GLA - Consultation for new segregated cycle superhighway

This press release, issued by the Mayor of London, was first published on london.gov.uk 

• New cycle superhighway will bring first high-quality segregated lane to west London
• Route will improve cycling and pedestrian facilities

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced a consultation for a new segregated cycle superhighway that will bring safer cycling to west London.

Cycle Superhighway 9 will add nearly 6km of new segregated track to the capital's roads linking Kensington Olympia to Brentford. It will also feature significant improvements for pedestrians with new traffic light crossings and improvements to pedestrian crossings.

The superhighway forms a key part of the Mayor's work to encourage more Londoners to walk and cycle as he makes the capital's streets healthier, safer and more welcoming.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

'As the capital continues to grow, it is vital that we encourage more Londoners to walk and cycle to improve health, productivity and air quality. That's why I've set out bold plans to change the way we look at how our transport network and committed record levels of investment to improve cycling. This new cycle superhighway will bring a high-quality segregated cycle lane to west London for the very first time. It will make a real difference in encouraging Londoners of all ages and abilities to get on their bikes and improve conditions for pedestrians across the area.'

Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said:

'I'm delighted that we can today announce nearly 6km of new segregated cycle lanes for London. Cycle Superhighway 9 will be hugely important in helping cyclists in the west travel safely and inspire many more Londoners to take up cycling for the first time. It also includes significant improvements for pedestrians that will make walking around the local area more appealing and encourage even more people to add both walking and cycling to their daily routines.'

Cycle Superhighway 9 will see roads transformed from Kensington Olympia to Brentford, making it safer to cycle and easier to cross roads in west London, while reducing through traffic on some residential roads.

The proposal includes nearly 6km of segregated cycle tracks on major west London roads, including Hammersmith Road, King Street, Chiswick High Road, Brentford High Street and Kew Bridge Road, and the ability for cyclists to bypass Hammersmith Gyratory and Kew Bridge Junction. Through traffic will be removed from residential roads Wellesley Road and Stile Hall Gardens, and there will be five new traffic light crossings and more than 20 upgraded pedestrian crossings.

Simon Munk, Infrastructure Campaigner, London Cycling Campaign (LCC), said:

'LCC welcomes the Mayor's plans for a new Cycle Superhighway in West London. This route will tame several dangerous junctions, enable far more people of all ages and abilities to cycle to local shops, stations and into work and extend the Cycle Superhighway network to areas where cycling demand is high but cycling infrastructure is virtually non-existent. It will help achieve the vision of a greener, healthier and less congested city set out in the Mayor's Transport Strategy and is a big step by the Mayor towards fulfilling the commitment made to LCC members and supporters to triple the extent of protected space for cycling on main roads.'

Cllr Wesley Harcourt, Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Residents' Services, said:

'For many people in H&F, intimidation from the sheer volume of other road users prevents them from cycling, so in our Cycle Strategy we've set out to change that. As part of our aim of becoming the greenest borough in the country, we want to double the number of journeys in the borough being taken by bike. Key to that aim is making people feel safe. This new route enables people to get right across the borough and into central London easily, and without the fear of sharing space with large motor vehicles.'

Cllr Amrit Mann, Deputy Leader of Hounslow Council and Cabinet Member for Environment, said:

'In line with the aspirations of our transport strategy, The London Borough of Hounslow is committed to delivering schemes aimed at encouraging more people to take up cycling and invite all residents and businesses to take the opportunity to shape these proposals.'

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said:

'Giving more people access to safer cycling and easier walking gives huge benefits to London. This is why I'm so pleased we're able to announce our latest proposal for west London. We want people who live and work in this area to let us know what they think to our plans so we can make them work for as many people as possible.'

Subject to the results of this consultation, Transport for London (TfL) and partner boroughs aim to start building the cycle superhighway late next year.

The intention is to extend Cycle Superhighway 9 into Hounslow and to hold a consultation on this next year.

Notes to Editors:

• More CGIs are available by emailing transportdesk@london.gov.uk
• The Cycle Superhighway 9 consultation can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/cs9
• The consultation closes on 31 October. TfL will analyse and consider all the responses received, and publish its response next year.
• Cycling is an extremely efficient use of road space and recently completed cycle lanes in London have shown to be five times more efficient at moving people than a standard traffic lane.
• A daily average of more than 500,000kms were cycled in the congestion charging zone in 2016. This is up 7.2% since 2014.
• In 2015 there were 670,000 cycle journeys per day across London, equivalent to 10% of all bus journeys, or one fifth of all tube journeys
• Safety concerns have long been identified as the number one barrier to cycling, and high-quality cycling infrastructure helps overcome this. The East-West and North-South Cycle Superhighways have seen a significant increase in cycling as a mode of transport along those routes, with nearly three-quarters of users believing they cycle more because of them.