Londoners ‘can’t breathe’ and ‘lose wages’ as major road closure causes huge traffic jams

West Londoners living near one of the city’s busiest roads have said they “can’t breathe” because of the pollution and are losing pay because they are late for work due to the road being partially closed. Transport for London (TfL) has closed parts of the A40 Westway between July 21 and October.

Officials say this is to replace four expansion joints that are ‘critical’ parts of the structure. This will be done in two phases: from 10pm on 21 July until the end of August, for the eastern ‘off’ slip and the southern West Cross Route, and from early September until mid-October, for the western ‘on’ slip and the northern West Cross Route.

MyLondon spoke to people in Shepherd’s Bush and Hammersmith to find out how the lockdown had affected them. Leon Holden, 51, a security guard, was travelling to work by bus on Monday morning (July 22). As the bus slowly passed by on Wood Lane at around 9.30am, he said: “It’s a joke. I’ve been on the bus since I got to Scrubs Lane at 8.10am.”

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He was due to arrive at work at 9am. Mr Holden added that his journey so far had taken around an hour and 20 minutes, when it would normally take around 25 to 30 minutes to travel from his home to work. He noted that he would have liked to see TfL compensate workers for lost earnings, as he suspected he would miss out on money that day as he is paid by the hour.

Timing ‘wasn’t smart’

The timing of the Westway closure, “really wasn’t that smart”, he added, given that Thames Water Works had already made Wood Lane a single lane on both sides. Mr Holden also said: ” London drivers are not exactly patient (…) I’m surprised there hasn’t been a collision between a car and a cyclist yet.” The Londoner said he had seen delivery drivers on motorbikes riding onto the pavement to get past the traffic jam.

Shanice, 29, has worked in the film industry before, including working in Italy when Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid was being made in 2021. She lives just off the A40 Westway and is eight months pregnant.

The full-time mother told MyLondon she worries about driving to the hospital when she goes into labour, with cars queuing outside her house. She said: “It’s annoying because it’s not just one part that’s closed. To get out (you have to) make a huge diversion to get back on the A40. It’s annoying. I think about the moment I get contractions and I have to get out of here quickly. It’s just all happening at once. I feel like maybe they could have spread it out so there would be less congestion.”

Beatrice Garcia, 46, a housewife, walked to Westfield because she didn’t want to drive. She described the traffic as “horrible” and said: “I’m ssuper unhappy. It has been closed since August last year and they just started working this week.” Ms Garcia added: “I live on the A40, so the only way out of my house is here.”

‘This area is full of disabled residents’

Melina Namdar, 28, also lives on the A40. The theatre and film facilitator described drivers accelerating and honking, which bothered her disabled mother. She said: “It’s not good. It’s really unhealthy for all of us and when you consider that this area is full of disabled residents. And it keeps people awake. It’s also extremely hot and all you hear is cars driving by or motorbikes revving. I’m empathetic, I understand why it happens. But people live here, you shouldn’t ruin our day just because you’re trying to get through (traffic).”

Her father, who did not want to be named, said: “(I feel) so uncomfortable. I don’t know how to say it. Very disappointed. You can smell the diesel, especially the trucks. When there is no wind, we can’t breathe because of the pollution here. (I am) extremely unhappy.”

Prabhakr Hosadurg, 73, is now retired after working for Tesco for 15 years. He lives just off the A40 after moving to the UK from India in 1991. The former supermarket worker told MyLondon that it was‘too much noise’ and ‘too much traffic’.“Even if it is double glazing, it is too much,” he added.

Irene Buchanan, 65, one of Mr Hosadurg’s neighbours, said: “It’s noisier. But they’ve had the connecting road closed for four, five months now. If you go out (…) it takes half an hour to get off this road. It (the traffic jam) starts early in the morning now, and it can last all day.”

‘You don’t see anyone working for weeks’

Patrick Ramsey, a man in his sixties and a customer of Continental Car Hire under the Westway, told MyLondon: “We know they have to do their job (…) but it takes so long, and it’s hard for us to function normally. It affects everything, it affects everything. If you look at the A40 Westway coming up to the slip road there, that section has been blocked for so long.”

He added: “It’s so difficult, with the crisis of life and all the inflation and the hardship of money and high prices and all that, it’s just getting really difficult (…) SSometimes you see that they have closed the road and you don’t see anyone working for weeks. In the past, they worked on the road day and night.”

Mr Ramsey added: “TThey (cars) are not equipped for the low-emission zone, and when they stop, they get exhaust fumes from“M it. It’s not healthy.”

But Elise Pacquette, 55, who runs Funpact – a charity for parents and children – and lives on the A40, said: ““Honestly, when it’s that slow, it’s actually quiet for us. It doesn’t affect me.”

TfL ‘recognises closures will have a significant impact on people’

Stuart Harvey, TfL’s Chief Capital Officer, said when the A40 Westway closures were outlined: “We are determined to ensure that a safe and well-maintained road network can play its full part in enabling Londoners to travel around the capital. These ageing structures from the 1960s are reaching the end of their useful life and road closures are essential if we are to ensure they can continue to serve Londoners for decades to come.

“We recognise that these closures will have a significant impact on people travelling in the area and we are working hard to minimise disruption, including by rescheduling other works and reviewing traffic lights. I would like to thank people in the area for their patience and encourage everyone to plan ahead for all journeys in the area.”

The authority has urged drivers to check before they travel and plan ahead using travel tools, listed below.

• The latest status updates for buses and traffic
• The latest status updates for metro, train and tram
• The TfL Go app and Journey Planner, which helps you plan your route by public transport, bike or on foot
• Nearby, which uses your current location or a postcode or address of your choice and places you on a map showing you the locations of the metro, bus, train and Santander Cycles near you
• TfL email updates

MyLondon has contacted TfL for further comment.

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