Cycleway Shepherd's Bush to Notting Hill
Council says:
Encouraging cycling is one of the Council’s borough transport objectives. We want to make sure cycling is safe, easy, attractive and inclusive for all. We are also concerned about the impacts of poor air quality on our residents, and believe making cycle trips safer is part of the solution to providing alternatives to motor vehicle trips. We hope that new and existing cyclists alike will appreciate being able to use clearly signed routes along quiet side streets.
We are consulting on a new cycle route - incorporating a section of route we have already consulted on - which serves our communities in Shepherd’s Bush, Holland Park and Notting Hill Gate. The route has been co-designed alongside major resident's associations and local cycling champions.
The route begins at Holland Park Roundabout, passes through the large paved space between Holland Park Roundabout and Norland Road, then progresses the length of Queensdale Road until it joins a route that we have previously consulted on, and which we will be building in mid-2020. The new route then picks up again at Clarendon Road, turns into St John’s Gardens and along Lansdowne Crescent before crossing Ladbroke Grove and into Kensington Park Gardens. Crossing Kensington Park Road, it progresses down Chepstow Villas before meeting a route due for implementation by May 2020. Please see the cycle route map below for the full alignment.
In general, the measures that we are proposing are designed to reduce the speed and volume of traffic – where our surveys have suggested these are higher than permitted under TfL’s Cycle Route Quality Criteria – and to reduce the risk of conflict at junctions. The route does not propose fully segregated cycle lanes along the alignment, apart from on the approach to the Kensington Park Road junction. As with all our cycle routes, if implemented, the route will be monitored annually to ensure our proposals have secured the levels of speed and traffic volume appropriate to a cycleway.
We are asking what you think of our proposals regarding the new cycleway. Please read the following information carefully before filling in the questionnaire no later than 22 March 2020.
Proposed changes
At the junction of Queensdale Road/St Ann’s Villas, a new raised table is proposed, aiming to encourage drivers to slow down where cyclists and pedestrians are crossing.
On Lansdowne Road, at the junction with St John’s Gardens, we are proposing to permit two-way cycling in this section of one-way road. To facilitate this, we propose to cut back the build out on the western side, providing more carriageway space to allow a short section of cycle lane. This short lane will help warn drivers that the road is two-way for cyclists, and encourage cyclists and vehicles to correctly position themselves at this junction.
Where Lansdowne Crescent meets Ladbroke Grove, we are proposing to close Lansdowne Crescent to enable cyclists to safely reach a new proposed parallel crossing facility across the busy Ladbroke Grove. Vehicles will still be able to use St John’s Gardens. To facilitate a new turning circle for vehicles at the proposed ‘cul-de-sac’ end of Lansdowne Crescent, we are proposing removal of three resident parking bays.
To allow cyclists to cross Ladbroke Grove, we are proposing upgrading the current zebra crossing to a parallel crossing (that can be used by both pedestrians and cyclists) and extensions to the footways on the eastern side to provide small areas of shared-space footway.
On Kensington Park Gardens, where traffic speeds are on the high side, we are proposing three sinusoidal road humps and an entry treatment at the junction with Ladbroke Grove. Sinusoidal humps are designed so that when driving or cycling over them at lower speeds, they are more comfortable to drive over than traditional humps, but if travelling at an inappropriate speed, they cause a noticeable ‘bump,’ encouraging slower speeds. We know that some people are concerned that road humps contribute to poor air quality, when they lead to drivers braking and accelerating hard. We have designed the proposals in line with government guidance on the correct spacing between the humps to avoid hard braking and acceleration. We have recently introduced sinusoidal humps in St James’s Gardens and we also use them when we resurface roads with traditional humps – for example, Abbotsbury Road already features some sinusoidal humps.
We are proposing some restrictions at the junction of Kensington Park Gardens/Kensington Park Road/Chepstow Villas, where traffic flows are high on both Chepstow Villas and Kensington Park Road
Kensington Park Gardens will be entry only from Kensington Park Road. Traffic will still be able to access and exit Kensington Park Gardens at the western junction with Ladbroke Grove.
At the junction of Kensington Park Road and Chepstow Villas, traffic exiting Chepstow Villas will have to turn left (south). Traffic would not be able to enter Chepstow Villas from Kensington Park Road, but vehicles will be still be able to access and exit Chepstow Villas at the eastern junction with Portobello Road
These proposals would reduce rat-running through Chepstow Villas and Kensington Park Gardens and enable the introduction of a short section of segregated bi-directional cycle path and a new parallel ‘tiger’ crossing for pedestrians and cyclists across Kensington Park Road. We are also proposing some changes to the planting in Chepstow Villas, with the addition of new planters and potentially a rain garden. Should the proposals go ahead, we will monitor the effects of any traffic displacement carefully to see if further changes are required on neighbouring roads.
At the junction of Chepstow Villas/Portobello Road - where we know many of our residents and tourists cross regularly to explore Portobello Road - we are proposing a raised table and footway extensions to encourage slower vehicle speeds where cyclists and pedestrians are crossing the junction.
What happens next?
A full report of the results of the consultation will be presented to the Executive Director for Environment and Communities, who will then make a decision on whether the proposed changes should be implemented.
After this consultation, should the initial response be positive, the Council will be carrying out further statutory consultation in order to amend traffic orders to facilitate implementation of the proposals.