The Go Cycle Programme
Update on The Go Cycle Programme
Our cycle network has been funded by TfL and is designed to their standards and in consultation with their engineers. The cycle routes in parts of Kingston Road and Ewell Road schemes are the most recent to be installed, but are yet to be completed, as the remainder of funding allocated by TfL has been frozen due to its financial crisis.
We want to complete the schemes and also expand the network into other parts of the borough, but we are reliant on TfL fulfilling their commitment to fund this work.
While we await the outcome of TfL’s funding negotiations with central government, we are taking the opportunity to review how the Kingston Road and Ewell Road partly-completed schemes are working, and consider what small but effective improvements could be made to parts of the routes, if funding can be found.
We are currently reviewing the feedback we’ve received so far, looking at data and continuing our conversations with the emergency services, and organisations representing road users and cycle lane users.
In September, after the school holidays, we will be asking for any further feedback from the public. We will let you know when this request is open.
The findings will help inform the next phase of implementation, and recommendations will be presented to relevant Neighbourhood Committees in the Autumn. Keep up to date on this on our Lets Talk page at: https://kingstonletstalk.co.uk/kingston-road-and-ewell-road-cycle-schemes
About The Go Cycle Programme
The Go Cycle programme is a major £32M infrastructure transformation project. It is designed to upgrade Kingston’s major highway routes to accommodate the latest cycling infrastructure, while improving the flow of road users, cyclists, and pedestrians, and enhancing the environments through which they travel.
The programme applies a holistic civil engineering approach to reshaping Kingston’s transport network so it improves connectivity for residents and visitors while delivering a safer, more accessible joined-up network. When installing major features such as a new pedestrian and footbridge and new cycle hubs, to redesigning the whole road space - including upgrading crossings, signals, and pedestrian thoroughfares - attention is given to seamless linking with public transport, environmental impact, and the citizen's wellbeing. The Go Cycle engineering teams deploy the lastest technology, road and traffic modelling, techniques and materials to ensure the transformed infrastructure meets the demands for air quality improvement while optimising journey times, and accommodating a growing, more health-conscious population.
Why does Kingston need to develop its transport infrastructure?
Meeting the demands for mobility and allowing for increasingly sustainable forms of transport, including bikes and electric vehicles, requires an infrastructure that’s fit-for-purpose. Reconfiguring roadways and constructing new cycleways and footways, is the first significant step in widening the options from which residents can choose to travel in and around the borough. As Kingston’s population grows the transport network needs to evolve, and improvements have to be made now so it can safely carry an extra 1,500 new people every year, and has the capacity to efficiently accommodate 30% more people by 2050.
The Go Cycle programme is driven by a London-wide transport strategy and funded by Transport for London and the Mayor of London. The programme forms part of an innovative new commitment by Kingston, when in 2014 the borough was one of the winning three London Boroughs who shared the £100m investment from the pioneering Mini-Holland fund.