segregation

Kingston Gate – save our protected bike lane!

Kingston Station is at the heart of Kingston’s cycling network. It’s the site of a new multi-million pound cycle hub, the brand new Wheatfield Way and nearby Old London Road Mini-Holland routes, and other bike routes linking to the town centre and north along Richmond Road. But only a hundred metres away, a planning application has been submitted to rip out the existing protected bike lane. So what’s going on?

Kingston Gate is a proposed development, building over a car park and an adjacent busy road. The developers propose diverting this traffic onto Richmond Road, but they want to remove the bike lane in order to do so. This will completely sever this cycle route, and their proposed diversion on the pavement around the back of the shops for people cycling is a waste of time. In the second phase of development, they say, they will demolish this row of shops, and they say they will then put a northbound cycle path back in.

But there’s a real risk that Phase 2 won’t even happen. If Phase 1 goes ahead as planned, there is no obligation on the developers to apply for the permission required for Phase 2. Even if they do, there’s no obligation to actually construct it – planning applications go unbuilt for all kinds of reasons. And most worrying of all, they don’t even own any of the properties that would need be demolished for Phase 2 to go ahead. This means the supposedly temporary loss of the protected bike route would become permanent.

This has to be stopped before it gets started, or we could lose this route completely. The Council should be upgrading this route in the first place – it’s a key link in their existing plans, and they should be providing protected space for southbound cycling, never mind retaining the northbound protected route throughout any planned works. Richmond Road is a key cycling artery, both now and for the future.

It’s not too late for the developers to change their proposals, or for the council to reject them. But for this to happen we need your support.

How to Object

Kingston Cycling Campaign have already submitted our detailed objection to this scheme – covering much more than the problems covered here. But the best way to ensure this route is kept is for everyone to add your own objections – we know from experience that the more objections, the more weight is given to them.

  • Visit the application on the council’s website: 19/02323/FUL
  • Fill in the form, and pick “Object” as your stance
  • Tick “Access or traffic problems”
  • In the comment, say that you object to the proposal on the grounds of Road Safety, that you object to the removal of the protected bike lane on Richmond Road during any phase of construction, that you object to any reinstatement being dependent on subsequent phases which may not go ahead and you object to there being no consideration of a southbound protected bike lane being added at any stage of the project or in the future.

Note that comments have to be submitted by the end of Wednesday 21st April – so please take a minute and submit yours right now!

Happy 1st Birthday to the New Malden to Raynes Park Cycleway!

A few people from Kingston Cycling Campaign and Merton Cycling Campaign met on the New Malden to Raynes Park Cycleway this afternoon (socially distanced of course) to celebrate its first Birthday which is due tomorrow, 13 July 2020.

The New Malden to Raynes Park Cycleway

The New Malden to Raynes Park Cycleway (also referred to as ‘Cycleway 31’) has transformed cycling and walking between the two locations since it opened. It opened up previously underused Thames Water land allowing people to cycle and walk between the two locations in a safe environment for the first time. After our successful campaign, the Cycleway was built with separate walking and cycling paths (instead of a single shared path) reducing conflict for people using the route too.

This afternoon we counted over 130 people on bikes in just an hour using the Cycleway with over a third of these being children either cycling with family or friends. There were a similar number of people walking too. This level of usage clearly demonstrates the desire for safe cycle and walking routes.

It doesn’t seem a year since Will Norman (London’s Walking and Cycling Commisioner) formally opened the Cycleway (and what a year it’s been since…) but we are delighted that this new link is being heavily used by the community just one year after opening.

A map of the New Malden to Raynes Park Cycleway

We expect that this Cycleway would be even more popular if it connected to safe cycle infrastructure at both its ends. We therefore will continue to campaign for the construction of the Kingston to New Malden Cycleway along Cambridge and Kingston Roads.

The proposed Kingston to New Malden Cycleway would pass close to the beginning of the New Malden to Raynes Park Cycleway providing a safer link onto it. The Kingston to New Malden Cycleway was approved by Kingston Council earlier this year but currently does not have any source of funding to start construction. In the meantime, people will continue to be put off cycling on these busy and dangerous roads.

Mini-Holland (Go Cycle) – how’s it going?

If you have been travelling around the borough recently, particularly around Kingston town centre, it will have been difficult for you to miss some of the recent progress on the mini-Holland (Go Cycle) schemes. We are pleased to see that 4 different schemes are currently in construction which means Kingston is catching up on some of the backlog of schemes that have been approved by the Council.

2017: a recap – what mini-Holland progress was made?

