Council leaders in Hounslow have met London's most senior transport official to discuss how they can work closely together to keep the borough moving forward.

Andy Lord, the Commissioner for Transport for London (TfL), visited Hounslow House to meet with Council Leader Cllr Shantanu Rajawat and Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, Cllr Katherine Dunne. 

Mr Lord, who was appointed permanently to the role by the TfL board and the Mayor of London in 2023, stressed the importance of TfL and Hounslow Council having a 'strong working relationship'.

The three representatives were joined by senior officers from TfL and the Council for the round-the-table discussion.

The topics open for debate during the hour-long meeting included how the two organisations can work together to tackle road safety issues in the borough. This included an update on the work TfL is undertaking to ensure people using public transport feel safe. 

TfL heard that the Council's recent residents' survey had identified community safety and safety on public transport as areas of concern for people who live in the borough.

The Leader and Cllr Dunne stressed that passenger safety is vitally important to both the Council and residents.

Hounslow Council and TfL discussed ongoing developments in and around Hounslow West Station and the shared ambition to make Hounslow's transport network more inclusive by introducing initiatives such as increased step-free access at stations.

Mr Lord heard how the Council, TfL and Hounslow Highways had worked together on the latest phase of Cycleway 9, between Watermans Park and Alexandra Road, which opened recently, along with the news that consultation is now underway for the next phase of the cycle route Brentford.

In regards to environment, the Net Zero decarbonisation agenda through the introduction of lower emission buses and other green transport initiatives such as TfL's cycle hire scheme and Hounslow's E-Bike hire scheme were discussed.

The TfL team also reported back on the £2.9bn programme to upgrade the Picadilly Line, which will see the introduction of a state-of-the-art fleet of trains with air conditioning, walk-through carriages, wider doorways, step-free access and onboard CCTV cameras.

Following the meeting, Cllr Rajawat said: "It was a wonderful opportunity to welcome the Transport Commissioner to our borough to hear more about some of the great work we are doing here in Hounslow to create a transport network that works for everyone.

"In Hounslow, we believe that we can achieve more together than we can alone. That is why we must continue to forge these partnerships in the best interests of everyone in our borough. We look forward to continuing to grow our partnership with Transport for London."