Work is under way on two new cycle facilities in the borough. In Acton, construction crews are building the long-awaited cycle path alongside the A40. This scheme was originally part of the East-West Cycle Superhighway (CS10) that was due to run from Acton to Paddington. In 2015 we successfully campaigned to preserve the space needed for the route at Gypsy Corner, preventing it being used as an access road for the new McDonald’s drive-through. It’s nice to see all our work finally paying off. There will be 1.8km of two-way cycle track running next to the footpath between Kathleen Avenue and Savoy Circus, slightly more than originally planned. This will connect to a 1.6km shared-use footway to be built between Savoy Circus and Wood Lane. The whole route will meet London Cycling Design standards. Curiously, one of the main beneficiaries will be motorists. The A40 west of Savoy Circus will be widened to include another traffic lane, which is predicted to knock 6-8 minutes off journey times for drivers heading west in the evenings. The route is scheduled for completion by Christmas. The original Cycle Superhighway was planned to run on to Paddington using one lane of the A40 Westway, but TfL have abandoned that scheme. Instead, it now plans to run it through Shepherd’s Bush and up the south side of Holland Park Avenue to Hyde Park.
In the second development Ealing Council is installing a new cycle and pedestrian crossing of Northfield Avenue, which will link Mattock Lane and Dean Gardens. This will significantly improve the quiet cycle way that runs parallel to the Uxbridge Road between West Ealing and Ealing Common. The new crossing will replace the current Toucan crossing which is difficult to use as it requires a detour along a narrow stretch of pavement. The new alignment will provide a direct crossing.