  • The new segregated cycle track heading up St Marks Hill in Surbiton opened.
  • A number of Mini-Holland schemes were approved by Kingston Council’s Resident’s Committee (including Kingston Vale; Penrhyn Road; New Malden to Raynes Park; and Kingston High Street)
  • Despite the Portsmouth Road scheme not yet fully linking all the way into Kingston town centre, Will Norman (the Mayor of London’s cycling and walking commissioner) recently announced that cycling has already doubled during the week (up 76-104%) and is up 59% on weekdays 7am-7pm.
  • Work commenced around Kingston Station.
  • Wheatfield Way – The first part of this scheme was partially constructed between the Rotunda and Wilko’s. The 2-way cycle path built is 3 metres wide and, although not quite as wide as some of the new Cycle Superhighways in central London, it is the same width as much of the successful Portsmouth Road scheme.

2018: what’s happened so far and what might happen in the rest of 2018?

  • Kingston Station – the construction around the station has been continuing and should be mostly complete by the end of 2018. Work will also hopefully start on the new cycle hub at the station.
  • Wheatfield Way – Work has already started on the rest of the route and we are hopeful this will be complete during 2018 which will finish the link between Kingston Station and College Roundabout. This will be open up a new North-South cycle route through Kingston’s centre with the route fully segregated from the road.

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    New segregated cycle track on Claremont Road, Surbiton

  • Surbiton links – work has been undertaken early this year to finish some of the Surbiton Mini-Holland links including on Claremont Road (see photo) and Surbiton Crescent. There is now work at the junction with Maple Road and Claremont Road to join the links together (including onto Avenue Elmers).
  • New Malden to Raynes Park – this received approval from the Residents Committee in November 2017 so, subject to Transport for London funding, we hope that work will start on this completely new segregated cycle and walking link in 2018. Kingston Cycle Campaign have campaigned strongly for this route – further information about our campaign can be found here: Raynes Park to New Malden petition.
  • Kingston Vale – this route will link the centre of Kingston through to the Robin Hood Junction on the A3, intersecting with some key destinations along the route including a number of shops; Kingston Hospital; Richmond Park and Kingston University’s Kingston Hill campus. This scheme was approved by the Residents Committee in June 2017 and work has started this year on Gordon Road and Canbury Park Road. We hope to see some spades in the ground on the main part of the route later in 2018 (again, this is likely to be subject to TfL funding!).

What will Kingston Cycling Campaign be doing in 2018 for Mini-Holland?

  • We hope to be able to continue to work with the council on the design of schemes to ensure that as many issues as possible are spotted and fixed before construction starts!
  • We will be keeping an eye on the implementation of schemes and make sure that they improve safety for all cyclists and encourage people to get on their bike.
  • We will continue to respond to any further consultations on Mini-Holland and will encourage the Council to push Transport for London to release the necessary money to implement the schemes already approved as soon as possible.

You can find more details about all the schemes from Kingston Council’s website by following the links above or going to: https://www.kingston.gov.uk/go

Suggested response to Mini Holland Consultations July 2016

Kingston Council have four consultations open until 18 July 2016 on their Go Cycle or Go Programme (previously Mini Holland).

http://consult.kingston.gov.uk/portal/planning/go/consultations_summer_2016/

The schemes need real improvement. So please complete all four and call for the routes to be completed and cycles to be separated from both motors and pedestrians.

These are our brief suggested responses which please feel free to use as the basis for your own responses. Do complete the “comments” sections – the questions asked are closed and will not allow you to seek what cyclists really want.
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Mini Holland Consultations

Kingston Council have four Consultations open until 18 July 2016 on proposed Go Cycle or Go Programme (their branding for Mini Holland) cycle routes.

  • Kingston Station
  • Wheatfield Way
  • Kingston to Surbiton
  • Fountain Roundabout, New Malden (below)

Fountain Roundabout proposed layout

You can access the consultations here;

http://consult.kingston.gov.uk/portal/planning/go/consultations_summer_2016/

Please complete all four and call for fully protected space for cycling separate from both motor traffic and pedestrians. Our initial view is that the proposals are disappointing. Mini Holland and the Mayor’s Cycling Vision for London were intended to be transformational. Kingston’s proposals have a lot of space shared by pedestrians and cyclists, creating conflict for both. Junctions which are challenging for inexperienced cyclists are sometimes ignored.

There are some promising features such as segregated cycle tracks, but the schemes need real improvement if they are to work. We managed to get the Council to improve Portsmouth Road so please let’s get these schemes improved by completing the consultation.

