Rough ride for tram line

A huge row has erupted over plans to build a major tram line through west London.

Thousands of residents fear their roads will be congested because it requires the partial closure of one of the capital's busiest thoroughfares.

But Mayor Ken Livingstone says the £648million scheme, which is backed by environmentalists, is essential to reduce worsening congestion and provide for more homes and jobs.

The tram would run from Uxbridge to Shepherd's Bush and carry four to eight million passengers a year.

It would pass along busy Uxbridge Road, requiring it to be shut in four places. This has divided opinion across west London, with support strongest for the project in Southall and Uxbridge, and opposition greatest in

A three-month consultation period, which ends today, has attracted more than 16,000 responses, with a further 9,000 attending roadshows. Results are expected early next year.

With the Uxbridge Road carrying 27,000 vehicles a day, residents fear huge amounts of displaced traffic driving through residential areas.

This is because the road is too narrow in places to allow the 40-metre trams to run alongside normal traffic. Pinchpoints include the busy town centres of Ealing Broadway, Acton High Street and Shepherd's Bush, where the roundabout's north side would be closed to traffic.

In addition, a road or rail tunnel would have to be dug in Hanwell, a number of properties demolished and around 1,000 trees uprooted.

Previous TfL surveys have shown a slight majority in favour of the 13-mile scheme - but this reduces once the plans are fully explained.

Campaign group Save Ealing's Streets has gathered a petition with more than 11,000 signatures, with thousands attending protest marches. A survey by the local paper found 91 per cent opposition.

Richard Barnes, the Conservative London Assembly member for the area, said: "It would be an economic and environmental disaster. It's costing ?650million to build, the maintenance-Ealing and Acton.

costs are ?47.5million a year, but the socio-economic benefit is ?20 million.

"That's the economics of the madhouse. It needs ?30million a year in subsidy." Mr Barnes called on the Mayor to abandon it and concentrate on the ?10billion high-speed Crossrail train line, which would serve many of the same areas.

Mr Livingstone has admitted he has no funds set aside to get the tram scheme off the drawing board but an update on his transport priorities is expected next week.

TfL estimates it would take three and a half years to build the line, which would call at 41 stations. If approved after a likely public inquiry next year, it could start running in 2009. Trams, carrying 300 people - though with only 80 seats - would run every three to six minutes, taking just over an hour end to end.

TfL says they would be more reliable than buses and far cheaper than a new Tube line. Crucially, trams would attract people out of their cars, with one in five expected to make the shift.

Demand for travel across west London is expected to increase dramatically, with the opening of major shopping centres in White City and Ealing Broadway, 4,000 new homes in Southall and the expansion of Heathrow.

Bill Hamilton, TfL's head of public affairs, said Uxbridge Road was near full capacity and would be unable to handle future growth. He said: "This is a high-profile, controversial project. What we have got is the most heavily trafficked bus corridor in London, with a captive audience on the 207 and 607 buses.

"We have got the ridership readymade who would transfer to the tram. But people would also be more tempted to leave their cars."

Mike Tyzack, of Ealing Friends of the Earth, said there was considerable support for the tram, despite the vocal protests.

He said: "The people who are objecting are mainly the people who live very close to the route and have cars of their own, or don't want cars going down their road.

"But there are an awful lot of people who don't have cars and would like better public transport.

"A lot of drivers should be going down the A4 or A40 - it's only because they're fed up queueing at traffic lights they try and find another route."

He claimed drivers would avoid the area once they knew trams were running.