Wednesday 19th January. A rather cloudy Morning, & a blustery Headwind, with a Sunnier Afternoon, after 2 late cancellations, saw 18 Cyclists split into 2 groups, via Skerne Rd, Kingston Gate Richmond Park, White lodge, Sheen Gate, Sheen, Mortlake, Chiswick Bridge, Strand on the green, Brentford, South & West Ealing, Hanwell, Greenford, with a first visit to the Grand Union Canal Towpath in over 2 Years, to Northolt for lunch at the always reliable Crown (Sizzling Pubs), then Northala Fields, Southall, Norwood Green, Osterley Park, Isleworth, St Margarets, to Marble Hill Park Cafe for Tea & Refreshments (Photo Group 1), Twickenham, Strawberry Hill, Teddington, Hampton Wick & Kingston Bridge to Finish. Total 31 Miles, Special thanks to Pete M for leading Group 2, thanks to Toni Z & John E for back marking.
Sunday 9th January. A very Sunny morning, with some clouds in the Afternoon, after 1 cancellation & 2 no show’s (1 would make there own way to lunch), saw 18 Cyclists, split into 2 groups, leave via the Beeline, Raynes park, Wimbledon Chase, Colliers wood, Tooting -with 1 more joining group 1-, Streatham, Norbury, Thornton heath, Heavers Meadow, Woodside, Ashburton field, Elmers end, to West Wickham for lunch at the Railway (Ember Inns), Shirley, Addiscombe -with a minor navigational hickup for group 1 allowing Group 2 to join the photo stop in Lloyd Park -, South Croydon, Duppas hill, Beddington, to Beddington Park, for a very S…..l….o….w Tea stop & Bread pudding, (group 2 wisely electing not to stop for Tea), Hackbridge, Wandle trail, Morden, Morden Park, Lower Morden, Motspur park, to finish back in New Malden. Total 31 Miles, special thanks to Bai for leading group 2, thanks to Mike F & John E for back marking each group, thanks to John D for the BP.
The Year started with another long break, due to the Covid Pandemic, with many Pubs not offering Food yet, a few Picnic rides seemed in order, either in a Pub Garden, or a Park. A Sunday ride in early May, had an unfortunate mishap, Tom having a fall, with a heavily bruised Shoulder & a damaged Bike, needing a Taxi home, happily he is back on the Bike, & joined us for at least 1 ride, before the Year end despite his busy schedule, later in May a Fallen Tree caused some inconvenience between Weybridge & Walton. Evening rides also had an unusual start, most Pubs looked to close by 9pm on a Wednesday, so for April, we moved to a Thursday, thankfully for 1 month only, in June after much debate, we decided to have the Evening ride, as near to the ‘Summer Solstice’ as poss, rather than stick to ‘Bike Week’, worth it for the Pic.
In July, it was nice to see an improved Cycle path, together with a new stretch in Stanwell- not just Kingston finding Money for improved Cycle facilities-. A highlight for me this year was a new ride to Godstone, with lunch at a Farm (it does sort of double as a Pub as Godstone Brewery is on the same site),
followed by the delightful Woldingham Valley, an area I’ve tried to include in a ride for many years, sadly the Weather didn’t play ball this year, so me thinks we’ll have to do that ride again 🙂, another good ride was the ‘Train assisted ride’, somehow Bai was allowed to lead 😉, from Hurst Green to Horley to another new venue, the Farmhouse Pub, I’m sure we’ll be back. For 1 of the Midweek rides, another new venue, was a ‘Knocked down Pub’, happily rebuilt on the orders of the Council, so rare praise for Westminster this time,
again, I’m sure we’ll be back to the Carlton Tavern, before too long. In September we were asked by Kingston Council to organise a ‘Car free day ride’, which was quite successful, at very short notice, I’m sure we will happily do the same again in the future. The Year finished very strongly, especially for the Midweek rides, with a record attendance of 23 Cyclists in November ! The final Sunday ride visited Woodies, for a fantastic ‘Christmas lunch’, as the Pub is very welcoming, I hope it is now a firm fixture in the ride schedule.
Very special thanks to all the group leaders, that have helped this year, Especially Carl & Bai, also Mags, Mike, Steve F Pete M, thanks as well to all the Back markers, particularly John E & Ellie, but many others who all make the running of the rides go much smoother. Special thanks to John D for all the Bread Puddings, also to Christine for deputising when John has been away, also thanks to Janet, Chris & Tilani who have brought treats for some of the Midweek rides.
