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Boston Road and Lower Boston Road Improvements

Ealing Council has proposed transport and highways improvements to Boston Road and Lower Boston Road and is asking for feedback from local residents.

🚨 Take five minutes to Have Your Say!

👉 Boston Road Improvements Consultation Online Survey 👈

The consultation on the proposed improvements to Boston Road closes on Friday 18th October. This is your chance to influence the future of our streets. Take part now to help make Boston Road safer, greener, and more accessible for everyone—walkers, wheelers, cyclists, and drivers!

👇Read on for our response to the proposal and suggested improvements

A Better, Safer Boston Road for All

This plan is a significant opportunity to enable active travel, reduce traffic volumes and road danger, and make our streets safer for everyone—walkers, wheelers and those cycling or driving.

Better Ealing Streets fully supports the initiative, but we believe that with some key improvements, the plan could better serve residents of all ages and abilities. The Department for Transport’s Cycle Infrastructure Design guide says “Cycle infrastructure should be accessible to everyone from 8 to 80 and beyond: it should be planned and designed for everyone. The opportunity to cycle in our towns and cities should be universal”.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ffa1f96d3bf7f65d9e35825/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-1-20.pdf

Ealing Council must enable active travel, not just encourage it

Ealing’s proposal highlights some welcome changes, but we need to push for higher standards, particularly given the numerous schools in the area, such as Elthorne High School, St. Mark’s Primary, Oaklands Primary and others nearby. We believe the plan can be improved further to prioritise safety and accessibility for all users, particularly children who need safe active travel routes to school.

While the proposal references the high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure in nearby Hounslow, not everything about the current plans for Boston Road and Lower Boston Road ensure the same level of safety north of the borough boundary. Ealing Council can, and must, aim for better.

Recommendations for Improvement

Improved Continuous Footways

The Council’s plan lacks adequate continuous footways, leaving out critical junctions like Haslemere Avenue and Elthorne Park Road.

Properly raised and continuous footways would make it clear that drivers and riders should give priority to more vulnerable road users crossing side streets. The loss of the kerb creates a level surface that is smooth and safer for walkers, wheelers and pushchair users.

This is an opportunity to install high-quality, raised footways across all side roads and major entrances. These should be clearly distinct from the road, with contrasting colours for clarity. Prioritising key areas such as Haslemere Avenue, Elthorne Park Road, and commercial sites like Harvester and Halfords will further ensure pedestrian safety.

https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/media/wnhg3szu/ls_inclusivedesign_continuousfooways_main.pdf

Pedestrians facing the challenge of crossing Haslemere Avenue
A driver turning into Elthorne Park Road hit a cyclist

Pavement Clutter

This plan is a great opportunity to address the long standing issue of pavement clutter such as advertisement hoardings and excess street furniture. Better schemes for rubbish management should be implemented to avoid commercial waste blocking pavements and proposed cycle tracks.

Advertising hoardings, an illegally parked motor-scooter and commercial waste cause obstructions on the pavement at the parade of shops between Trumpers Way and Townholm Crescent.

Elthorne Park Cycle Track

The protected two-way cycle track in the proposal ceases at the entrance to Elthorne Park when heading north, beyond which cyclists and pedestrians are expected to use a shared path. There is generous width available in front of Elthorne Park all the way beyond Humes Avenue, and we strongly believe Ealing Council should revisit the proposal for this section and include proper separation. There is the potential to create over one kilometer of separated, continuous cycle track all the way from Boston Manor Station to Humes Avenue.

Bikedata.cyclestreets.net Incident Reports

Safer Junctions for Cycling

Cycle tracks across side roads should be set back from the main carriageway to ensure continuous, safe routes for people walking, wheeling or cycling. This design will promote compliance with Highway Code guidance and improve safety for all users.

The Council suggests a set-back junction at Wellmeadow Road, we urge extending this to crucial junctions such as Townholm Crescent, Trumpers Way, Rosedale Close, and Humes Avenue. This would establish a safer, more consistent network for people cycling along Boston Road.

A side-road junction south of Boston Manor tube (London Borough of Hounslow) showing high-quality continuous pavement and a junction set-back from the main carriageway.

Better Solutions for the Northern Section

There is currently no coherent route or safe junctions for those cycling on Uxbridge Road from the direction of Southall who wish to turn south towards Boston Manor. For those traveling toward Southall the advanced stop line box and cycle lane on Lower Boston Road at Uxbridge Road is often blocked, so requires proper separation. While we recognise the constraints in the northern section, Better Ealing Streets urges the Council to explore creative and ambitious options to avoid shared pavements, aiming for separation of motor traffic, cycling tracks and pavements for this area.

