People living next to one of London’s busiest roads have described what their lives are like, saying that they ‘can’t sleep’ and have to turn their TVs up when they open the window for fresh air. However, some who call the side of the A40 Westway home also said they have grown used to the traffic, and ‘it’s not a bother’.
MyLondon spoke to residents who live next to the road in Shepherd’s Bush as the major route has been partially closed so that ‘critical’ parts of it can be replaced. Prabhakr Hosadurg, 73, is now retired after working at Tesco for 15 years.
He moved to London from India in 1991. He said that there is ‘too much noise’.
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Mr Hosadurg added: “You can’t sleep at night. Especially on rainy days.” He described how vehicles driving through water creates a louder sound than usual. Apart from the noise, the former retail worker said it was a good life next to the Westway overall, and he had raised a family there.
‘It’s like if you live next to trains, you don’t hear it anymore’
Shanice, 29, who did not want to provide her second name, is currently a full-time mum and eight months pregnant. She previously worked in the film industry as a caterer.
She told MyLondon: “We get a few cars and motorbikes on the weekend, but it’s okay. Usually this side is never busy – it’s the other side.
“It’s never a bother really. It’s like if you live next to trains, you don’t hear it anymore, after a couple of weeks. People are like, ‘how do you do that?'”
‘If you open the window for fresh air, you have to turn the TV up’
Irene Buchanan, 65, is now retired after working in retail. She moved down to London from Scotland 53 years ago as her dad got a job in the capital as a labourer and electrician. Ms Buchanan said: “I’ve been here 43 years. It’s better since they put in the double glazing [10 to 12 years ago].”
She added that she can still hear cars through the thicker windows. The former shop worker then said: “If you leave the window open for fresh air, you have to turn the TV up.”
‘We hear people revving at one o’clock in the morning because they’re racing’
The resident also said that, in general, it’s better than when her family had previously lived on a nearby estate, where they ‘didn’t get much privacy’. Ms Namdar added: “It’s nice that we have some green […] It’s a nice area to live in but the thing that ruins it is this [traffic caused by the road closure], and people revving at one o’clock in the morning because they’re racing.
“If I bought this house they would listen to us then. But because we’re council tenants, our view doesn’t matter, unfortunately.” She too said that she could ‘always’ hear traffic despite her double glazed windows.
Beatrice Garcia, 46, also a full time mum after working in retail. She moved to England from Madrid 24 years ago, and now lives in a road just off the Westway. She said: “It’s fine. I’ve been living here 25 years, it’s fine.
“This is not normal; there is never this traffic [created by current roadworks] unless there’s an accident.” She added that it is normally ‘very fluid’.
Elise Pacquette, 55, who runs parent and child charity Funpact, said: “It [the road] doesn’t affect me. I just live with it. I have a house.” She then described how she had lived in her property for 20 years and had had it extended in that time.
MyLondon contacted Hammersmith and Fulham Council for comment.
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