Major road improvements at Malden Rushett

Transport for London (TfL) has completed major road improvements at Malden Rushett, Kingston. The work forms part of TfL's £4 billion Road Modernisation Plan to ensure that London's roads are safe and provide a pleasant travelling experience for all Londoners.

The work at Malden Rushett, which began last September, will help improve road safety and reduce congestion at the now reopened junction of the A243 Leatherhead Road, B280 Fairoak Lane and Rushett Lane - completed in collaboration with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and Surrey County Council. The improvements will help ease traffic, particularly during summer when the nearby Chessington World of Adventures Resort is at its busiest.

Right turn traffic signals and wider roads at Rushett Lane and Fairoak Lane have been installed, as well as direct crossings for pedestrians and advance stop lines for cyclists. Drainage in the area has also been improved, and the roads resurfaced to provide smoother, safer driving conditions. Malden locals will see newly fitted street lights and signs installed, along with a landscape and tree planting programme.

Alan Bristow, Director of Road Space Management at TfL, said: `We are delighted that the junction has now reopened, so that Malden Rushett, Chessington and Epsom residents can carry on their daily business without disruption. We want to thank the local community, businesses and road users for their cooperation at every stage of this work.'

Councillor David Cunningham, Lead Member for Environment and Transport at Kingston Council, said: `The junction at Malden Rushett is a critical part of the borough's road infrastructure. These improvements are most welcome as they should significantly improve traffic flow and safety. I would like to thank residents for their patience while TfL carried out the work and hope they will now enjoy the benefits.'

Tim Harrison-Jones, Divisional Director at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, said: `We welcome any new road layouts which minimise traffic disruption to the local area, our visitors and for commuters travelling along the busy Leatherhead Road. These works have also made the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists, which provides a huge improvement to the local road safety.'

The work at Malden Rushett forms part of the wider work being carried out across London as part of TfL's Road Modernisation Plan. With a budget of more than £4 billion from now until 2021/22, this overarching plan represents the biggest investment in London's roads in a generation, including hundreds of transformational projects within the existing road network. Using radical ideas and innovative designs, the plan will make London's roads greener, safer and more attractive for the benefit of all Londoners.

For more information about the work, please visit: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/malden-rushett

Note to Editors:

• TfL has worked closely with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and Surrey County Council to ensure any disruption throughout these improvement works was kept to a minimum.
• London's roads account for 80 per cent of all journeys and 90 per cent of all goods moved in the capital. As the engine of the British economy, London's population is set to grow by almost 2 million to 10 million by 2031 equivalent to absorbing the population of both Birmingham and Leeds. This is a continual challenge in a city with a road network that developed organically and was never designed for so much traffic. To meet the challenge, the Mayor and TfL are investing more than £4 billion in improving London's roads, streets and urban realm for all road users, residents and businesses during the next decade.
• To help deliver this wider programme of work, TfL has already begun to expand its innovative SCOOT technology, which can change traffic signal timings based on traffic levels second by second, from half of all signals to three quarters of all signals. Hundreds of staff are already working 24/7 to monitor the network. They will use London's intelligent traffic light technology to help traffic movement around these planned bridge closures in west London this summer, as well as keeping road users up-to-date on traffic conditions.