A car blocks the advanced stop line box on Lower Boston Road/Uxbridge Road
Right: An HGV blocks the cycle lane, preventing a cyclist from accessing the advanced stop line box. Lower Boston Road/Uxbridge Road

Lower Boston Road by St. Mark’s Primary

The shared pavement proposed north of St.Mark’s Primary is problematic. Shared space increases risks for both pedestrians and cyclists. Better Ealing Streets would like to see alternative solutions for this pinch point for those not in motor vehicles.

Prince of Wales triangle

The current proposal’s focus on “allowing drivers to overtake safely” undermines cyclist safety and must be reconsidered.

A study showed that painted cycle lanes did not reduce injury. Mandatory painted lanes did not lead to any risk reduction and advisory lanes (which drivers or riders of motor vehicles are legally permitted to enter) increased injury odds by over 30%. By contrast, kerb separated cycle infrastructure reduced injury odds substantially; by 40% compared to no infrastructure.

https://findingspress.org/article/18226-cycling-injury-risk-in-london-impacts-of-road-characteristics-and-infrastructure

Both the southbound section at the triangle and the northbound stretch after Rosebank Road require fully kerb-separated cycle tracks instead of the painted lanes or wands shown in the proposal. These areas are unsafe for overtaking, particularly near the Zebra crossings, and need proper separation to prioritise cyclists and protect them from traffic.

Ealing Council’s proposal for painted cycle lanes and wands at the triangle near Prince of Wales are inadequate

Traffic Lights at the junction with Trumpers Way

The proposed footway buildout and dropped kerb for cycle access at Trumpers way is far from sufficient. Heavy goods vehicles being turned from and into Trumpers Way pose a very real danger to those walking and cycling here particularly given the poor sightline on the south east corner. An Elthorne Park High School pupil was seriously injured after being hit by the driver of a lorry here in 2019.

There is a signal controlled crossing at Westlea Road further south on Boston Road, and installing traffic lights at the Trumpers Way junction would protect and ease crossing by cyclists and pedestrians.

https://www.ealingtoday.co.uk/default.asp?section=info&page=eacyclistelthorne001.htm

Bikedata.cyclestreets.net Incident reports
Sightlines are very limited around no.146 Boston Road

Speed Reductions

The current proposals encourage faster cyclists to use the carriageway in various places in the narrow sections of the plan. Inappropriate speeds by motor vehicle drivers and riders is a particular issue approaching the blind corner between Green Lane and The Heath. Additional traffic-calming measures and speed enforcement should be considered in these locations; full separation should remain a priority though.

Lower Boston Road

New Zebra Crossing at Westminster Road

A zebra crossing just north of Westminster Road would meet the natural desire line for the high number of pedestrians who cross the road here.

Westminster Road Junction with Lower Boston Road

Greening and Sustainability

The proposal lacks emphasis on greening, which is vital for urban environments. We need much more extensive tree planting and the incorporation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) along the route to enhance the street’s environmental sustainability.

An example of SuDS integrated into hard infrastructure

Looking Further Ahead

It’s essential that people are able to walk and cycle safely heading north beyond Boston Manor Station, connecting to existing cycle routes at Uxbridge Road to travel east or west.

Equally important is the ability to cycle south from Hanwell and West Ealing to the protected cycle path in Brentford, and east through Chiswick and soon west to Hounslow. Ensuring these connections are safe and accessible will help create a more cohesive and effective cycling network across the borough and beyond.

We acknowledge that not every improvement can happen right away. However, it’s crucial that Ealing Council understands the need to future-proof the road, securing space for refinements down the line to ensure a fully connected route in both directions.

Enforcement of illegal parking, speeding and excess vehicle noise will also be vital to the success of any redesign.

Illegally parked Motorscooters obstructing Zigzags and Cycle Lane near Prince of Wales Triangle
Cement lorries illegally parked on the pavement and obscuring the entrance to Hanwell Ambulance Station

🚨 Take 5 minutes to Have Your Say!

👉 Boston Road Improvements Consultation Online Survey 👈

The consultation on the proposed improvements to Boston Road closes on Friday 18th October. This is your chance to influence the future of our streets.

Take part now to help make Boston Road safer, greener, and more accessible for everyone—walkers, wheelers, cyclists, and drivers!

Our suggested improvements to the proposal:

  • Protected Cycle Lanes: Full kerb-separation, not just painted lines
  • Continuous Footways: Raised crossings at all side roads
  • Set back Junctions: Set-back cycle track junctions for better safety
  • Greener Streets: More tree planting and sustainable drainage (SuDS)

Ealing Council are holding two public exhibitions about the scheme, where you can view the plans, ask questions, and give feedback:

  • Tuesday 8 October from 3:30pm to 7pm, St Thomas Church Hall, 182 Boston Road.
  • Thursday 10 October from 3:30pm to 7pm, William Hobbayne Community Suite, Lower Boston Rd.