Just How Safe is Cycleway 9 on King Street?

Numbers published showing increase in serious collisions since opening

The junction at Weltje Road is a collision blackspot for cyclists.

A furious debate has begun since the publication of data showing an increase in serious injuries on King Street since the advent of Cycleway 9. Hammersmith & Fulham Council has designated this section of the route as the Safer Cycle Pathway.

Since the full opening of the segregated cycle route on King Street on 17 December 2021, there have been 13 collisions involving cyclists on the Cycleway between Hammersmith Broadway and Goldhawk Road. The numbers, which are based on data released by Transport for London, only go up to August 2022 yet this is the highest number of collisions in any year since measurement started in 2017.

A local resident collated the data from TfL's collision map and produced the chart shown below. This shows that the number of collisions in which cyclists had been seriously injured during the first eight months of 2022 was three, equal to the total for such collisions for the previous five years.

When we rechecked the data, it showed that there had in fact been four serious injuries to cyclists on the Hammersmith stretch of Cycleway 9 since opening. The resident who created the chart believes that one of the incidents has been upgraded to more serious since he did his analysis.

Injuries to cyclists on Cycleway 9 in Hammersmith. Source: TfL

The chart featured in an article in the Daily Telegraph which focused on the role of Jeremy Vine in supporting the project which it claimed was unsafe.

The Chiswick-based TV presenter, who uses the cycleway regularly, responded on social media to the item describing it as ‘garbage’ and arguing that three incidents don’t allow for a meaningful analysis, contending that nobody cycled in this area before because it was too dangerous and “if the injuries were from collisions with cars, all the more reason for segregated space.”

Other supporters of the cycleway have argued that a rise in collisions is inevitable due to the rise in number of cyclists in the area. There are no generally agreed statistics for changes in cycle trips along the route. Hammersmith & Fulham Council were unable to provide any when asked.

Of the four incidents in which cyclists were injured during the year, one involved a car, one involved a goods vehicle and one involved a motorcycle (with the motorcyclists receiving slight injuries. The fourth which occurred at 8.05pm near the junction with Leamore Street on Friday 22 July 2022 was a collision between three cyclists in which one of them was badly hurt.

Two of the worst collisions occurred at the junction with Weltje Road on Friday 11 March 2022 at 4:12pm and Tuesday 14 June 2022 at 9:10am. Looking back on previous years this junction has always been a collision blackspot with four of the ten collisions involving cyclists occurring on what became the Cycleway route occurring there in 2021. During this year there was a 'pop-up' cycleway operating in one direction on this section fo King Street. None of the persons involved in these earlier collisions was seriously hurt.

The other serious incident in 2022 occurred by the junction with Vencourt Place at 9.50am on Saturday 25 June 2022. This was the collision between a pedal cycle and a motorcycle.

There were also two other incidents in which cyclists were seriously injured close to the Cycleway on Goldhawk Road and Cambridge Grove during 2022.

There were only four collisions on this stretch of road in which cyclists were injured in 2020 with lockdown probably having an impact. None of the collisions resulted in a serious injury.

A local cyclist, Kevin Malone, who says he rides on the Cycleway nearly every day says, “It was inevitable that collisions would rise but I don’t think the route is inherently dangerous. You just need to assume that pedestrians and drivers aren’t expecting bikes to be travelling eastbound.

“As far as I can tell, there hasn’t been a massive rise in cycling on King Street during the week since the cycleway was put in. If anything, for an experienced cyclist, the route is slower and a bit more stressful with all the potential collision points. However, it is transformative for less experienced riders. We’ve cycled into the centre of Hammersmith regularly as a family since it opened and, if you proceed carefully, my view is the risk is close to zero. If you told me that weekend trips, particularly in the fine weather had doubled, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“Obviously, a close eye needs to be kept on the number of collisions, but I don’t think we are anywhere near having sufficient evidence that the Cycleway needs to be removed.”

Some opponents of the scheme are claiming that the bi-directional design of the Cycleway is inherently dangerous as people in the UK are not used to the concept of cyclists coming from both directions.

A bi-directional design was necessary along Chiswick High Road and King Street because, at certain sections, the road was not wide enough to fit in two lanes operating on each side.

A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said, “Our new Safer Cycle Pathway is hugely popular and attracting a far greater range and volume of riders than the previous cramped cycle route in King Street. We’re determined to help more people walk and cycle.

“Safety is always a huge priority for us and we want to ensure that high quality cycleways, pedestrian crossings and other public realm features are central to the design of our cycle routes and road layout.

“The scheme is making a positive contribution to people travelling to and accessing our borough. We will continue to work with TfL to monitor the route and make further improvements where necessary.”

February 11, 2023