Wednesday 15th December. With a Cloudy but otherwise pleasant day, and after a few late cancellations, 15 Cyclists, in 1 group left via Kingston Bridge, Bushy Park, Teddington, Teddington Lock, Ham gate Richmond Park, Roehampton gate, Barnes Common, Putney- with a slipped Chain causing a minor delay-,, Putney Bridge, Bishops Park, Fulham, Thames Towpath to Hammersmith for lunch at the ‘Plough & Harrow’ (Wetherspoons), then Ravenscourt Park, Acton, Gunnersbury Park (Photo), Brentford, to Syon Park for refreshments, Isleworth, Whitton, Twickenham, Strawberry hill, Teddington, a very congested Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge, to finish back in the Market place. Total 28 Miles, thanks to Mike & John for sharing the Back marking, thanks to Pete for being on standby to lead a group, thanks to Tilani for the Shortbread, thanks to Chris for the Ginger Cake, both treats were delicious !!
Sunday 12th December, a bright start, with some light drizzle during & just after lunch, saw 29 Cyclists, split into 3 groups, leave via Lower Marsh, Berrylands, Tolworth & Greenway, West Ewell, Stoneleigh, Worcester park, Old Malden, to New Malden, joined by 2 non Cyclists & 2 more who had missed the Train to Kingston for the start, for a superb lunch at Woodies, after thankyou speech for the Pub & others our leader announced, that he couldn’t split the final Two for Support rider of the year, So Carl & Bai both got some treats, thanks also to John & Christine for all the Bread puddings this year, Bai replied with thanks to me as ride leader & organiser, with 1 of group 2 having a visit from the ‘P fairy’, then back on the Bikes with some very ‘full bellies’, Motspur park, Lower Morden, Morden Park (Photo group 1), Morden, Ravensbury Park- group 1 suffering a visit from the ‘P fairy’-, soon overtaken by group 2 plus, to Morden Hall Park, just in time for Tea & Bread pudding, another presentation from John, for the best attendance this yeaar, to John Ede, just about daylight as we departed via, Merton park, Wimbledon Chase, Raynes park, New Malden, Norbiton, to finish back in Kingston. Total 25 Miles, Special thanks to Bai & Carl for leading groups 2 & 3, thanks to Toni, Mike F, Jon W & Chris F for back marking duties, thanks to John D for the BP.
A depleted group 1, Morden Park: LindsayGroup 2 enjoying lunch: Bai Kamara
Whilst the network of Kingston’s new Cycleways delivered as part of the Council’s ‘Go Cycle’ project is far from complete, it’s interesting to see the large number of people who are using the parts of the network already completed.
Although we see lots of people using the network on a daily basis, it is always interesting to have a look at real data to determine actual usage and look for any trends that can be spotted. We have therefore compiled some data from the Council’s existing Cycle Surveys as well as some more recent data produced from Vivacity traffic counting monitors which Kingston Council has been trialling and which we’ve received limited access to.
So, what does the data show us?
New Malden to Raynes Park (Cycleway 31)
This excellent Go Cycle project created brand new walking and cycling paths alongside the South Western train mainline between New Malden station and Raynes Park recreation ground.
Kingston Council’s 2020 cycling survey stated that an average of 320 people were using this route for cycling each day. However, in 2021, The Vivacity sensor data trial shows that 542 people on average used it for cycling (between 14 May and 21 November 2021).
In addition to people using it for cycling, 703 trips by people walking have also been recorded on average each day. Given that before this route opened people couldn’t walk or cycle at all along this path, the data demonstrates how amazingly popular it has become in such a short amount of time.
The popular Beeline Way(Cycleway 31)
The popularity of the path is probably helped by it being away from roads meaning it has reduced air and noise pollution compared to alternative routes (for example, via Burlington Road).
Kingston to Kingston Vale (Cycleway 30)
This is the longest end to end Go Cycle project (4.5km) leading from the centre of Kingston to (almost) the Borough boundary with Wandsworth at the Robin Hood junction of the A3.
Despite construction being started in 2018, this Go Cycle route was only completed in full in early 2021 due to Covid related delays. However, parts of the route were open in 2020 and Kingston Council’s 2021 cycling survey stated the number of people using Kingston Hill for cycling was already increasing, with 363 people cycling on the route in 2020 compared to 211 in 2019 (noting that there had been a general increase in cycling in 2020 due to a national lockdown).
