Plan To Double Bicycle Parking Gets Approval

Extra space will be available opposite Turnham Green tube

Hounslow Council's plan to double bicycle parking on Chiswick Common close to Turnham Green tube station, which would give space for more than sixty bikes, has been approved by local councillors. Work is expected to begin on the project this summer.

Last November councillors approved increasing the amount of cycle parking at Chiswick Common and instructed officers to prepare designs to be brought back for consideration. Funding of £45,000 is to come from the Transport for London (TfL) Cycle Scheme.

Councillors havenow given their approval to the Council's preferred option, which is to extend the current single spacing parking westwards along the railway embankment.

A public consultation last year had supported the plan to have more cycle parking located against the railway embankment in Turnham Green Terrace, where there are already cycle stands and a Brompton bike hire. At present there are 12 stands providing 24 spaces along the embankment. However, councillors were told that such is the demand for cycle parking that the capacity needs to be doubled.

The second option offered by the Council was that the current stands be removed and replaced with double height racks.

A design has been prepared showing sixty cycle stands that allow closely spaced parking with each providing locking points for cycle frame and both wheels.

Extending westwards would mean that a small English oak tree has to be felled. The Council said that this was in poor form and was under the canopy of two mature trees. It could be felled and a new tree planted elsewhere on the Common.

The report presented to councillors said that the extra parking would encouraging cycling and would be of benefit because people could park close to Turnham Green tube station- it would decrease the incidence of cycles being parked in unsuitable places, such as against railings and lamp columns.

June 5, 2015