After several years of persistent campaigning, I am delighted we have taken a big step forward in getting Transport for London (TfL) to stop the Piccadilly line at Turnham Green. This week TfL kicked off a public engagement process to ask commuters for their views on this issue.

It simply makes no sense for the Piccadilly line to whiz through Chiswick between Hammersmith and Acton Town – at 4.4km it is the longest stop on the entire line and three times longer than the average distance between stops.

Local residents and businesses have argued for many years that the Piccadilly line should stop at Turnham Green and many have recently joined my Turnham Green Action Team to highlight the issue. The team was out in force this week at the station to publicise the public consultation. We have started a new petition, both online and in hard copy, and will present this to the Mayor of London as part of the consultation.

Some may argue that this is just a ‘Chiswick issue’ but I don’t agree. Chiswick is a thriving area but we need to work hard to keep it that way. Encouraging more businesses and visitors to Chiswick is important for everyone as with it comes more jobs and greater prosperity for the whole area. On top of that, our local population is already growing faster than most other London boroughs and we must have the transport infrastructure in place to support that.

In Question 8 of the consultation, TfL asks residents if they would like the Piccadilly line to stop at Turnham Green more often even if it meant “a reduction in service elsewhere on the line; longer journey times for customers passing through Turnham Green station; and a less reliable service for all passengers on the line?” This question is hardly unbiased and I would urge local residents to answer solely on the basis of whether they would like the Piccadilly line to stop more often at Turnham Green. I believe that, for the majority of Piccadilly line passengers, making an extra stop at Turnham Green would not be an issue – in fact I doubt many would notice the difference.

If you feel strongly about this issue, please make your views known by signing the petition and responding to the consultation – and please encourage friends, neighbours and family to do the same.

The Piccadilly line consultation runs until 7th October and you can find details of this and my petition to the Mayor on my website www.marymacleod.com . If you would like a hard copy of the petition card, please call my office on 020 7219 7023.