Cycleway 9 makes more progress in Chiswick

Hounslow Borough Council and Transport for London (TfL) have completed the latest temporary improvements to the Cycleway 9 route in west London.

Cycleway 9 is a significant addition to London’s growing network of high-quality cycleways, enabling thousands of improved walking and cycling journeys between Hammersmith, Chiswick, Kew and beyond each week. Encouraging more people to walk and cycle is vital to a healthier and more sustainable transport network for all Londoners.

The changes build on improvements in 2022, making the route safer and more attractive for people walking and cycling and more reliable journeys for bus passengers. The changes now complete between Heathfield Terrace and Chiswick Lane include the following:

New raised junctions at Cranbrook Road, Brackley Road, Devonshire Road, Linden Gardens and Duke Road.
New eastbound and westbound bus shelters at Cranbrook Road, Mayfield Avenue and Linden Gardens bus stops.
An upgraded zebra crossing on Chiswick High Road by the exit of Linden Gardens.
Left turn exit only for motorised vehicles at Duke’s Road junction retained.
New parking spaces near Duke’s Road junction.
A new eastbound advanced stop line for people cycling at the junction with Acton Lane.
Road resurfacing and clearer road markings for all road users at the Heathfield Terrace, Duke’s Avenue and Turnham Green Terrace junctions.

Earlier phases of the C9 route included the transformation of the Hammersmith gyratory with a two-way cycle track and new traffic signals for people cycling at junctions. TfL is now working with Hounslow Council to begin construction work on the next section of the route, between Kew Bridge and Waterman’s Park. Work on this section is planned to start in the coming weeks.

TfL has seen a significant increase in people cycling along the route since these temporary schemes were introduced, with counts showing the number of people cycling on King Street has almost doubled since 2017. Cycle count data shows that at the Kings Street with Bridge Avenue junction, between 6 am and 10 pm, there were 1531 cyclists recorded on the count day in 2017. This increased to 2064 in 2021 and 2804 in 2022.

TfL is asking people to share their views on the changes to help decide whether to make the experimental scheme permanent. The consultation is open until 3 April and is available at: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/cycleway-9 . Hounslow Council will use feedback and monitoring data from the experimental scheme to decide its future.

Hounslow Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for Climate, Environment and Transport Strategy, Councillor Kathrine Dunne, said: “The completion of this next stage of Cycleway 9 is great news for the local community.

“The new section has been introduced to give residents a healthier alternative to the car. It will help to reduce congestion and improve air quality in our borough.

It will also give people who may be hesitant to cycle a real confidence with a safer infrastructure and will enable children and parents to ride for the school run as well as day-to-day journeys and for leisure.”

TfL’s head of Projects and Programmes, Julie Lewington, said: “This is an exciting next step in making cycling in London safer and easier. We want to help more people across west London to access London’s growing network of high-quality cycleways so that, if they are able, they will feel confident to jump on a bike to make their local journey. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Hounslow Council on further sections of the route.”

Sign up to receive our weekly free journal, The Forum here.