There isn’t a Vivacity sensor on Kingston Hill itself, but there is one on London Road near the end of the Go Cycle route by Tiffin School. This sensor shows an average of 1,521 cycling trips using the route a day (between 12 May and 21 November 2021). This compares with an average 15,467 cars being picked up by the sensor each day meaning, in the same year the route was completed, the number of cycle trips on this part of the route has already reached around 10% of the number of cars using the road!
The London Road section of the Kingston to Kingston Vale route (Cycleway 30)
Kingston to Surbiton (Cycleway 29)
This Cycleway was the second major road route to be completed as part of the Go Cycle programme (the first being Portsmouth Road). Unfortunately, this route suffers from many shared areas at junctions (where people cycling and walking mix in the same space), particularly along the Wheatfield Way part of the route. It therefore doesn’t provide direct, uninterrupted journeys for people cycling and its popularity as a cycling route is likely to be harmed as a result. Despite that, the Vivacity sensor on Wheatfield Way shows an average of 462 cycling trips on this part of the route per day (24 June to 21 November 2021) and 652 cycling trips on Penrhyn Road (6 May to 21 November 2021) based on a sensor near the Kingston University building.
A shared area section of Cycleway 29 at the junction of Wheatfield Way and Fairfield North
There is also a Cycleway ‘link’ route along Claremont Road towards Surbiton that connects to Cycleway 29 but isn’t the main Cycleway 29 route. The Claremont Road Cycleway is an indirect route as a decision was made to reroute the Cycleway around The Crescent rather than continuing it along the full length of Claremont Road (which would have required the removal of car parking spaces). The Vivacity sensor here recorded an average of 298 cycle trips per day (6 May to 21 November 2021).
The final Vivacity sensor we’ve seen data for on this route is on St Mark’s Hill though again, this is just a Cycleway ‘link’ and isn’t the main route for Cycleway 29. As with Claremont Road, due to the decision to keep car parking spaces, there is only a segregated cycle path on one side of the road (in the direction up the hill) reducing its popularity for people cycling. The Vivacity sensor here recorded an average of 359 cycle trips per day (6 May to 21 November 2021 (excluding 5 days in June where data recording appears to have failed)).
Surbiton to Kingston via Portsmouth Road (Cycleway 28)
This was the very first Go Cycle route to be built and was completed to a very high standard after Kingston Cycling Campaign successfully obtained improvements to the original plans.
This route features a two-way segregated cycle lane for most of its length and was extended in 2018 to take the two-way segregated cycle path along most of Kingston High Street (though unfortunately it does not yet reach the Ancient Market Place).
Sadly a Vivacity sensor has not been placed on this route so we need to look at data released as part of the Kingston Council Cycling Survey to look at numbers using this route. Helpfully, the 2021 survey provided average cycling figures for 2018-2020 (which we assume are from the automatic cycling counters the Council has installed on this road):
2018 – 1,068 people cycling per day
2019 – 1,114 people cycling per day
2020 – 1,582 people cycling per day
As the survey notes, during the middle part of 2020 there was a large increase in cycling following a national lockdown (the number of cycle trips peaked at 3,891 on a single day during 2020!) so it will be interesting to see if this has increase has been sustained on Portsmouth Road for 2021. In any case, it is great to see an increasing number of people using this safer cycle route.
Is there any other data available for this route? Well, the Department of Transport also compiles traffic counts and has one for Portsmouth Road. Looking at the Department of Transport’s figures we can see an actual (rather than estimated count) was last completed in 2016. Whilst this is a ‘spot count’ (it only counts people using the road on a single day rather than averaging it over a longer period), it shows that there were only 815 people counted cycling using the road on the day the count was taking place out of 15,424 total number of vehicles counted. Compared with that ‘spot day’ and the latest Kingston Council figures, cycling along the route has therefore almost doubled between 2016 and 2020.
As with the Kingston to Kingston Vale route, assuming the total number of vehicles using Portsmouth Road has remained broadly steady since 2016, the number of people cycling on the route could again be around 10% of the total vehicles using the road!
Portsmouth Road – Cycleway 28
Any other data?
Some other quick statistics:
1,370 walking or cycling trips on average per day across the new bridge taking people over the one-way system near Kingston Station (25 June to 21 November 2021 – Vivacity sensor data). Given this route was closed for over two years and only reopened earlier this year it’s already proving popular and allows for many more people to use it than the bridge it replaced.
421 cycling trips on average per day using the South Lane underpass to cross the A3. This is one of the few safe and convenient crossings of the A3 in this area (6 May to 21 November 2021 – Vivacity sensor data).
