Sadiq Khan Hints That CS9 Could Be Rerouted from King Street
After H&F Council promises to lobby Mayor to run cycle superhighway along A4
Artist's impression of superhighway looking west from Olympia
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has hinted that a significant rethink of Cycle Superhighway 9, CS9 is possible when he admitted that discussions are taking place with local councils about rerouting the scheme.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council stated in its Business Plan for 2018/2022: "We’ll lobby the Mayor to run the CS9 cycle route down the A4."
And during a question and answer session following Mayor's Question Time on 20 December, the Mayor told Assembly Member Tony Arbour that "there is potential rerouting of CS9, which is what the discussions with the Council are about."
Transport for London did not respond to a request for further details about what rerouting is being considered, but it has been confirmed that TfL has been engaged in detailed discussions with both Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham Councils about the scheme, which will run a segregated cycle lane from Olympia to Brentford.
If the route changes to the A4, it would miss out the centre of Hammersmith, instead taking cyclists over the Hammersmith flyover and along the riverside to Hogarth Roundabout.
Ahead of the publication of the council's Business Plan, H&F's Labour councillors expressed opposition to the potential loss of pavement in King Street, with the Labour election manifesto in H&F stating: "We will oppose the reduction of pedestrian space for cycle lanes."
The Mayor's statement has led to speculation in both boroughs that the rerouting of the project along the A4 is now actively being considered.
Opponents of this option point out that it would expose cyclists to much higher levels of pollution and say that there are a number of problematic junctions that make the route less desirable than the King Street/Chiswick High Road option along the A315.
A spokesman for H&F said: "Discussions within the Council and TfL are still ongoing. No decisions have been made on the final route yet. "
TfL recently confirmed that funds that would have been used to pedestrianise Oxford Street are to be diverted to other 'Healthy Streets' projects including CS9. The transport company released a business plan recently which shows how they are dealing with the consequences of a falling revenue base, which is expected to result in a reduction of income of over £2bn over the next five years. There had been speculation that, with TfL suffering from falling income due to decreased usage of public transport and the delay in Crossrail, projects such as CS9, which is budgeted to cost £70 million, would have been scrapped.
Transport for London have confirmed that funds that would have been used to pedestrianise Oxford Street are to be diverted to other projects including Cycle Superhighway 9, or CS9 and the upgrades to the Piccadilly line.
TfL have released a budget plan which shows how they are dealing with the consequences of a falling revenue base which is expected to result in a reduction of income of over £2bn over the next five years.
This has required the delay of a number of projects, including the upgrade of the deep level tube lines including the Piccadilly line. In addition above inflation fare rises are expected from 2021.
The proposed pedestrianisation of the western end of Oxford Street was going to cost £43 million, but that money will now be diverted to other cycle superhighway projects including CS9, which would run from Brentford to Hammersmith as well as similar schemes in Greenwich and Hackney.
These projects are part of TfL’s Healthy Streets programme which aims to make London a more attractive place to walk, cycle and use public transport, and reduce the dominance of motorised transport.
There had been speculation that, with TfL suffering from falling income due to decreased usage of public transport and the delay in Crossrail, projects such as CS9, which is budgeted to cost £70 million, would have been scrapped.
The business plan recently published by TfL does not specifically commit to the scheme, which is currently being redesigned based on information collected during the consultation, but it does say that the intention is to expand the network of segregated cycleways.
A TfL spokesman said: "Following Westminster City Council’s sudden, unexpected and unilateral decision to abandon our joint plans to transform Oxford Street and its district, we have now re-allocated funding which was allocated to the scheme to help accelerate a number of schemes across London designed to create safer, healthier and less polluted streets."
Hammersmith and Fulham Council says that CS9 is an important part of the Mayor of London’s Healthy Street approach and aims to encourage walking, cycling and public transport, and make London greener, healthier and more pleasant.
The council is already implementing new cycle routes and other green measures along Talgarth Road and under Hammersmith Flyover, in addition to TfL's plans.
December 30, 2018
December 21, 2018