Economic development strategy - London Borough of Hillingdon

TRANSPORT AND HEATHROW
policies are complemented by services such as park
and ride or integrated transport networks with
effective coverage of residential areas with fast,
efficient and affordable bus services. Hillingdon
would have difficulties meeting the land
requirements of a park and ride scheme;
furthermore the development of new bus routes are
frequently met with opposition from residents,
who, although happy to see improved network
coverage, do not want to see new routes and bus
stops outside their homes.
Heathrow Airport uses its commercial capabilities to
develop its own bus network at the airport. BAA are
currently working to promote improvements to the
efficiency and effectiveness of the existing bus and
coach network through marketing, improvements
to interchanges, the provision of high quality and
high frequency links with identified key local and
regional transport interchanges and complementing
local and regional transport strategies. This work is
based around three principles:
1. Quality – A holistic journey approach, exceed
customers expectations, provide seamless,
integrated journeys.
2. Sustainability – minimise environmental impacts
(air quality, reduce private single occupancy car
use).
3. Commercial vitality – Profitable public transport
services meeting customers’ and airport’s
demands.
This network is extending out from the airport to
create routes to work, to childcare facilities and to
training facilities throughout the sub-region. There
may be opportunities for other companies to
participate in such schemes to overcome transport
problems that impact on their business, for example
utilising finance generated by a Business
Improvement District to sponsorship of a park and
ride facility.
Along with the rest of West London, Hillingdon
suffers from a lack of orbital road and public
transport routes. The economic and social exclusion
experienced by communities predominantly
clustered in the south of the borough is
compounded by their remoteness from public
transport facilities and thus poor access to amenities
and facilities. Furthermore, as the south of the
borough has the largest concentration of
employment opportunities, improving accessibility
and permeability of the borough is of major
importance in efforts to tackle exclusion. These
problems are particularly acute for those who are
less than fully mobile, particularly in terms of their
access to essential public services such as health
care.
Future major transport infrastructure projects
include the West London Tram and Cross Rail. The
tram should ideally service Hayes station and in
doing so doing link with the new Heathrow
stopping service. Such a development would create
an effective transport hub. There are concerns
however that the Cross Rail development will not
really improve the transport options for local
people, but will only serve to enable commuters
from outside London to reach central London more
quickly. There are other transport infrastructure
projects that would more effectively address the
transport needs of the borough. These are outlined
in the action points overleaf.
Better integration of transport strategies at both a
local and sub-regional level would ensure
customers’ needs are at the forefront of planning so
that services, charges, regulations etc can be
compatible or complementary.
11 HILLINGDON’S ECONOMIC STRATEGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY 2005-2015 - A PROSPEROUS BOROUGH