Eleven hundred protesters attended a lively anti-tram rally on Saturday, July 03. Their message was loud and clear: Say No to the Tram.

The event on Haven Green in central Ealing was organised by the pressure group Save Ealing’s Streets to coincide with the beginning of Transport for London’s public consultation on the controversial scheme. Speakers who addressed the crowd from a soapbox included residents and politicians, each explaining how the scheme will affect residents and business along the route.

“The protest confirmed the strength of feeling against the tram in West London,” says Tracy Evans of SES. “We were also pleased that the event attracted people who didn’t know about the tram. People need to understand why this isn’t the right scheme for West London and we want people to have this information before they fill in their consultation documents.

“They need to know that many of Tfl’s claims are debatable. TfL wants to restrict the amount of traffic in this area and we don’t believe its scheme will work, or that only a few residential roads will be affected by the displacement of traffic. We believe that the closures of the Uxbridge Road to accommodate the tram will increase congestion, and that although the tram is being presented as environmentally sound there will be increased pollution in some areas. These aren’t simple issues, and the more we debate them the better.”

The rally began with a poem about the tram by the Fire Poet, Philip Wells, a local resident. Robert Brooke argued that the tram will not provide increased passenger capacity in West London, and Anne Brown, a keen cyclist, spoke about the scheme’s impact on Acton. Martin Kelly argued that businesses will be damaged during the construction period, and should be compensated by TfL.

Tony Miller discussed the lack of integration with other transport systems, and Virginia Ironside suggested that the main aim behind the scheme is to get consumers to a new shopping centre at Shepherd’s Bush. Politicians who spoke included London Assembly members Lynne Featherstone, chair of the London Assembly transport committee, Richard Barnes and Peter Hulme-Cross.

TfL proposes partial or full road closures in West Ealing, Ealing Broadway, Acton and Shepherd’s Bush. SES chose Haven Green for the event because the tram scheme involves building a new road across this area, and felling a row of mature trees.

SES is anti-tram because it believes that little consideration has been given to the detrimental impact the scheme will have on local people. It is not pro-car: many of its members walk, cycle and use public transport.