Car free pathway will link Savoy Circus with Wood Lane

Ealing's Council Leader, Julian Bell, has been inspecting the progress on a new cycle route at Savoy Circus in Acton to Wood Lane.

Work on the route - which includes a new cycle track separated from traffic and pedestrians - is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Cllr Bell along with Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, visited the 3.2km site which will form part of the 7km route from Acton to Notting Hill Gate.

TfL is currently upgrading streets for walking and cycling between Acton and Wood Lane and has launched a consultation.

The proposed changes in the area include:

·         Changes public spaces, creating more 'welcoming' streets

·         New pedestrian crossings

·         A new two-way segregated cycle track throughout, which will keep people cycling separated from motor traffic

·         Making some side roads entry or exit only

·         Changes to some bus stop locations and new bus stop bypasses for people cycling 

Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said,  “These improvements would enable many more people to walk and cycle which is vital to reduce car use and clean up London’s toxic air.

“By creating new pedestrian crossings, moving bus stops to better locations and making it safer to cycle, we will make streets much more accessible and welcoming for everyone who lives, works or visits the area.”

( CGI image)

Other new cycleways are being developed in Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea and include a new route between Brentford and Olympia, which TfL say will start construction later this year and new walking and cycling connections through Holland Park and Norland Square, which the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are developing.

Cllr Wesley Harcourt, Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Any scheme like this needs to strike the right balance between the needs of all road users, including pedestrians. So we would urge all residents to have their say on the details of this scheme. We support cycling and walking as a means of cutting pollution.”

In December 2018, the Mayor's Cycle Action Plan set out targets for expanding the capital's cycling network and significantly increasing the number of cycle journeys made.

TfL and the Mayor committed to expanding the capital's cycle network at pace and increasing the proportion of Londoners who live within 400 metres of the cycling network to 28 per cent by 2024, up from nine per cent.

The consultation for the Wood Lane to Notting Hill scheme will be open until 12 June for people to have their say and is available on the TfL website attfl.gov.uk/wood-notting

7 May 2019