Our detailed discussion of all 4 schemes is publicly available on Cyclescape.org;

http://kingston.cyclescape.org/

Please feel free to contribute.

 

FAQs for the Portsmouth Road scheme

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We’ve seen comments on social media and in the local papers about the mini-Holland two-way cycle track that’s under construction on the Portsmouth Road, and we’d like to help clarify any issues and correct any misinformation that is in circulation. Therefore we have put together a list of responses to frequently raised issues. Kingston Council is responsible for the design and implementation of the scheme. We hope that you will find these answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” helpful.
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Ordinary People on Bikes use Mini Holland

Its an expensive play area for the mamils of Kingston they said.
No, everyday people with bikes will use it, we said.

Its not finished but people are using the Portsmouth Rd cycle lane. Who would have thought!

 

Turns out the the most populous mamil is homo sapiens.

Portsmouth Rd is being built in 3 phases. Phase 1 (Palace Rd to north of Brighton Rd) has been constructed but we understand can not be officially opened until certain signs which are on order have been installed. Phase 2 High St to Palace Rd) is under construction now (May 2016) and will be completed this Summer. The last Phase 3 (south past Brighton Rd) should, we’re told, be built by the end of 2016.

We look forward to all types of rider enjoying the completed, almost 1 mile long, fully protected cycleway.

Congratulations to the Royal Borough of Kingston for being nominated for Portsmouth Rd in the best Borough Infrastructure Scheme category at the London Cycling Awards;

http://lcc.org.uk/articles/2016awards

Sadly runners up this year to Camden’s worthy winner in Tavistock Place but we’re in august company with joint second Waltham Forest’s Lea Bridge Rd. Let’s make Portsmouth Road the benchmark, improve and win next year RBK !

 

Consultation on mini Holland routes in Surbiton

This is the middle section of the Kingston to Surbiton to Tolworth route via Surbiton Crescent and Avenue Elmers. We are told Kingston Council will consult on these proposals in mid June 2016.

Heading south on Surbiton Crescent a modal filter for bikes and buses, at the junction with Surbiton Road, is to be trialled for 3 or 4 months. The route then continues on Avenue Elmers which will get a quietway treatment with logos and humps and consultation on 20mph (where it is currently 30mph).

Links to Surbiton station are provided by Claremont Road and St Marks Hill. On Claremont Road a two way segregated track is planned on the west side with the footway routed through Claremont Gardens. On St Marks Hill a segregated cycle track will be provided on the uphill but only logos on the downhill.

This looks very promising to us. A modal filter should work and Avenue Elmers is a quiet road. The scheme does need to get riders safely across Maple Road. The consultation does not include the sections of the route along Penrhyn and Surbiton Roads to the north nor on Ewell Road to the south. Plainly unless those sections are dealt with, and the crucial junction of Surbiton Hill Road and Ewell Road, so the route is continuous, then these schemes are of little value. Our understanding is that those sections will be consulted on in due course.

The links to Surbiton station will only be complete if the mini roundabout outside the station is tackled. We are a little concerned that logos on the downhill side of Saint Marks Road are sub standard and provide no safe space for cycling on a busy road. The Claremont Gardens footway should be sufficiently attractive and direct to ensure pedestrians use it not the cycle track.

We look forward to details of the consultation in June.

 

Cycle track on Wheatfield Way

We understand this proposal will be consulted on in June 2016. It is proposed to install two way fully segregated cycle tracks (3m) on the east (Fairfield) side of Wheatfield Way from College Roundabout to the station except at Old London Rd and Wilkinsons. At this pinch point shared space of at least 3.6m width is proposed for a short distance. Kingston’s mini Holland bid envisaged the two way track being continuous with the one way system being reduced from three to two motor lanes at this point. The Borough Officers tell us this is not possible because Transport for London’s traffic modelling suggests unacceptable delays would be caused.

There will also be more direct cycle crossings at Palmers Crescent and Lady Booth Road. Consultation on 20mph (currently 30mph) speed limit and raised crossings and junctions. Wider pedestrian and cycle crossings opposite Old London Rd are also proposed. There is also to be a link from Old London Road to Castle Street, the details of which, so far as we are aware, remain to be decided.

In our view this is a great proposal; a safe space for cycling on a scary urban gyratory. There are also urban realm improvements and a reduction in the severance caused by the ring round. Sadly there is one major defect; shared space does not work on a transport cycling route. We suggest a reduction to two traffic lanes could be trialled (a practice favoured by new Mayor, Sadiq Khan) for the short “pinch point” section outside Wilkinson’s; it may be the world does not end and remember TfL’s traffic modelling does have a record of not reflecting reality.