Traffic management in Osterley

Hounslow Council is the highway authority for Osterley: the borough runs local roads, while Transport for London runs the red routes. Red routes, the main roads on the Transport for London Road Network, need TfL's agreement instead. Trunk roads are managed by National Highways.

Almost every English highway authority now runs a permit scheme under the Traffic Management Act 2004, so works on the road need a permit, applied for through the government's Street Manager service. Minor works usually need 3 working days' notice, standard works 10 and major works 3 months.

Primary routes through Osterley include the A4, A30, A205, A312 and A316. The M4 is within a few miles. On roads like these, queue lengths decide the method: we set signal timings to keep traffic moving and suggest night or off-peak work where it helps.

Osterley is home to around 13,000 people, so works plans need to think about pedestrians, buses and deliveries as well as through traffic.