscious green!!!You go there regularly so you would know.  We had not been there since before the lockdown and were not looking for signs, just following a route!!!

Ivonne Holliday ● 1607d

Ivonne, it's very clear going over Chiswick Bridge, then turning left into Hartington Rd, there are loads of signs and somebody has even drawn a dick on one of them. Our marina is just before you can't go any further. The large Sports centre is on the right. Don't know what it is like coming from Kew Bridge to Hartington Rd.

Barbara Stevens ● 1607d