H&F Council Launches Strategy for Safer Cycling

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Aiming to make local roads better for everyone, including pedestrians

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has launched its strategy to revolutionise cycling and make the borough’s roads safer for everyone, including pedestrians.

The H&F Cycling Strategy 2015 was adopted by the council’s cabinet when it met at Hammersmith Town Hall on Monday 12 October.

The strategy details the council’s ambitions and commitment to creating safer roads, enabling quicker journeys, healthier residents and reducing pollution by making cycling simpler, more accessible and less intimidating for both cyclists and pedestrians.

“We made a promise to make our roads better for cycling and safer for everyone, including pedestrians. This strategy is how we will deliver on that. It is a product of suggestions from residents and community groups, and I am pleased it has now been launched,” said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents’ Services.

In H&F, most residents don’t own a car and there are already more people cycling than in most parts of the country, with six per cent of residents cycling to work and 12 per cent of those who commute here, coming by bike.

H&F has a target for eight per cent of all journeys in the borough being made by bicycle by 2031.

But there are many obstacles that prevent people from cycling in H&F, in particular intimidating junctions like the Hammersmith Gyratory. The strategy sets out improvement schemes for this and several other junctions.

Another key aim is to reduce conflict between all roads users and protect pedestrians where they are sharing the same space as cyclists.

To help ensure the strategy's proposals are put into action, H&F Council recently appointed Cllr Iain Cassidy as the borough's Cycling Champion.

Cllr Cassidy said: “A lot of work has gone into giving us this strategy. As local cyclists have said, the challenge is now implementing it and making the borough's streets safer and calmer for everyone, and I look forward to working with residents to do this.”

Local cycling campaign group hfcyclists were one of the community groups H&F worked with in forming the new strategy.

Group chair, Lynn Seveke, said: “We are very pleased to see that LBHF shares our vision on cycling. We're keen to continue working with the council, representing the community and to make sure they remain committed to achieving real change.

“It is important to bear in mind that high levels of cycling won't be achieved with a few high profile projects. It will require H&F's dedication for major and minor changes across the borough.”

The full cycling strategy, and an in-brief version, can be found on the H&F website.

For more information on cycling, suggestions or questions, please contact: cycling@lbhf.gov.uk.

October 15, 2015