Redefining Chiswick High 'Road' As A High 'Street' Could Change CS9

Tony Arbour tells Mayor that TfL cycle plan will 'kill the beating heart' of W4

Local GLA member Tony Arbour has questioned Sadiq Khan over the impact of the proposed CS9 Cycle Superhighway at a Mayor's Question Time at City Hall. The local assembly member said that the plan would 'kill the beating heart of W4' because the area has been wrongly designated.

Tony Arbour argued, in an exchange that can be seen on a web cast, that under Transport for London's own method of classification Chiswick High Road was a High Street rather than a High Road. Being classified as a High Street means that greater priority is given to pedestrians and local shops whereas a High Road classification means that more importance is given to through traffic including bikes. For the purposes of the CS9 plan Chiswick High Road has been designated as a High Road.

When asked if he was familiar with Chiswick High Road the Mayor said that he knew Tooting High Street better. He defended the CS9 plan saying that it had been determined that segregated cycle paths were essential for increasing the safety of cyclists and encouraging more people to use this form of transport. He said, "it is fundamental to me that residents' views are heard."

When he was invited to visit Chiswick High Road by Mr Arbour 'to see what a wonderful place it is' he said that Will Norman, his Walking and Cycling Commissioner, had already been there on a number of occasions during the consultation.

He expressed his gratitude to Mr Arbour for his comments on the proposal and said that they would be incorporated into the final report on the consultation responses. He said that there had been a exceptionally high level of feedback to the consultation.

Mr Arbour, who says he cycles to the station every day, said “I am confident that Chiswick residents will now be assured that their views, and those of their councillors, will be taken into account before any final decisions are made.”

The Mayor was later asked by Tony Devenish, the Conservative representative for the area covering Hammersmith and Fulham, if he was aware that the Labour leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council was not in favour of the proposal. Mr Khan said that he was not.

The nine Chiswick councillors representing the three local authority wards have outlined their criticisms in their formal response to TfL's consultation on the extension of CS9.

November 17, 2017