Consultation on Cycleway 9 Changes to Begin Shortly
Chiswick Conservative councillors pass motion for plans to be withdrawn
The majority of those at the meeting came to oppose the proposal. Picture: Brentford TV
November 6, 2026
Hounslow Council is expected to begin a public consultation next week on proposals to reroute Cycleway 9 across the pavement between Dukes Avenue and Heathfield Terrace.
The announcement was made at the Chiswick Area Forum at which Conservative councillors voted to recommend that the scheme be withdrawn.
A statement from the council read out at the meeting on Wednesday 4 November, although no representative of its transport team attended with the officer scheduled to be there being unwell on the day.
The statement said residents and businesses would have a further opportunity to comment before the proposals were finalised. However, the precise arrangements for the consultation have not yet been made clear, including whether it will be a full public consultation or a more limited exercise such as a statutory consultation.
Around 70 people attended the meeting, including campaigners representing visually impaired people and parishioners from Our Lady and St Edward Church. Most opposed the proposed changes, which would divert cyclists off Chiswick High Road between Dukes Avenue and Heathfield Terrace, across the pavement beside the Priest’s House and back onto the cycleway towards the top of Heathfield Terrace.
The planned changes from Heathfield Terrace to Dukes Avenue. Click here for larger image. Picture: Hounslow Council
The proposals, developed by Transport for London (TfL) and endorsed by Hounslow Council, revive plans first put forward more than seven years ago but not implemented following the pandemic.
Conservative councillors voted to recommend that the council and TfL withdraw the scheme. Green councillor Rick Rowe and Labour councillor Amy Croft abstained, with Cllr Croft describing the motion as farcical given that final plans had yet to be published.
The majority of those at the meeting came to oppose the proposal. Picture: Brentford TV
The council has presented the changes as a road safety measure, citing collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists along the High Road.
The statement read out by forum chairman Cllr Ron Mushiso said: “Over the past five years, eight personal injury accidents have been recorded along this stretch, most involving pedestrians and cyclists.
“The Council has a legal responsibility to promote road safety and consider what improvements are needed to reduce the risk of further accidents.”
The statement said the council was developing a scheme intended to improve safety for all road users while addressing traffic flow, congestion and the appearance of the High Road.
The plan is to redirect the cycleway along this stretch of pavement
It confirmed that TfL was providing up to £1.32 million towards the scheme and that agreement would be needed on proposed changes to traffic signals and the management of traffic on the Strategic Road Network.
The council acknowledged concerns raised following the release of draft plans, particularly about pedestrian and cyclist safety and the width of the pavement outside the church and Waitrose.
“Being a Responsive Council, feedback received has been assessed and has been carefully considered as part of the developed design,” the statement said.
“Public consultation is expected to begin next week, giving residents and businesses a further opportunity to comment. All feedback will be considered before the proposals are finalised.”
The absence of a council representative meant that questions about the current status of the design and the reasons for the changes could not be answered directly and there was confusion as to whether plans that had previously been put in the public domain were the latest ones.
However, some residents questioned whether the proposed changes were primarily intended to improve traffic flow rather than address the safety concerns identified by the council.
The scheme would enable the reintroduction of a left-turn filter lane at the Heathfield Terrace junction, improving traffic movements and reducing delays to the E3 bus.
Cllr Joanna Biddolph described the proposal as a “friends with benefits” arrangement, suggesting Hounslow would receive funding for upgraded crossings and traffic lights while the cycleway was altered.
She also pointed out that the council’s statement made no mention of pedestrians.
Members of the congregation of Our Lady and St Edward Church told the meeting that the pavement outside the building was an integral part of parish life.
The church holds five Sunday masses, as well as around 40 weddings a year as well as funerals. The most heavily attended services can see more than 1,000 people spilling out onto the pavement.
An earlier version of the proposals had placed the cycleway directly outside the church’s front door. That design was subsequently amended to bypass the entrance, but parishioners remained concerned about the risks to people arriving for and leaving services.
The proposed route was also criticised by residents who said the existing cycleway had already made visiting Chiswick High Road more difficult for elderly and disabled people.
Several described feeling fearful when using the High Road and said cyclists continued to ride on pavements despite the provision of a dedicated cycle lane.
There were repeated complaints about cyclists failing to stop at red lights and crossing junctions without regard to pedestrians or other traffic. Some residents argued that the proposed investment would reward cyclists for behaviour that was already causing problems for pedestrians.
The concerns of visually impaired people were a prominent feature of the meeting. One raised the issue of floating bus stops proposed further along Cycleway 9, warning that people who could neither see nor hear approaching cyclists faced particular difficulties negotiating the layouts. The latest proposal does not involve the introduction of any floating bus stops but it was pointed out that many people with impaired visibility felt compelled to use the bus stop by the Turnham Green Church which was the one closest to the shops which didn’t have a bus island. They would then walk along the section where the cycleway would be built on the pavement which would now also present additional risk to them.
Andrew Hodgson, chairman of the Pocklington Lodge Tenants’ Association, which represents a building providing housing for visually impaired people, described the proposals as “alarming”.
He said the cycle lanes and bus stop bypasses were adding to the difficulties residents already experienced when visiting Chiswick.
Vincent Stops, a volunteer for the National Federation of the Blind UK, said the consultation process itself presented problems for visually impaired people.
“It is difficult for blind people to engage with the consultation process on this and similar schemes that profoundly affect their lives,” he said.
“They can’t see the drawings so even if they are written to, they have very little chance of even understanding what is happening to their local street, let alone getting over their points.”
Conservative councillors argued that the proposals had not adequately demonstrated that the changes would improve safety for pedestrians.
Cllr Biddolph said she believed it was important to identify problems with the proposals at an early stage and that she would reflect the views expressed at the forum in feedback to the council.
Cllr Linden Grigg questioned the £1.32 million cost, arguing that the money would be better spent on a lift at Turnham Green station.
One attendee at the meeting did speak up for the changes saying that he had been campaigning for changes for some time and that 3,500 cyclists used the route daily.
Cllr Croft said she was confident council officers would listen to residents’ concerns.
The forthcoming consultation is expected to give residents and businesses an opportunity to comment before the proposals are finalised. Although Hounslow Council will oversee the exercise, working with TfL, the precise arrangements have not yet been confirmed.
The plans have previously been subject to a full public consultation, although that took place in 2019. It therefore remains unclear whether the forthcoming exercise will be a full public consultation on the revised design or a more limited process.
The council might also need to undertake statutory consultation on traffic orders associated with the changes. Such a process would have a more restricted scope than an open public consultation, with representations considered in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements.
The council has not yet clarified whether the forthcoming exercise will include a full consultation on the design, or whether it will conclude that a more limited consultation is appropriate. It did not respond to our request for a comment on this point.
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