Only 394 cycling trips per day on average on Coombe Lane West (2 May to 21 November 2021 – Vivacity sensor data). This route was removed from the first phase of the Go Cycle programme and therefore lacks segregated cycling facilities. This is despite it being a major desire route for cycling between Norbiton and Raynes Park. It also passes a number of current (and planned) schools as well as Kingston Hospital. We hope that Kingston Council will be successful in their funding bid for Go Cycle phase 2 which provisionally includes this route. Coombe Lane West could then see an improvement in cycling rates as seen on the Go Cycle phase 1 routes already constructed.
More Department for Transport data suggests that, as mentioned earlier, there was a large increase in cycling nationally during the middle part of 2020 following a national lockdown. However, nationally, the data states that cycling levels in 2021 have broadly returned to those at the beginning of March 2020. The apparent increase in people cycling in Kingston during 2021 is therefore even more impressive.
What does all this data tell us?
It is important to emphasise that the Vivacity sensors are under trial and the figures used above have not been audited. However, the Vivacity sensors do seem to pick up a similar number of vehicles per day as shown in other recent Council traffic counts which use different technology. A trial of these sensors elsewhere in London also showed they were up to 97% accurate.
It is also interesting that the sensors can pick up ‘tracks’ of vehicles so can see what paths they are taking and which turns they make (see photo below). These images could help more easily determine the origin and destinations of journeys as well as helping understand whether people find the new cycling infrastructure useful or if they are avoiding it and are using the road instead.
Vivacity sensor image showing cycling ‘tracks’ along Beeline Way during a one hour period on 23 November 2021 and a picture of the sensor on a nearby lamppost
We look forward to hearing the results of the full trial of the Vivacity sensors and hope the Council will keep those in place on the Go Cycle network as well as filling in gaps in their coverage on the remainder of the network.
The data seems to show that the New Malden to Raynes Park has been very successful and also, that where there is continuous high-quality segregated cycle routes, e.g. Portsmouth Road and London Road, that cycling rates can be a substantial portion of the total number of vehicles using the route. However, where there are gaps in segregation for people cycling, for example Wheatfield Way, cycling rates seem to be lower. We therefore hope this data gives Kingston Council the drive to look at improving the continuity of exiting Cycle routes to provide direct and segregated routes, even through junctions.
Overall, the numbers of people cycling on the Go Cycle routes seem to be increasing. However, with Phase 1 of the Go Cycle network still not complete and Phase 2 currently unfunded, it will be some time before everyone in the Borough lives next to a safe cycling network. Until that happens, cycling levels in the Borough are unlikely to reach their full potential.
Sunday 28th November. a not quite frozen, sunny day, after 6 late cancellations, saw 16 Cyclists in 2 groups, leave via Berrylands, New Malden, Motspur park, -collecting 1 more for group 2-, Cannon Hill, Morden, Morden Hall Park, Mitcham, -collecting 1 more for group 1-, Tooting, Tooting Bec Common, to Streatham Hill for lunch at the very reasonable ‘Crown & Sceptre’, Tulse Hill, Brockwell Park, Brixton, Clapham Common, Wandsworth Common (Photo group 1), a novel detour to Wandsworth, King Georges Park, Earlsfield, to Wimbledon Park for Tea & Bread pudding, Wimbledon village, Raynes park, New Maldeen, Norbiton, to finish back in Kingsto. Total 27 Miles, Special thanks to Carl for leading group 2, thanks to Chris F for taking on the Back marking at short notice, also thanks to Mike for back marking group 2, thanks to John D for the BP.
Group 1 Wandsworth Common Credit: LindsayGroup 2 Wimbledon Park Credit: Bai Kamara
Wednesday 17th November. A bright but chilly day saw an impressive 23 Cyclists (a record for a Midweek ride), split into 2 groups, leave via Lower Marsh, Berrylands, Tolworth & Greenway, West Ewell, Epsom, Epsom Downs (Group 1 Photo), Tadworth, Banstead, to Woodmansterne for lunch at the Woodman, joined by 1 more guest, then Wallington, -with group 1 back marker having a technical issue, Group 2 having a visit from the ‘P Fairy’, and a Mudgaurd malfunction, all in the ‘Beddington Triangle’, might give the area a miss in future 😉-, Beddington Park (Photo group 2), Hackbridge, Wandle trail, to Morden Hall Park for refreshments, Morden, Morden Park, Lower Morden, Motspur park, New Malden to finish back in Kingston. Total 29 Miles, 2 new faces, Special thanks to Pete for leading group 2, thanks to Dave P & John E for back marking each group.
