FOI request detail

Hospital Bridge Road

Request ID: FOI-2122-2223
Date published: 15 December 2022

You asked

My request relates to the two sets of traffic lights on Hospital Bridge Road, at the lights located on A316 and Percy Road - both in Whitton, Twickenham. 1) Has Richmond council made any request to have the phases altered in the past 5 years - if so can I have the details 2) Has Richmond Council made any requests in relation to changing the geometry of the A316 roundabout and building a new surface crossing next to the church. In the past 5 years, and have any requests been made since the planning permission was granted to Turing House School? What is the correct route for council to request changes? The LIP funding process - or is there another one?

We answered

Our ref: FOI-2122-2223/GH

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 25 November 2022 asking for information about Hospital Bridge Road.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.

1) Has Richmond council made any request to have the phases altered in the past 5 years - if so can I have the details

Transport for London and LB Richmond officers have regular communications on a range of matter including about the performance of the road network and traffic signals. As part of that engagement, LB Richmond has made the following requests to alter phases around Hospital Bridge in the last 5 years:

For the 2022-2023 signal review programme:
  • J24/038 Perch Road / Powder Mill Lane – Borough request: greater green time for borough arm to provide greater priority for buses and improve pedestrian movements across the Hospital Bridge Road arm of the Powder Mill Lane junction as will reduce some junction blocking.

For the 2021-2022 signal review programme:
  • J24/140 A316 junction Hospital Bridge Road (TLRN) - To consider increased time to this arm of Hospital Bridge Road to reduce the queue and prevent blockage through the Percy Road junction, particularly during the AM peak when junction busy with school children.

For the 2020-2021 signal review programme:
  • J24/140 A316 junction Hospital Bridge Road (TLRN) – Borough request: Is it possible to extend the time given to traffic entering the roundabout from Hospital Bridge Road north. Due to the short amount of time they receive on the green light, traffic quickly blocks back affecting the junction of Hospital Bridge Road with Powder Mill Lane (24/38). This creates issues for pedestrians as often cars block through the crossing. This appears to be more of an AM peak issue when pedestrians flows are also very high due to the local schools and health centre.

For the 2019-2020 signal review programme:
  • J24/140 A316 junction Hospital Bridge Road (TLRN) – Borough request Is it possible to extend the time given to traffic entering the roundabout from Hospital Bridge Road north. Due to the short amount of time they receive on the green light, traffic quickly blocks back affecting the junction of Hospital Bridge Road with Powder Mill Lane (24/38). This creates issues for pedestrians as often cars block through the crossing. This appears to be more of an AM peak issue when pedestrians flows are also very high due to the local schools and health centre.

For the 2018-2019 signal review programme:
  • J24/038 Perch Road / Powder Mill Lane – Borough request: Complaint re short countdown times and insufficient time for pedestrians to cross, high number of older pedestrians due to local health centre.

These signals have been included on our timing review programme. This resulted in changes to the automated signal strategy to reduce the volume of traffic queuing between Percy Road and Hospital Bridge Roundabout to reduce the effect of the exit blocking.

2) Has Richmond Council made any requests in relation to changing the geometry of the A316 roundabout and building a new surface crossing next to the church. In the past 5 years, and have any requests been made since the planning permission was granted to Turing House School?

The A316 Hospital Bridge Roundabout is on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) so TfL would lead on and fund any changes at the roundabout, not the Borough.
 
The Borough have asked that we look into improvements at this roundabout in the past, particularly since the planning permission of Turing House School was granted.
 
In 2016, TfL undertook a corridor study along the A316 in Richmond to identify locations where improvements to the network could be undertaken.  One of the locations identified was Hospital Bridge Roundabout.  The junction has at-grade pedestrian and cycle crossings on three arms, but not on the eastern arm, which can only be crossed using a stepped footbridge.  TfL developed options to provide a new at-grade pedestrian crossing on the eastern arm of the roundabout, which would serve a pedestrian and cycle desire line and would complete the at-grade crossing provision for the roundabout.  Another aim of the project is to improve pedestrian waiting times at the roundabout by providing an additional circulatory lane on the southern side of the roundabout. This is to facilitate more traffic flow without increasing traffic levels which allows more time to be allocated to pedestrians.
 
However, the provision of a crossing facility on the eastern arm was costed at £800,000 and due to a lack of funding caused by the removal of TfL’s Capital Grant in 2018, we were unable to take forward the resulting scheme.  With the development of the Turing House School on Hospital Bridge Road, we were able to secure a contribution from the developer of £120,000 towards improvements at the roundabout, however funding for the rest of the scheme was still required.
 
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TfL’s finances, the progression of the scheme was unable to be taken forward and had to remain on hold until further funding could be obtained.  With the recent agreement of a longer term funding deal with the DfT, we have now been able to secure the budget to begin the scheme at the roundabout.  The scheme will require significant design work and modelling, alongside public consultation.  Because of this, the current estimate for consultation is late 2023, with construction planned for 2025, subject to further funding. 

If this is not the information you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact me.

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Graham Hurt
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

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