I understand that at the request of Hammersmith & Fulham, TfL has agreed to spend £300,000 on a feasibility study looking at a cycle track along side the A4. With respect to that, please can you answer the following questions: • Who will decide who carries out the feasibility study? • Has a tender been issued to carry out the study? • If a tender has not been issued, why not? • If a tender has been advertised, please can you send over the advertisement? • Please can you send over the brief for the feasibility study? • If a brief has not yet been written, which department of which organisation will be responsible for writing it and how can the public make suggestions on the brief? • How much of the study will look at the demand for such a cycle track? • What methodology will be employed to assess demand? • What level of public consultation/oversight will be employed on the feasibility study and how will it be carried out? • What will be done to assess the demand for a cycle track along the A4 vs the demand for one on the CS9/CW9 route? • What methodology will be used to assess cost effectiveness of any new scheme? • Will the feasibility study entertain the narrowing of the A4 at any point to accommodate a cycle track and if so, where and to what extent? • If it turns out that there is more demand for the A4 than the CS9/CW9 route, will TfL stop development of CS9/CW9, at least along King St and Hammersmith Rd, and if not why not? • Hammersmith & Fulham council has said that the A4 track will be for fast cyclists and the other one will be for less experienced cyclists: how will that distinction be determined, controlled and policed? • By when is it expected the initial feasibility designs will be done and what are the plans to publicise them? • Assuming the designs for the A4 cycle track are liked, who will pay for the construction of the track, LBHF or TfL or both and if both in what proportion? • What budget/s has/have been allocated to subsequent construction? Finally, Hammersmith & Fulham council has stated publicly on several occasions that CS9/CW9 will be redesigned by a resident-led commission – ie: the details are not yet agreed. The legal principles that apply to the development of the route is that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, so what is TfL’s legal justification for starting work on the section of CS9/CW9 near Kew Bridge? Thank you very much in advance for your assistance.

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TfL Ref: 3614-1920

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 21 February 2020 asking for information about cycling and a feasibility study looking at a cycle track alongside the A4.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. 

Unfortunately we do not hold the information you have requested. Your request is largely for information about the Deputy Mayor’s commitment to contribute up to £300k towards a London borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBH&F) led feasibility study of safer cycling provision alongside the A4 and to this effect TfL does not hold the documents that would answer the questions you have raised. Please therefore contact the Borough at https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/ and they will be able to assist.

With regard to the feasibility study we are able to advise that we agreed with LBH&F that they would lead on the study given that it’s a local priority. The cost of the track construction and the budgets for this have not yet been discussed. Finally, the FOI Act gives a right to individuals to access recorded information held by a public authority at the time the request is received. We do not have to answer your question if this would mean creating new information or giving an opinion or judgment that is not already recorded. We are therefore not able to answer your question relating to ‘legal justification’ as we do not hold information or recorded opinions that would address this question.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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