Work Taking Place to Upgrade Dangerous Cycleway Junction
Weltje Road has seen a sharp increase in cyclist injuries
Work taking place at the Weltje Road Junction on King Street. Picture: Will Norman
July 15, 2023
Work has been taking place at the Weltje Road junction with King Street to improve safety for cyclists.
The point at which the ‘Safer Cycle Pathway’ is crossed by traffic seeking to get onto the A4 has seen a high number of collisions.
A council report published in March stated, “While there is insufficient data to solely attribute any of the changes observed in the profile of collisions along King Street with the introduction of the scheme, the council has identified specific characteristics at the junctions of Weltje Road and Rivercourt Road with King Street and is preparing to implement measures to reduce conflict between different road user groups at these locations.”
It is understood that the changes being made will to upgrade the junction to the designs in the original permanent scheme that was consulted on before the pandemic.
During the first nine months of 2022 there were six cyclist seriously injured on the cycleway around King Street more than double the number for the previous five years combined. Three of these collisions were at the junction with Weltje Road which has always been a black spot for accidents although up until 2022 there had not been a cyclist seriously injured at this location.
Weltje Road was identified as potentially being a junction presented high risk at the original design meeting for the cycleway but Transport for London ruled out banning access to the A4 from this road.
Weltje Road junction has seen six cyclists seriously injured in nine months.
During the pandemic, Hammersmith & Fulham Council implemented a ‘semi-permanent’ design but decided back in March to upgrade the Weltje Road and Rivercourt Road junctions which it said then it would do when funding became available.
Transport for London has also announced this week 10 new cycleways across London including Cycleway 34 between Hammersmith to Fulham and Cycleway 57 between Hammersmith Bridge to Barnes both of which connect to Cycleway 9. No further details of the new cycleways have been provided at this stage but it is understood that they will be designated routes through existing low traffic streets rather than requiring major investment in new infrastructure to segregate cyclists.
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