West London Tram

The West London Tram would be the biggest boost for public transport in West London for decades (with the possible exception of Crossrail). It will take between 4 and 8 million car trips pa off the road - say 6 million.

The tram would run along the Uxbridge Road from Uxbridge to Shepherd's Bush, going through the boroughs of Hillingon, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham. While only these 3 boroughs are directly affected, it signals a boost for West London as a whole. Already there is talk of a whole network of tram routes, perhaps linking up with the existing and highly successful Croydon route.

The tram will reduce air pollution because 6 million polluting car trips will be replaced by non-polluting tram trips. The tram does not pollute because it runs on electricity. (While the tram does not pollute locally, generation of its electricity can still cause pollution. However, the amount of pollution and its impact on local communities is far less.)

The tram will boost local business. Evidence from various schemes, notably Croydon, shows that local businesses have benefitted from trams, despite some disruption during the construction phase.

The tram will reduce the volume of traffic (from what it otherwise be, although not in absolute terms). It will therefore reduce congestion, which will benefit car drivers and bus passengers, as well as the tram users.

Because it will reduce road traffic, it will reduce accidents, particularly among the most vulnerable, namely pedestrians and cyclists.

The tram will promote social inclusion. Poorer and disadvantaged people rely more on public transport than others and will benefit particularly from easy, quick and cheap access to facilities and jobs.

More on why we should support the tram

See why we need it for a concise statment of the issues. For more detail see frequently asked questions (Word file, 10 pages). See for example 'Why buses can't deliver' which is item 1. There is further information on the Ealing FOE web site. Go to the section 'latest on the tram'.

The House of Commons has given support, albeit catious, to trams in general. See their press release. For the full report contact us.

Opposition to the tram

Given all these benefits, you would think that almost everyone would be in favour. West London Friends of the Earth certainly is. However, a lobby group called 'Save Ealing's Streets' has mounted a ferocious anti-tram campaign. This campaign is centered around the Ealing Broadway area. See page which exposes the campaign of scare-mongering and misinformation.

Save Ealing's Streets is concerned that the tram will cause car traffic to be diverted through residential streets. They have mounted a high profile campaign of scare-mongering. In fact, traffic projections by TfL (Transport for London) show that just 10 streets in Ealing would suffer significantly more traffic because of the tram. 34 streets will see little change while 22 streets will have significantly less traffic.

None of this impresses Save Ealing's Streets. They are so set in their opposition they will not listen to reason. The real reason for their opposition is, we believe, that the tram might restrict their ability to drive and park their '4 by 4s' and 'people movers' wherever and whenever they want. That is why they have been dubbed 'Ealing's car lobby'.

Save Ealing's Streets may be right. The tram may impede their ability to drive their cars along and across the Uxbridge Road. But the fact of the matter is that it is impossible to allow everyone to drive (and park) exactly as they want to without reducing West London to gridlock. We believe that a better transport system for all is far too important to allow some selfish car drivers, however vociferous, to obstruct progress.