Cycleway 9 Consultation Shows Concern for Disabled and Older People

Council says it is now preparing to issue new traffic order

The road is already marked up for implementation of changed design. Picture: Ray Elias

Hounslow Council says it is set to proceed with issuing an new traffic order which will allow work to proceed to make changes to temporary Cycleway 9 (C9T).

The announcement comes after a completion of a consultation exercise of which the stated aim was to work out what the impact of the scheme was on people with 'protected characteristics'.

The council has not yet published the full report on the consultation which was carried out between 13 August and 3 September but it said officers have noted the findings and updated the Equalities Impact Assessment with mitigations to the previous schemes being implemented where necessary including relocation of bus stops and 'pedestrian comfort assessments' on all sections of the route, to ensure that the proposed footway capacity is sufficient for expected pedestrian numbers.

The council says that the findings from the consultation show that respondents are most concerned with the impact on those with disabilities and older people. 580 responses were received to the online questionnaire together with feedback from equalities groups and Councillors.

The council says that analysis showed that respondents are most concerned about two protected characteristic groups, with 40% concerned with adverse impacts on disabled people, and 30% expressing concern for older people.

Analysis of the pre-engagement feedback was carried out by an independent consultant and their report has helped inform the council’s decisions. The analysis is supplementary to the scheme's Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) which has already been produced.

Hounslow Council approved an amended design on 20 July and will now start to implement the scheme for a trial period, which will be evaluated after a period of monitoring. It is now planned to issue a new Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) to trial a range of changes to the Cycleway following feedback on how it had been operating.

Surveyor's markings on local roads and pavements which are understood to relate to the revised design have already been made on roads and pavements along the route.

The council hopes that the changes made will make C9T less vulnerable to a legal challenge by the OneChiswick campaign group which argued previously that the early design significantly disadvantaged the elderly and the disabled and that the council had not fulfilled its statutory responsibilities to those groups. OneChiswick had sought a Judicial Review of the previous traffic order and now says it will be studying the new one when issued to assess grounds for a new legal challenge.

Criticisms of the earlier scheme included impacts it had for elderly and disabled pedestrians in Chiswick including when crossing the road and the introduction of bus island waiting points. An Equalities Assessment Report presented to the Hounslow Council cabinet in July stated that the design of the Cycleway is within statutory guidance including for bus islands and that the council has attempted to engage with groups representing the elderly, the partially sighted and people with other disabilities.

New layout planned near Chiswick Lane junction. Picture: Ray Elias

The council believes that the revised design deals with many of the concerns raised in the original legal challenge including the introduction of bus shelters on bus islands and more drop off points for taxis on the High Road. The council says that under their new proposals there will be no point on Chiswick High Road that will exceed the Government's recommended limit (50m) for walking distances for people with mobility difficulties without a rest.

Once the Experimental Traffic Order is introduced by the council will have 18 months to assess the impact of the changes.

At the end of the trial, or after a minimum six-month statutory consultation period, a decision will be taken about whether to make the scheme permanent or whether further changes to the design are required.

Councillor Hanif Khan, Cabinet Member for Transport at Hounslow Council said, “We want to make sure that cycling in Hounslow is as safe and easy as possible because we know that it supports our environmental ambitions and enables healthier lifestyles. We want Cycleway 9 to meet the needs of all users and this further consultation has helped us understand the impacts on all sections of the community.

November 14, 2021