Group 1 Epsom Downs viewpointGroup 2, Beddington Park
Note: Apologies to group 2, due to a software issue, the Sat-nav took a wrong turn, not Group leaders fault.
Sunday 14th November Part 1. A mostly overcast day, with 1 small period of very light misty drizzle, after 4 late cancellations, saw 18 Cyclists, in 2 groups leave via Skerne Rd, Aerospace Estate, Ham, Ham gate, to Petersham Gate, -time to reflect on Remembrance Sunday for 2 minutes, group 2 also listened to Andrea read a verse from ‘For the Fallen’,by Laurence Binyon, ‘They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sunand in the morning. We will remember them.’-, Richmond, Richmond Bridge, St Margarets, Isleworth, Whitton, Kneller Gardens (Group 1 Photo), to Twickenham for a (too) early lunch at the ‘Prince Blucher’, -with hastily printed Menu’s that had the wrong price’s for most meals-, Strawberry hill, Teddington, Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge, to finish. Sub total 13 Miles, special thanks to Bai for leading group 2, thanks to Chris F & Andrea for back marking each group.
Part 2, saying farewell to 6, welcoming 7 fresh faces, 19 Cyclists in 2 groups left via Kingston Bridge, Thames Towpath, Hampton Court, (Group 2 Photo), East Molesey, Esher, Claygate, to Long Ditton Garden Centre (Squires), now insisting on ‘Table service’, a long wait for orders, but quick delivery, to help digest the Bread pudding, Surbiton to finish back in Kingston. Sub total 12 Miles, Total 25 Miles, 1 new face, special thanks to Bai for leading group 2, thanks to Toni & Mike F for back marking each group.
Firstly, after some uncertainty, we were very pleased to find out in February that Transport for London (TfL) had awarded Kingston Council outline funding to complete the last link in the Mini-Holland programme, the Kingston to New Malden Cycleway. The funding from TfL was significantly reduced from that originally budgeted so some of the work has been scaled back but it will still be a significant improvement for cycling compared to the current state of the route. See below for more on how that scheme is getting on now as well as updates on the other schemes that have made further progress this year.
Kingston Station
In April 2021, one of the most visually striking parts of the Mini Holland programme opened with a new four metre wide walking and cycling bridge taking people from Kingston Station the Kingston one-way system towards the river and Ham. This bridge replaces a very narrow bridge and has created a much more pleasant route from Kingston Station towards the Thames, Canbury Gardens and for people heading to Kingston Bridge.
Photos of the new bridge next to Kingston Station and the bridge it replaced
The other big milestone for the Kingston Station Mini-Holland scheme was the opening of the 424 space bike storage hub (official opening date was 25 May 2021). This storage hub has free access to bike tyre pumps, bike maintenance stands with tools, a water fountain, lockers, many CCTV cameras linked to Kingston Council’s CCTV centre, a spacious lift to the first and second floors and space for non-standard bikes too. There is also space for a cafe and bike mechanic on the ground floor. Whilst Kingston Station is not at pre-Pandemic usage levels being used very much at the moment, we’ve already noticed that the bike hub is being used for people visiting the city centre. Whilst we would have been interested in some of the bike spaces being even more secure (for example, only accessed with a swipe card) as well as more signage (which hopefully is to come!), we hope it will be a valuable resource to Kingston’s residents and visitors.
Photos of the new Kingston Station bike hub which has capacity for 424 bikes
Surbiton to Tolworth
The Surbiton to Tolworth Cycleway along Ewell Road started construction at the beginning of 2020 before being delayed due to Covid. Phase 1 (St Mark’s Hill to Browns Road) was completed last year before Phase 2 (Browns Road to Tolworth Broadway) was paused so that the original designs could be re-worked (again, to fit within reduced budgets from TfL). Phase 2 is now under construction and, to fit in around roadworks required for gas main upgrades, started at the Tolworth Broadway end of Ewell Road. The first sections of protected cycleway have now been finished between Tolworth Broadway and the Elgar/Princes Avenue junction on Ewell Road. Work is now taking place on Ewell Road near the junction with King Charles Road and Red Lion Road. Over the next c.6 months, work will continue along Ewell Road, joining up with the completed Phase 1 at Browns Road.
Construction of the Surbiton to Tolworth Cycleway continues with this ‘bus stop bypass’ being built near King Charles Road/Ewell Road junction
When this Cycleway is complete, and combined with the new bridge by Kingston Station (as well as the trial Low Traffic Neighbourhood on Lower Ham Road), there will be a c.7km safer cycling route all the way from Kingston’s border with Richmond upon Thames (at Ham Cross) to its border with Epsom & Ewell (near Tolworth)!
