Hounslow Wants To Turn Into Cycling 'Mini Holland'

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Council makes bid to become one of Mayor's biking boroughs

Hounslow will see a cycling revolution if the council receives the green light for up to £50million in investment for improving facilities for those on two wheels from the Mayor of London. 

Speaking after the council made its official stage one bid to become a ‘mini-Holland’, Councillor Colin Ellar, deputy leader of Hounslow Council, said: “We are already one of London’s biking boroughs but if we get the thumbs-up for our ambitious plan, it would revolutionise cycling in Hounslow.” 

Hounslow is looking to become one of up to four outer London boroughs which will be chosen to become a ‘mini-Holland’ by the Mayor of London’s cycling Czar, Andrew Gilligan. 

The aim is that the successful boroughs will work towards becoming every bit as cycle-friendly as their Dutch equivalents. 

Hounslow’s bid features: 

• A re-design of Hounslow town centre to make it more cycle friendly
• Full realisation of the proposed ‘Cycle Superhighway 9’ as a cycling commuter route linking Hounslow to Hyde Park Corner via Isleworth, Brentford and Chiswick
• An extension to the cycle superhighway to Feltham and to Heathrow
• Redesigns of problem junctions where they are used by cyclists and a radical remodelling of a large number of our road and rail bridges where there is scope to significantly improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians
• Development of a network of ‘quiet-ways’ linking the borough to all neighbouring town centres within easy cycling distance
• Cycle super hubs – which would secure bicycle parking at local railway stations, focusing on Turnham Green, the borough’s busiest tube station and other tube and train stations
• Education, training and publicity initiatives to promote cycling amongst local schools, businesses and other stakeholders. 

Cllr Ellar added: “Hounslow is already a cycling borough with more journeys made by bike than most other boroughs in London. 

“Although the competition out there is tough, if we get the green light from the Mayor, we can go from red to Dutch Orange!”   

It is anticipated that a shortlist of boroughs for the mini-Holland funding will be announced in Autumn 2013, after which a more detailed ‘stage 2’ bid will be submitted. 

Hounslow is home to some of the capital’s most enthusiastic cyclists, with 4.4 % of trips originating in the borough made by bike, according to TfL’s recent London Travel Demand Survey. 

The borough will also host the Prudential RideLondon event on Sunday 4 August. 

Hounslow was named the first outer London ‘Biking Borough’.  ‘Biking Boroughs’ is a Mayor of London initiative to get more people cycling in outer London. 

Hounslow hosted the first major Mayor’s outer London Skyride in August 2009.

July 11, 2013