Devonshire Road Sign Felled After New Junction Opens


Knocked downed almost immediately after new design launched

The stricken pole which carried the Devonshire Road sign
The stricken pole which carried the Devonshire Road sign

December 11, 2022

A pole carrying the road sign for Devonshire Road was knocked down earlier this week almost immediately after the newly designed junction was fully opened.

Hounslow Council completed the work on the crossing point of Devonshire Road and Cycleway 9 on schedule on Thursday 8 December, as promised, to limit the impact on trading for local shops.

It was part of Phase 3b of the project which aims to increase safety at junctions along the route of the segregated cycle lane. Transport for London is currently consulting on this latest version of the scheme.

Transport for London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, posted a picture of the junction showing the sign intact on the Thursday. He said on Twitter, "The new section of Cycleway 9 in @LBofHounslow is finished and looking wonderful on this chilly morning. The next section connecting up Waterman's Park will start after the Christmas Break.

However, later that evening it had already been knocked over.

One person who spotted the downed sign contacted us to say, “I’m no expert but lowering the kerb around the sign wasn’t necessarily a great idea. I hope its not indicative of a general flaw in the design of the junction with regards to safety.

"It’s a hugely complicated junction with vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists coming from all directions. I think the pole was knocked down at night and perhaps a colour other than black needs to be considered for its replacement.

"Other than that, I quite like the design of the junction. The chicane will slow cyclists at a point where there are lots of pedestrians and it reduces the chances of cars blocking the cycle lane when they are trying to move onto the High Road”

The sign before it was knocked down
The sign before it was knocked down. Picture: Twitter/Will Norman

A shop owner on Devonshire Road said, “The council need to replace this immediately. The lack of a sign makes our road more difficult to find and this is not the best time for this to happen. I hope they don’t argue it needs to go for safety reasons.”

The ongoing consultation by Hounslow Council into this latest phase of the Cycleway along Chiswick High Road continues.

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