Kingston to Kingston Vale
The longest individual Mini-Holland scheme, at almost 4.5km in length, was completed earlier this year with the final works happening on Kingston Hill at its junction with Galsworthy Road and also Queen’s Road. Changes were also made earlier this year at the Kingston Vale end of the route near the A3.
Named Cycleway 30, we’ve already noticed a large increase in use with a large variety of bikes making an appearance. We’ve seen tandems (including side-by-side tandems!), bikes with trailers, specially made cargo bikes as well as the usual variety of road, hybrid and mountain bikes with people of all ages using the Cycleway to be active, reduce air pollution and best of all, skip the queues of motor vehicles!
All types of bikes can be found using the new Cycleway network in the Borough
We’ve been speaking with the Council to try and get a number of improvements made to the Kingston to Kingston Vale Cycleway to make it even better to use. This includes converting a zebra crossing between Warren Road and Ladderstile Rise to shared use to assist people on bikes with getting to Richmond Park more easily. We’ve also raised issues with some of the signage – particularly around Manorgate Road roundabout, we think some of it is unclear and confusing and we’d like it changed. Whilst budgets are tight, we don’t have any promises that these changes will be made but will continue campaigning to get these (and other) changes made to make the route the best it can be.
In a very recent update, Councillor Olly Wehring has announced that the Council are looking into improving safety at the Birkenhead Avenue/London Road junction on the Kingston to Kingston Vale Cycleway. This busy junction interacts with a 2-way cycleway and we’ve had many reports of near-misses at this junction since it was rebuilt in mid-2020. The danger is caused by Birkenhead Avenue being used by a lot of cars to avoid the one-way system. Keeping cars to the main A-roads (which have 3 to 4 vehicle lanes here and are designed for large volumes of traffic) would make this junction safer. We look forward to seeing further details of what is proposed.
Kingston to New Malden
As per the beginning of this update, funding for the Kingston to New Malden Cycleway was confirmed by Transport for London in February. Kingston Council didn’t take long to start work on the ground with work starting at the Cambridge Road end of the route to join with Cycleway 30 (Kingston to Kingston Vale) at its junction with London Road near Asda.
The first work completed included preparations for a brand new zebra crossing across Cambridge Road making it easier and safer for people to cross the road (this is the 14th new zebra crossing that has been introduced as part of the Mini-Holland programme) as well as resurfacing and kerb works for the two-way Cycleway which will be introduced on Cambridge Road between Hawk’s Road and London Road.
More recently, work has continued at the other end of the route near New Malden with the creation of another new zebra crossing (the 15th!), new ‘bus boarders’, and the installation of poles (or ‘wands’) separating people cycling from cars, buses and lorries.
New bus boarder on the Kingston to New Malden route with ‘wands’ separating people cycling from cars on the opposite side of the road
We were also pleased to see the access to this improved cycle route from Chatham Road amended to make it easier for bikes to pass around an old fire gate (though it’s still not quite wide enough for all types of bikes (e.g. cargo/adapted bikes) so it will stay on our list of improvements we’d like to see).
What’s coming up
As above, Surbiton to Tolworth (Phase 2) and Kingston to New Malden are currently in construction and this will continue for the rest of the year and into the beginning of 2022.
In the meantime, we will also try and get things improved on routes where main construction has ended and in particular, will be asking the Council to get signage improved on routes that have now been completed
We will also continue to campaign for more funding for the Cycleways network to be extended to other parts of the Borough too. Although completion of the Mini-Holland schemes will mean around there’s around 17km of new, safer Cycleways in the Borough, there are still parts of the Borough that will still be a long way from this upgraded network (e.g. Old Malden/Worcester Park and most of Chessington and Hook).
As a very final note, the extremely successful and popular New Malden to Raynes Park Cycleway, starting next to New Malden Station, has been named ‘Beeline Way’ following a public vote.
How you can support us?
If not already a member, why not consider joining London Cycling Campaign and benefit from discounts, 3rd party liability insurance, free legal advice on cycling matters, as well as adding your voice to our campaign for safer cycling throughout London. You can join using this link: https://www.lcc.org.uk/membership/
You can also contact us with any thoughts or comments
If you live locally, you could also contact your Local Councillor with details of any improvements you’d like to be made for cycling in your local neighbourhood.
Kingston Cycling Campaign 