H&F Council Confirms 'Redesign' of TfL's Planned Cycleway 9
Proposes 'Safer Cycle Pathway' on King Street and faster highway along A4
Artist's impression of superhighway looking west from Olympia
H&F Council has confirmed that it has 'redesigned' plans for Transport for London to create a cycle highway running through Hammersmith.
This redesign, including renaming of the route by both parties, has caused some confusion. TfL says that the route, previously named Cycle Superhighway 9 or CS9 for short, is now named Cycleway 9 and will continue as before, from Olympia in the east along Hammersmith Road and then along King Street to Chiswick High Road.
However, H&F Council has ditched this name and is instead describing it as a Safer Cycle Pathway that will 'complement the streetscape'.
H&F Council is also proposing a second route for faster cyclists along the A4, which it is dubbing a Cycle Highway.
However, this would be independent of TfL's plans, as it would not meet up with Cycleway 9 at the borough's boundary.
A TfL spokeperson says: " We are progressing as per our original consultation on Cycleway 9 between Kensington Olympia, Hammersmith and Brentford with the exception of small changes to the route, which have been made following three small consultations.
" Hammersmith and Fulham will be responsible for delivering the urban realm improvements along King Street and all other aspects of the route will be completed by TfL.
"Separately, we have provided Hammersmith and Fulham with funding to look into proposals for an additional cycleway along part of the A4."
H&F Council describes the new plans as follows:
Two routes to suit all riders The Safer Cycle Pathway will be suited to slower, less confident riders. It will run from the Chiswick end of King Street across the north of Hammersmith gyratory to Hammersmith Road, and finish at the borough border with Kensington. It will be designed to improve the environment and protect the high numbers of pedestrians in these areas.
The A4 Cycle Highway will shuttle faster, more confident riders and commuters from the border with Chiswick to the Hammersmith gyratory.
"“Our goals are to make sure all residents – especially children, Disabled people and older people - can walk and cycle safely around the borough, ensuring environmental concerns are at the heart of all we do, and that we improve the look and feel of our public spaces," said Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
“Making sure residents’ voices are properly heard whenever we make decisions is key to how we operate. So later this summer we’ll be hosting a number of workshops with residents’ groups, Disability groups and schools to do the detailed designs. That way, we know we’ll be delivering a scheme designed by the community, for the community."
The schemes will be delivered as part of the council’s Healthy Streets Programme, to encourage more sustainable transport, making walking and cycling easier and planting more trees to improve air quality and make the area more pleasant.
London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said that it was important to take the time to get the scheme right.
" Getting more people walking and cycling as part of their everyday routine has huge benefits for our health and wellbeing, and we know there is a high demand for more cycling in this part of west London,"
“It was absolutely right that TfL took the time to work with the councils to ensure everyone’s response to the consultation were looked at properly, ensuring the proposed scheme is the very best it can be. I’m delighted that we are on course for work to begin on the route later this year."
Watch this space for details of the forthcoming workshops.
August 16, 2019