Heathrow expansion 'will cause travel chaos' in west London, Deputy Mayor for Transport warns

Val Shawcross said Heathrow expansion risked 'log-jamming' west London transport links
EPA
Saphora Smith9 December 2016

The Heathrow airport expansion could cause travel chaos in west London, the Deputy Mayor for Transport has warned.

Speaking at the London Assembly Committee on Transport this week, Val Shawcross said proposed Crossrail links and a planned upgrade to the Piccadilly line would not be enough to ensure a smooth flow of traffic to an expanded Heathrow airport.

She said: “One thing to bare in mind is Crossrail one and the Piccadilly line upgrade, which are going ahead, they were all predicated on existing economic growth and existing population growth, so none of that is the additionality you would expect from a Heathrow expansion.

“So they are going ahead but even so, what I’m reading tells me we are in danger of completely log-jamming the public and road transport networks around west London if we do not do the additional high capacity infrastructure.”

Ms Shawcross also warned building Southern Rail access to Heathrow risked inconveniencing existing train passengers.

She said planners must think about “the impact on existing passengers and existing population".

Ms Shawcross added: “If you’re using existing track there are existing passengers and you need to look at where those winners and losers potentially are.”

After decades of wrangling the Government approved the expansion of Heathrow in October, paving the way for a third runway and increasing the number of passenger's using the transport hub from 200,000 a day to 300,000.

Some 75,000 passengers currently travel to Heathrow airport on public transport while 125,000 travel by car but with its expansion public transport networks will be expected to cope with over 300,000 travellers a day.

Alex Williams, managing director of planning at Transport for London (TFL), said: “The airport is keen to make sure that there is no increase in high way trips so that 125,000 the aim is to keep that capped at that level.

“So the growth and the strain will be taken on at a public transport network.

"That 75,000 with a full operating expanded airport needs to go to over 300,000.

“So there is a massive increase on the public transport network with full utilisation of the airport.”

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