A40 Westway Cycle Superhighway Plans Scrapped

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Despite scheme gaining strong support during consultation

Visualisation of planned cycle superhighway on A40 Westway. Picture: TfL

A plan for a ‘cycle-superhighway’ between Acton and Paddington along the A40 Westway has been scrapped according to newspaper reports.

The Evening Standard is saying that London Mayor Sadiq Khan has abandoned the scheme for the segregated cycle lane which was originally proposed under Boris Johnson. It would have required the removal of one of the six traffic lanes currently on this stretch of road.

The East-West Cycle Superhighway was meant to continue to Acton by joining the A40 Westway flyover at Westbourne Bridge before descending at Wood Lane and continuing along the A40 Western Avenue as far as Horn Lane. It was part of an 18-mile route that would have ended at Barking.

The cycle lane would have been separated from traffic by a concrete barrier topped with a glass panel and would have provided a cycle route to Paddington and then linked up with the Victoria Embankment superhighway.

When the plan was consulted on by Transport for London it received 71 per cent support but was the subject of a legal challenge from the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association. Westfield Shopping Centre had objected on the grounds that it would have cause delays for shoppers using the centre in Shepherd’s Bush.

According to the Standard the decision became public during discussion between Val Shawcross, Mr Khan’s deputy mayor for transport, and British Cycling campaigner Chris Boardman.

Former cycling tsar Andrew Gilligan, posted on his blog, “The cancellation will probably mean that no segregated cycle route from central to west London is delivered in this mayoral term.”

“The flyover is in fact the easiest place to put a route. There are none of the usual issues with residents, pedestrians, buses, parking, loading, or junctions. There were even benefits for motorists – several westbound journeys would have been quicker.”

Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, described the scheme as ‘crazy’ and said that it would not have been used because it would have taken cyclists off their most direct route.

A spokesman for the Mayor said, "Sadiq is absolutely committed to making cycling in London safer and easier - that's why he has asked TfL to increase spending on cycling compared to the previous administration in which Mr Gilligan was the Cycling Commissioner.

"The Mayor has already approved the next two cycle super-highways and is committed to delivering a new East-West route."

November 15, 2016