Hopes of a breakthrough in building the first safe cycling route in west London were raised today as the extent of danger faced by cyclists was revealed.
Two routes are now proposed — one on the original route suggested for the £70 million CS9 cycle superhighway through Hammersmith, and the other alongside the A4 dual carriageway.
There had been concern that Transport for London would bow to opponents and divert the route from King Street to the polluted six-lane A4.
Hammersmith and Fulham council leader Stephen Cowan said agreement had been reached with TfL to build two segregated routes.
The route through Hammersmith will be rebranded a “cycle pathway” and pedestrians will have priority.
Mr Cowan, a cyclist himself, told the Standard: “We have been working with TfL to ensure we have two cycle lanes.
“The first will be down King Street for people who want to take a more leisurely pace. There will be a segregated cycle lane on the A4 for people who want to get from A to B at maximum speed.”
It came as data showed a total of 258 cyclists have been injured in King Street and Chiswick High Road between 2005-2017, according to analysis by Dr Edward Seaton, a Chiswick resident and cyclist. On Saturday a male cyclist suffered facial and arm injuries in a collision with a right-turning car on Chiswick High Road.
The cyclist, who asked not to be named, said: “A segregated highway would have meant that probably wouldn’t have happened.”
TfL is due to announce updated plans for CS9 “shortly”. Dr Seaton said: “The key thing is that we have segregated cycling in areas where people want to go, and where it’s currently unsafe.”
