Ealing Council cabinet members Deirdre Costigan and Josh Blacker visited a section of the Uxbridge Road near Southall this week (24 January 2022) to mark the start of works to create a brand-new cycle lane from Hanwell to Southall.
The new lane is likely to be complete and ready in the summer of his year and is just one part of a huge programme to make it easier and safer for residents to make journeys around the borough by walking, cycling and scooting.
Councillor Deirdre Costigan, cabinet member for climate action said: “We are here on the Uxbridge Road, near Southall Park, where work on a new Hanwell to Southall cycle scheme is now underway. When complete, this scheme will make it easier, safer and more pleasant for people to get around by bike.
“Uxbridge Road is vital for local cyclists and commuters as it is a main route linking the east and west of the borough. Similar measures are already in place along other sections, including Ealing Common and Acton.
Councillor Josh Blacker, cabinet member for healthy lives said: Much of this route is a dual carriageway and has not exactly been ideal for cyclists in the past. But when complete, this new high-quality cycle route will be far safer for people of all ages, including children.
“Virtually the whole length of this route is going to be protected with flexible posts fixed to the road, known as ‘wands’, or with completely separate cycle tracks. This divides cyclists from all other traffic, including buses and pedestrians.
“We have seen a huge increase in the number of people using their bike in this area in the last year and we will continue to support people to cycle wherever possible, not just along Uxbridge Road, but across the entire borough.”
Councillor Costigan continued: “We are supporting people to make even more journeys by cycling as an alternative to driving. A significant chunk of the pollution and harmful emissions we produce as a borough comes from cars making these sorts of journeys and collectively, we must make bold changes to our lives now or face a deepening climate crisis in future years.
“Luckily, we are addressing these threats through our climate action strategy and are pushing for improvements in local air quality to reach ‘net zero’ for carbon emissions in the borough by 2030.”
Councillor Blacker added: “We are also looking to introduce similar cycle schemes in other areas, including around Boston Road in Hanwell.
“We also now have 15 School Streets in place – making it safer and easier for children to walk, cycle or scoot to school, and for people who do rely on a car to get around, we have delivered around 300 electric vehicle charging points to support the switch to this greener mode of transport.”
