More Money Available for Completion of Cycleway 9

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Work to continue on designing western extension from Brentford to Hounslow

Visualisation of a new road layout by Brentford Bridge from TfL

Transport for London (TfL) has said that it intends to continue with design work on the western extension of Cycleway 9 despite a reduction in the overall budget for cycling infrastructure.

C9 West, from Hounslow to Brentford, was thought to be at risk because of reduced funding. However, although the amount available overall for active travel is down in the latest funding agreement from the government, it has been specifically mentioned as one of the projects that will be continued. In all 16km of new cycleways are to get an allocation for further design work.

The proposed extension was controversial because of the conversion of many local bus stops into a bus island layout requiring passengers to cross the cycleway and the removal of some others. The cycle lanes would not be bi-directional east of the junction with Thornbury Road but will run on each side of the road in the same direction as general traffic with pavement space being used where it is sufficiently wide.

A consultation into proposals for C9 West between Brentford and Hounslow Town Centres concluded in February 2022 but a report has yet to be published on the responses.

Before the pandemic around £230 million a year was typically made available for cycling, walking and bus priority measures in the capital. The allowance for the current year total £149 million.

This has been described by Deputy Mayor Seb Dance as insufficient to meet the Mayor’s target or 80 per cent of journeys being walked, cycled or made by public transport by 2041. However, a fall in fare revenue and reluctance from the government to make up the shortfall has resulted in the scaling back of many programmes.

£80 million of the funding can be spent on walking and cycling measures across the capital up to the end of the current funding settlement on 31 March 2024. £69m per year of direct borough funding will also support more localised investment in walking, bus priority and cycling schemes.

As part of the next phase of the Healthy Streets programme, TfL will also complete the construction of C9 East between Brentford and Kensington Olympia. It had already been announced that construction was set to begin on the section between Kew Bridge and Brentford High Street in the new year.

London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said, "In the last two years we've seen more Londoners than ever choosing to walk and cycle around the capital, but successive short-term funding agreements from Government forced TfL and boroughs to pause spending on some permanent walking and cycling schemes. With the funding now agreed, I'm delighted that we can now restart work on these vital schemes - as well as beginning the design work for the next generation of new projects."

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October 13, 2022