Airtrack

Public enquiry postponed again:  February 2010

The public enquiry, into BAA's proposed 'Airtrack' scheme has been postponed from Spring until the Autumn, after a General Election. The decision to hold a public enquiry is a victory for local residents and a chance for their views and concerns to be raised.  
 
The postponement of the enquiry means that the implementation of any plans will consequently also be delayed. Although like most people, I support improvements to public transport, BAA's proposed 'Airtrack' scheme will cause mayhem locally, increasing waiting times at our level crossings by up to 5 minutes in the hour and dividing our community.

For that reason, in November I persuaded Susan Kramer to put politics aside and meet me and TFL to discuss alternatives. I urged TFL to help me push for investment in signalling technology to reduce waiting times, and failing that, to push BAA to consider using the Hounslow loop instead.
 
The announcement that the enquiry is to be delayed is a huge victory, yet we must not take it for granted. I will be doing all I can until then to look for possible solutions to the issues raised by local residents.